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

Kunitachi College of Music

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2016
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.01.2017 – March.31.2024）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kunitachi College of Music
Overview
Kunitachi College of Music (hereafter, the College) is a college with a single faculty
and a single graduate school of music. It’s predecessor, Tokyo Koto Ongaku Gakuin（Tokyo Conservatory of Music）, was established in 1926. The College hasadvanced its education and research activities in order to foster musicians andeducators, as well as contribute to development in music culture. Its campus islocated in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo. The College underwent the lastaccreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) in 2009.
Although several issues regarding educational content and methods were noted in thelast accreditation, the College has appropriately resolved the issues by establishing theCommittee for Reviewing General Education and the Committee for College-WideEducation.
The College, based on its mission of student support, has supported students’
extracurricular activities and their independent activities. It is also highly
commendable that the College has developed social contribution activities incooperation with the community and local authorities, such as the Kunitachi Collegeof Music Family Concert.
However, the College has several issues to address. In the Faculty of Music,
the content of the policy on degree award and the curriculum design policy shouldbe improved, as well as the credit registration limits for fourth-year students. In themaster’s program in the Graduate Course of Music, methods and content for
research guidance are not communicated to students, and the criteria for examining
theses for the master’s degree have not been stipulated. JUAA expects that theCollege will improve these issues. Moreover, while internal quality assurance has
been conducted by the Committee for Self-Study, JUAA hopes that the policy forinternal quality assurance will be stipulated and shared among faculty members andother staff.
Notable Strengths
Student Support

It is commendable that the College has made efforts for student support in linewith the College’s basic mission by utilizing its expertise as a music college.
For example, based on its policy regarding student support, the College hasoffered space and leased instruments to support activities such as student
workshops, extracurricular activities, and independent activities. In addition,
the College has bolstered student activities and supported funding toorganizations for extracurricular activities, and has offered a variety of learning
opportunities where students contemplate their future and deepen their learning.

Social Cooperation and Contribution
It is commendable that through these efforts, the College has conducted a broad
range of social contribution activities in cooperation with the community. Inparticular, based on the College’s basic mission to “develop the talent andpotential of each of our students as musicians, educators, and individuals withfreedom, independence, and integrity essential to the contributions of Japanand the world’s cultural developments,” the College has continuously held avariety of events that achieve substantial participation from residents of thelocal community, such as the Kunitachi College of Music Family Concert and3other events.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeIn the Faculty of Music, the policy on degree award does not indicate thelearning outcomes required for the completion of the program. This should beimproved.

In the Faculty of Music, the curriculum design policy does not indicate basic
ideas on the content and methods in education. This should be improved.

In the Faculty of Music, the maximum number of credits a fourth year student isallowed to register for per year is as high as 60 credits. This should be improvedin line with the purpose of a credit system.

In the master’s program in the Graduate Course of Music, the research guidanceplan is not adequately communicated to students. This should be improved.

In both the master’s and doctoral programs, the methods for examining musicalperformance and musical works for granting the degree are not clearlystipulated. Furthermore, the criteria for examining thesis are not stipulated in
the master’s program. These criteria should be clearly stated in the graduate
student handbook.