About Kwansei Gakuin University
Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU)—colloquially known as Kangaku—is a private nondenominational Christian university in the Kansai region of Japan. As one of Kansai’s leading private universities, KGU offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to around 25,000 students in over 80 different disciplines across 14 undergraduate schools and 14 graduate schools.
Our Mission at Kwansei Gakuin
Our mission at Kwansei Gakuin, as a learning community based on the principles of Christianity, is to inspire our members to seek their life missions, and cultivate them to be creative and capable world citizens who embody our motto, “Mastery for Service,” by transforming society with compassion and integrity.
“We aim to be strong, to be masters – masters of knowledge, masters of opportunity, masters of ourselves, our desires, our ambitions . . . . but having become masters, we desire not to inflate, and enrich ourselves for our own sake, but to render some useful service to humanity in order that the world may be better for our having lived in it.” (Dr. C.J.L. Bates, 1915)
Kwansei Gakuin’s motto of “Mastery for Service,” coined by Dr. C.J.L. Bates, the fourth Chancellor of Kwansei Gakuin and the first President of Kwansei Gakuin University, reflects the ideal for all our members to master their abundant God-given gifts to serve their neighbors, society and the world. A “master” usually means someone who directs or commands others, but at our school, it means a person who, in terms of humanity, learning, and daily life. From that base, “service” is understood in the Christian context as “service to God,” the starting point for a life dedicated to serving neighbors, society, and others – a way of life that is devoted to creating a better world by utilizing one’s inalienable gifts; that is the ideal that we members of Kwansei Gakuin continue to seek, as we sing in the school song, “Shining freedom, Mastery for Service.”
Our Vision for the Future
The Kwansei Grand Challenge 2039 is our conception of the future comprising both our ultra long-term vision and long-term strategy, in anticipation of our 150th anniversary in 2039. This initiative is based on our mission statement, “to nurture global citizens who embody Mastery for Service”, and outlines what knowledge, abilities and qualities students should acquire at Kwansei Gakuin, as well as what they should do to acquire them.
The “Kwansei Competencies”, which comprise the knowledge, skills, and quality of character that all students should acquire by the time of graduation –irrespective of their department-are positioned as the underlying bedrock of education at the institution. Every student at Kwansei Gakuin should gradually acquire these Competencies and continue to build on them.
Moving forward, we will establish our Medium-Term Comprehensive Management Plan, which will be based on this conception of the future.
Educational Ideals
The mission of Kwansei Gakuin is to cultivate world citizens who embody “Mastery for Service” through education based on Christian principles, and to send them out into the world. A “world citizen” is someone who possesses the skills to communicate and empathize with others, then take responsibility for creating a better world. Sending graduates out into the world who will play an active role in both the public sector, including international contributions, and the business sector, and creating true global leaders who possess “strength and dignity”, and who will tackle global issues and lead the world to solutions – this is the Kwansei Gakuin ideal.
Undergraduate Education
Build the foundation for a fulfilling and meaningful life through contribution to the local community and global society.
Kwansei Gakuin University’s undergraduate education fosters graduates with these qualities, which will allow them to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives.
School of Theology
School of Humanities
School of Sociology
School of Law and Politics
School of Economics
School of Business Administration
School of Human Welfare Studies
School of International Studies
School of Education
School of Policy Studies
School of Science
School of Engineering
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences
School of Architecture
Graduate Education
Educate researchers and exceptional professionals who can devote effort to society’s demands.
Kwansei Gakuin has implemented multilateral support, such as financial and human resources, to maintain the tradition of nurturing excellent researchers in a competitive environment.
Graduate School of Theology
Graduate School of Humanities
Graduate School of Sociology
Graduate School of Law and Politics
Graduate School of Economics
Graduate School of Business Administration
Graduate School of Science and Technology
Graduate School of Policy Studies
Graduate School of Language, Communication and Culture
Graduate School of Human Welfare Studies
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of International Studies
Law School
Institute of Business and Accounting
Research
Create world-class research in a competitive environment.
The campus is equipped with substantial research facilities, as well as an on-campus environment which is conducive to sparking innovation to support a wide range of research that can accumulate and create world-class results.
Comprehensive and Integrated Education
Secure Kwansei Gakuin’s ideal as a comprehensive integrated educational institution through sharing the spirit of foundation.
Kwansei Gakuin is a comprehensive educational institution comprising nine schools from kindergarten to university. We promote internationalization and global education in our schools that students will acquire the ability to survive and cope at any international level. At every stage of our education, students are taught to transcend the differences between countries and regions, languages, cultures and customs, and hone the skills and qualities that will enable them to become true World Citizens.
Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration
Enhance the Kwansei Gakuin brand value in top-notch education and research through strengthening links with the industry and government.
Kwansei Gakuin will pursue further collaboration from multiple perspectives with industry, and national and local governments, through both education and research. On the research front, in the science and technology fields, we will further collaboration with world-class research institutes in the Kansai region. On the educational front, we are undertaking a range of programs with a variety of external organizations in industry, government, academia, the United Nations and other international NGO/NPO organizations.
Internationalization
Evolve Kwansei Gakuin’s traditions of internationalization to a level of excellence.
The university and schools of Kwansei Gakuin work together to evolve the “internationalist” traditions since its foundation to a level of excellence. In 2014, Kwansei Gakuin University was chosen for the Top Global University Project (SGU) by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to further internationalization on campus and in the curriculum. Furthermore, in 2015, Kwansei Gakuin Senior High School, and later in 2016, Senri International School were also designated as Super Global High Schools (SGH) by MEXT.
Partner Institutions (as of May 2022)
List of Partner Institutions | Kwansei Gakuin University
School Management
Establish a comprehensive management system through governance reform.
Appropriate high-quality management is imperative to achieve our vision. By establishing a Medium-Term Comprehensive Management Plan, through coordination between the education and learning plans of the university and other schools, and the infrastructure plans in areas such as finance, personnel, and construction, we will achieve “comprehensive management” that can maximize the effects of management resources.
Digital Transformation
Improve the quality of Education and Research using digital technology, and transform operations and services.
In order to respond to the paradigm shift of the “post-COVID-19” age, we will actively proceed with measures for digital conversion in fields such as education and research, student and learning support, and operations and services, and will position DX as our most important management-related strategy.
Website: https://global.kwansei.ac.jp/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kwanseienglish?lang=en
A 90-second Kwansei Gakuin University overview (2022): https://youtu.be/Lf3yUbbw0jw
Location: Nishinomiya, Japan