University Accreditation Results(Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for university)

Gakushuin University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2015
Accreditation Status: Accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2016 – March.31.2023）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Gakushuin University
Overview
Gakushuin University (hereafter, the University), which was established under the new
education system in 1949, succeeded Gakushuin School, which was originally founded in1877 as a school for the nobility. Since then, the University has expanded to four faculties,
six graduate schools, and one professional graduate school. It will open the Faculty ofInternational Social Sciences in April 2016. The University has its campus in Toshima,
Tokyo, and engages in education and research activities according to its founding spirit.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2008, the University discussed the measures necessary to carry out drastic
reforms in faculty development (FD) with the Faculty Development Committee initiativeand has strived to raise awareness among faculty members through FD lectures across theUniversity. The University created its own self-study sheet in 2010 and developed andrevised several policies in 2015 under the University’s principal policy in an effort toassure the quality of education.
In this accreditation review, JUAA has noted that seminars addressing the job
interview process, where graduates share their employment experiences with students,
have been well attended and have successfully motivated students to prepare for job
hunting.
However, several issues concerning educational content and methods must beaddressed. In the graduate schools, the methods used to assess achievement inundergraduate classes taken as required credits should be improved. In addition, thebalance of course work and research in the curriculum needs to be improved. Furthermore,most of the graduate schools have not formulated their research guidance plans. The
faculties are facing difficulties in regards to the maximum number of credits that students
can register in a year. Lastly, in regards to student enrollment, certain faculties accept
more students than their quotas allow.
Prior to this accreditation review, the Law School had already undergone
professional school accreditation review by the National Institute for Academic Degrees
and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE) in 2013 and been accredited. Thus, JUAA
reviewed the School this time by examining the improvements from 2013 onwards fromthe standpoint of university accreditation (institutional certified evaluation andaccreditation).
Notable Strengths
Student Support

It is commendable that the University makes efforts to stimulate the motivation ofstudents for job hunting, with an abundance of graduates and students engaging inthese efforts. In particular, graduates and fourth-year students who receive offers for
employment teach a seminar on the job interview process that provides third-year
students with guidance and advice through group discussions, mock job-interviews,
and tips on presenting oneself appropriately. In addition, individuals who teach theseminar organize the executive committee and continually review the planning andmanagement of the seminar.

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Suggestions for Improvement
Faculty and Faculty Organization
With regard to the criteria for recruitment, hiring, and promotion, the entire
University (except for the Faculty of Science) indicates only requirements andrequired years of experience which the law stipulates; no other requirements areexplicitly stated for specific job positions at the University. This should be improved.

Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeIn the doctoral program in the Faculty of Law, the policy on degree award do notstate learning outcome at the time of program completion. This should be improved.

In the master’s program of the Graduate School of Political Studies, the Graduate
School of Economics, the Graduate School of Management, the Graduate School ofHumanities, and the Graduate School of Natural Science, certain undergraduate
courses are allowed to be taken and are accepted as a part of the required credits.
However, assessment criteria are not clearly separated from what is used in theundergraduate programs. This should be improved from the perspective of quality
assurance of education.

The curriculum of the doctoral programs in the graduate courses in chemistry and life
science in the Graduate School of Natural Science contains an imbalance of researchand course work. Considering the objectives of the credit-based degree-granting
system, the doctoral program should offer appropriate educational content.

The Faculty of Letters (except for the Department of Education) and the Faculty of
Science do not set a maximum limit on the number of credits students are allowed toregister in a year. The Department of Education in the Faculty of Letters also does not
set a limit for second-, third-, or fourth-year students, and the Department of Political
Studies in the Faculty of Law does not set a limit for second-,third-,or fourth-year
students. The Department of Law in the Faculty of Law sets the limit high at 52
credits. This situation should be improved in accordance with the purpose of having acredit system.

In the Graduate School of Law, the research instruction plan is not clearly or
sufficiently stated to students. This should be improved.

The Graduate School of Political Studies, the Graduate School of Economics, and theGraduate School of Management use the same evaluation criteria for both theresearch achievement on a specific topic and the master’s thesis. This practice shouldbe improved.

Enrollment
The ratios of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap are low in each of thefollowing programs: 0.40 in the masters’ program in the Graduate School ofEconomics, 0.25 in the masters’ program in the Graduate School of Management,
0.22 in the doctoral program in the Graduate School of Law, 0.27 in the doctoral
program in the Graduate School of Politics, and 0.22 in the doctoral program in theGraduate School of Economics.

4Area of Serious Concern
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

Research instruction plans have not been written in the master’s and doctoral
programs in the Graduate School of Political Studies, the Graduate School ofEconomics, or the Graduate School of Management. These situations must becorrected, so that instruction for research and writing up theses and dissertations
will be given based on the plan.

Enrollment
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap in the Department ofPhysics is high at 1.22, and the average of the ratios of the last five years of enrolled
freshmen to the freshman admission cap and the ratio of enrolled students to thestudent enrollment cap are high at 1.21 and 1.25 respectively in the Department ofLife Science in the Faculty of Science. These numbers must be improved.