Asia University

Japanese universities differ in numerous ways from those of Europe, North America and other Asian countries. The following is a description of some of Asia University's more notable features. Education. 

It is extremely rare in Japan to find a university in which students decide their major or their faculty after completing general requirements. Asia University is no exception. Students select a faculty at their time of application. This is because within each faculty, a separate curriculum is implemented from the students' first year. Thus, each faculty administers a separate entrance exam. Once students are admitted to a faculty, transferring to another is uncommon. 

The academic year begins in April, while graduation comes in March. Students are generally not allowed to enroll or graduate at any other time. Often the academic year is divided into either two or three terms. There are university-designated vacations in the spring, summer and winter. The spring and summer vacations are nearly two months, while the winter vacation lasts approximately three weeks.  

The Asia University curriculum includes required and elective courses which fall into two categories: general subjects, which equip students with a background in the liberal arts, and specialized subjects in which students acquire the knowledge necessary to conduct research in their particular faculty.  

There are several courses which are offered by Asia University that take place off campus, including study abroad opportunities like the Asia University America Program and Asia Yume College Program. Students can receive regular Asia University credits for enrolling in these types of classes. Furthermore, Asia University has established agreements regarding the transfer of credits with other universities in the Musashino area (Seikei University, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, Nippon Veterinary and Animal Science University and Musashino University). This allows students the chance to study some subjects which are not specifically offered by Asia University and yet still receive Asia University course credits.  

The number of credits required for graduation from Asia University is the same for every faculty. There are required subjects that must be completed each year. Students are promoted to the next year of the program in April even if they fail to complete the courses designated for the year before. In such cases, the students must take both the subjects left over from the previous year and those required for the current year, resulting in an extremely heavy course load. When students complete all the required subjects, they become eligible to graduate. It is expected that students will graduate within 4 years however, 8 years is the maximum allowed by the Ministry of Education.