Hokkaido University (北海道大学 Hokkaidō daigaku?), or Hokudai (北大), is a leading national university of Japan. It is considered as a member of the National Seven Universities. It is situated in downtown Sapporo, just north of Sapporo Station, and stretching approximately 2.4 kilometers northward.
Hokkaido University upholds "The Frontier Spirit," "Global Perspectives," "All-round Education" and "Practical Learning" -- concepts that have been developed over its history of more than 130 years as the basic philosophies of education and research. Currently, all the faculty members, students and graduates are making concerted efforts to transform their campus into a global base for education and research.
History
Hokkaido University (Hokudai for short) was originally founded in 1876 as Sapporo Agricultural College (札幌農學校 Sapporo nōgakkō?) by William S. Clark with the help of five faculty members and a first class size of 24 students. It became Hokkaido Imperial University (北海道帝國大學 Hokkaidō teikoku daigaku?) on April 1, 1918, during the Taishō period. It was one of nine Imperial Universities. The School of Medicine was established in 1919, at which time the Agricultural College became the Faculty of Agriculture. This was followed by the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Science, and finally in 1947, the Faculty of Law and Literature. The current name of Hokkaido University also came into use in 1947. In 1953, the Graduate School was established.
Since 2004 the university has been incorporated as a National University Corporation under a new law which applies to all national universities. Although the incorporation has led to increased financial independence and autonomy, Hokkaido University is still partially controlled by the Japanese Ministry of Education.
International Expansion of Educational Activities
Hokkaido University (HU) developed an international initiative utilizing its strength as a global research university in 2005 in response to a call from the international community to realize a sustainable society. HU promotes “Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)” for not only HU students, but also for students, specialists, educators, and citizens all over the world. HU activities include:
- building international networks of education and research with universities and research institutes overseas as well as international organizations
- international cooperation through human resource development
- holding international symposia to discuss various issues concerning sustainable societies
- making policy recommendations to promote ESD
Sustainability of the global environment and human society is the most important theme for international and academic society today. For over one hundred thirty years, HU’s basic philosophies of education and research have been: “Frontier Spirit”, “Global Perspectives”, “All-round Education”, and “Practical Learning.” Now HU is pursuing universal and present-day meanings of these philosophies for today’s international society.
Improvement and Internationalization of Education
Hokkaido University has been developing internationally minded all-rounders by having them acquire expertise and make proactive and comprehensive personal development through general and specialized teaching as well as graduate education.
In addition, while stepping up efforts to offer attractive educational and research programs, we are striving to become a global educational and research center by realizing the "strict evaluation of learning results" and "courses respecting the requirements for credits more strictly," promoting education in foreign languages, and building an advanced human-resource development system that can compete in the international arena.
Internationalization of Research
Hokkaido University is strengthening the foundation of education and research by placing an increased emphasis on graduate education. At the same time, we are making our educational and research organizations more efficient by promoting further flexibility in the organizational structure of graduate schools and advancing a faculty and graduate school framework that is aimed at conducting pioneering and interdisciplinary research and education.
Through such initiatives, we strive to create new research bases with interdisciplinary projects, provide lectures in foreign languages and accept competent international students to further our development into a university open to the world and a global center for education and research.
Partnership with Society
Hokkaido University is developing a host of projects intended to enhance public awareness of this university: the utilization of the Tokyo and Beijing Offices as the bases for transmitting information to society and promoting exchange activities with local communities; the improvement of its websites and public relations magazines; public relations activities, including the Open Campus for high school students and the dissemination of information on entrance examinations; the organization of the Extension Lecture Programs; and the improvement of the Open Course Ware, in which course materials are made available to the world.
In addition, we plan to further enhance and utilize bases for joint projects and research with local communities and industries, including the Creative Research Initiative "Sousei" and the Management Center for Intellectual Property and Innovation, to share the fruits of our research activities and strengthen cooperation with society.
Challenges in the 130th Anniversary of the University's Foundation
Aiming to take more initiative and become more self-reliant than ever, Hokkaido University established the "Hokkaido University Frontier Foundation" on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of its foundation in 2006, so that the university would not only redouble its efforts but also receive extensive support from enterprises, individuals and alumni.
The Hokkaido University Frontier Foundation aims to make the university contributable to local communities and the international society. To this end, the Foundation will strive to improve educational and research bases and, among other things, conduct student support activities for the purpose of developing excellent human resources.
Campus
Sapporo Campus
The main Sapporo campus is located just north of Sapporo Station, and holds every programs available in Hokkaido University except its Faculty of Fisheries Science, and also Graduate School of Fisheries Science.
Hakodate Campus
The campus is located in Hakodate, the city located in southern part of Hokkaidō. Faculty and Graduate School of Fisheries Science are practiced in this campus. However, the students of Fisheries Science start their education in Hakodate campus from the second semester of their sophomore year, due to the fact that it is required for all freshmen and sophomores at their first semester to take courses in liberal arts at Sapporo campus.
Faculties and graduate schools
Faculties
Letters
Education
Law
Economics
Medicine
Dental Medicine
Engineering
Veterinary Medicine
Fisheries Sciences
Agriculture
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Science
Graduate schools
Letters
Education
Law
Economics and Business Administration
Medicine
Dental Medicine
Engineering
Veterinary Medicine
International Media and Communication
Information Science and Technology
Fisheries Sciences
Environmental Earth Science
Science
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Agriculture
Life Science
Public Policy
Hokkaido University was ranked 174th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking.
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