Faculty of Engineering Admissions Guidance

In the School of Engineering, in addition to providing an engineering foundation invaluable for sustaining the future of science and technology, we teach the position and significance of technology in society, and foster talented individuals who have a broad outlook, insight, and an international way of thinking.

Overview

The Significance of Engineering

Not limited to seeking the truth concerning the laws of nature, mankind and society, engineering uses the comprehensively assembled outcomes of such research for productive human practice. To this end, research subjects include materials, the energy transferred by those materials, and systematic research on theories that effectively combine them. Unique engineering theories come from these integrations. Mankind must make decisions at different stages in the fields of productive practice. Design can be used as an example of such an ongoing decision process.

Engineering is an integrated scientific technique for preparing objective materials so that decisions can be made. Engineering, more than analysis, is a field of integrated study that embraces broad basic and practical applications, incorporates methods, and has the potential to expand in subject matter. Thus, in recent years engineering methods have been applied in fields outside industry as well. Ergonomics, instructional engineering, social engineering, medical engineering, and industrial engineering are examples of such fields. There is some debate as to how developing social problems, such as escalating pollution in high-growth society, defective product production and transportation issues, have been aggravated particularly by the abnormal development of industry, engineering and so on at the core of our contemporary national culture. Regarding this point, that overly optimistic or poor appraisals based on comprehensive engineering were made, and that industrialized society prospects based on an interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences collaboration that pursued an optimal solution lacked policy and public opinion input, and the like seem to have contributed to the difficulties of an advanced industrialized society.

Through such experiences, engineering reexamines the social ideal for industry as well as the significance and role of engineering, and as a science, engineering continues to emerge to have a more comprehensive outlook and consideration. The long history of engineering began with the rise of technology as man first made tools, and it can be said that its fledgling structure continues to grow.

Engineering is what provides a rational basis for human accomplishment, and industry is established on this. In this sense, a wide range of fields including medicine and agriculture become further industrialized. In many spheres of human society engineering carries a responsibility for the issue of how society can develop in a good direction.

There are many underdeveloped fields in engineering, and hopefully your academic interest will be free from engineering and industry stereotypes.

Current and Future Industry

In a one hundred year period beginning in the mid-19th century Japan grew from a small agricultural state into one of the world’s largest industrialized nations. During this period the extent of change in scale and quality of industrialization as well as in rate was unprecedented in the history of the world. Herein lies the primary reason that many developing countries are deeply concerned about the modernization of our nation. Above all, the high growth period in the 1970s was staggering. As a result, the domestic abundance, and a variety of distorted issues behind it, brought about external friction not only among developing countries but also with developed countries.

Nonetheless, the population within the narrow confines of the territory creates a very high-density society; resources, energy and food are absolutely in short supply in our nation; and from now on industry is crucial for supporting the livelihood of citizens. That is not all. It goes without saying that advanced industrial development is essential for enriching human livelihood on a global scale.

The pursuit of an ideal for industry, both domestically and internationally sought since the rapid 19th century growth, remains today. Industries themselves are the ones most seriously considering the future of industrialization in Japan, and industries themselves with the most prospective are the ones predicting that ideal. Industries are trying to find industrialization methods that rely heavily on human wisdom as opposed to the amount of capital, resources and labor. Although this issue is difficult for those engaged in engineering, academically it is extremely interesting and exhilarating work.

The Mission and Position of Engineers

Out in society, Faculty of Engineering graduates undergo thorough professional vocational education and training at their workplace. That is the time to acquire new knowledge and skills. In terms of age, from the upper twenties through the thirties or forties, a trained engineer is involved in cutting-edge research, technological development, product development or design and construction of new plants and apparatus. Beginning as a mid-level engineer, one may work as a team leader after a number of years. Yet in addition to the workplace, during this time one will also play an active role in academic conferences, business circles, government committee or international endeavors. Engineers in their fifties in any field will determine the goals of and courses for new developments in research, technology, products, and so forth with a global outlook and lead their organizations towards those goals.

Regardless which department of engineering one comes from or the field of employment entered, engineers have the abovementioned career development in common. Through this career development, engineers repeatedly have issues expressing themselves in an influential manner. Proper requests, suggestions, and warnings, are not effective unless they are persuasive and authoritative. In any occupation, an engineer’s lifetime is an ongoing struggle of persuasive personal advocacy in acquiring appropriate work conditions. In many cases outstanding engineers who trained themselves over many years to use the “power” of a comprehensive decision previously mentioned in “the significance of engineering” have become prominent leaders in large organizations.

As the ability to think like an engineer filters into every field of human activity, in the future society will expect the promotion of great numbers of engineers to shoulder the increasingly important roles in diverse social fields.

General Notes

Please refer to the “Course of Study Guide” distributed at the time of enrollment for detailed information related to university admissions.

For second year students, departmental guidance (introduction to each Faculty of Engineering department) will be conducted at the Komaba Campus during the summer semester. Alternatively, participation in the admissions guidance session (explanation of the application process) will likely prove to be useful for making decisions about continuing academic pursuits.

Furthermore, to provide you with adequate knowledge about each Faculty of Engineering department, and in order for you to have someone to consult with about attending university, each Faculty of Engineering department will have an academic counselor to personally counsel and discuss admission matters. To request an academic counselor interview, please refer to the Faculty List (Issued by the College of Arts and Sciences. The Komaba Campus Admissions Counseling Office and each Faculty of Engineering departmental office will know as well.), or we will let you know how to make arrangements. You are welcome to take advantage of this service.

Field of Study and Department/Course Affiliation

Please refer to the following chart concerning field of study and department/course affiliation. Your field of study will be the specialized field determined in line with the university quota framework as you advance into your second academic year, departments are divisions operated by the Faculty of Engineering, and these become the student affiliation components with which your course of study will be affiliated. The relationship between these three may differ depending upon the department, please refer to specific departmental introductions for details.

Field of Study and Corresponding Department Affiliation