At Akita University of Art, students take on the creation of new artistic fields unbound by preexisting concepts, in response to the needs of the modern world. We pursue the potential and commonality of art by taking advantage of the cultural resources of Akita, a land blessed by nature and rich traditions, to foster talented individuals who use their artistic sensibilities and creativity to make a difference in Japanese and global society. The entrance examination is comprehensive, not specialized according to desired major. Upon admission, students examine basic concepts of quality, perspective, ideas, research, thought processes and communication, creating a foundation for more specialized study under instructors who work on […]

The Division of Design and Media Technology was established in 2009. It started from the master’s program and the doctoral program at the time of establishment. Currently, after the undergraduate reorganization in 2016 and the graduate school reorganization (master’s course) in 2018, the Graduate School of Science and Engineering (doctoral course) started in 2019. All the master programs belong to one graduate school. At this university, four majors are established in the Graduate School of Science (Master’s Program), and each major has a course. For the doctoral program, three majors have been established at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, one of which is the design and media technology […]

Our university was founded in 2000 with the philosophy of “Open space, Open mind”. We want to develop (1) a high professional capability in Systems Information Science; (2) the ability to explore and conceptualize problems supported by research skills and associated attitudes; (3) the ability to express information through teamwork and co-creation; (4) the ability to learn autonomously and continuously (meta-learning); (5) humanity required for a specialist. The undergraduate program aims for students to acquire the ideas, knowledge, and techniques necessary to design human-centered information systems. Students learn the fundamentals of information design, cognitive psychology, programming, etc. Also, how to think and construct advanced information systems and comfortable information environments. […]

Kyoto Institute of Technology runs “Kyoto Startup Summer School (KS3)” as part of its design education. Organized by KYOTO Design Lab, it is Japan’s most international startup program conducted fully in English. The mission of KS3 is for students to become excited about startups, learn how to build successful startups, and take the first steps in creating a startup. Lecture on a hardware module   History KS3 started in 2016 as a modest 2-day program that brought together 12 participants and 4 lecturers and workshop facilitators. The program was constructed out of different modules such as “fundraising” and “marketing for startups”. After the successful beta test, the program expanded significantly […]

Okayama Prefectural University was established in 1993 as Japan’s first university with a Faculty of Design. At that time, the Faculty of Design started with two departments: Visual Design, Craft and Industrial Design. With the changes of the times, two reorganizations have occurred, and currently, there are two departments: Design and Technology and Aesthetic Design.  However, in recent years, in response to the strong requests from the community, the current field of Architecture and Urban Design in the Department of Design and Technology will become independent as a department. Also, since the times have significantly changed, we want to promote education in fields that include planning, sharing, and distribution, which […]

Sapporo City University is a new university in Japan that opened in 2006. It is characterized by a unique initiative in which only two faculties, the Faculty of Design and the Faculty of Nursing, and the undergraduate education of the faculties are linked. The collaboration between the two faculties extends not only to education but also to research and university management. We have fostered interdisciplinary relationships for more than 13 years and termed it as D x N. The question “What is the significance of the academic collaboration of design and nursing?” is one of the questions often asked by many university officials. To us, the close collaboration on education […]

The results have finally been announced (click here for the previous part). After the presentation, Professor Yasuyuki Hirai of Kyushu University, Faculty of Design, gave a comment on each work and a general comment on this award. In addition, the comments of the three groups who were interviewed at the venue on that day will also be posted. Grand Prize: Extended Island Zhejiang A&F University Tang Zhongyu, Zheng Qingqing, Xu Mengting, Zhang Qing and Miao Wenqi Review The floating mass system, which uses seaweed cultivation, creates a sea forest in the intertidal zone and the coast to restore the ecosystem, is convincing and highly evaluated. It is also wonderful that […]

Kyushu University School of Design was formed in 2003 when Kyushu Institute of Design merged with Kyushu University. The institute was established in 1968 with four departments, namely Environmental Design, Industrial Design, Visual Communication Design, and Acoustic Design. In 1997, the department of Art and Information Design was established as the fifth department. Since the establishment, there have been numerous social issues involving a change in values, such as declining birth rate and aging population, global environmental problems, and the sustainability of economic activities. As such, it is necessary to reexamine design education, given that the design field is expanding due to the present issues. Currently, the field of design […]