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

Kyoto City University of Arts

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: PublicLocation: Kyoto, JapanAccreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2014
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2015 – March.31.2022）

2

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for the Kyoto City University of Art
Overview
The Kyoto City University of Art (hereafter, the University) has its origin in the Kyoto
Prefectural Art School, which was established in 1880 as the first public school ofdrawing. In 1969, the Kyoto City University of Fine Art and the Kyoto City JuniorCollege of Music merged to establish the Kyoto City University of Art, a university
with two faculties, the Faculty of Fine Art and the Faculty of Music. Since then, theUniversity has established a graduate school, which was turned into a local public
university corporation in 2012. Currently, the University has two undergraduate
education units, the Faculty of Fine Art and the Faculty of Music, and two graduate
education units, the Graduate School of Arts and the Graduate School of Music. TheCampus is located in Kyoto City in Kyoto Prefecture. The University is carrying out
education and research activities according to its founding mission.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2007, the University has developed a system of inviting well-known figures
active in different fields to serve as visiting professors. This has contributed to therevitalization of human resources and has enhanced students’ academic motivation. Inaddition, the University has taken initiatives for social cooperation and contribution invarious fields, which has proven to be fulfilling. However, the University also has issues
in its educational methods (at the level of graduate education, in particular) to address.
JUAA hopes that the University will make improvements.
Notable Strengths
Faculty and Faculty Organization

It is commendable that the University has made efforts to motivate students to study
and make itself better known to the public. For example, in August 2012, following
the mid-term plan, the University created a system for inviting visiting professors.
So far, the University has invited thirteen well-regarded figures to have special
lectures and concerts. The concerts were well attended as well, making theUniversity more notable and visible.

Social Cooperation and Contribution

It is commendable that the University has obtained good results in its social
cooperation and contribution. In particular, the University has developed the“Project to Cultivate Young and Energetic Artists” in collaboration with Kyoto Art
Center. The project invites art directors and artists who are active internationally tocultivate young, energetic artists. Through the program, the University has madecontributions to the development of local art and culture by holding special lecturesby the invited lecturers and “talk events” in which gusts speak with moderators.
Moreover, the University has held public lectures on traditional music and exhibits
to display artifacts and designs created by Japanese and French students. Both ofthese projects are rooted in Kyoto culture and take advantage of the University’s
strengths, and it is commendable that the University has developed such fulfilling
projects. Both exemplify social cooperation and contribution through university
activities in various fields, including those focused on international issues. Further,
the University has made an excellent effort to publicize its lectures and events anddisseminate the information by hiring people with work experience in theadvertising industry, publishing a new event information journal entitled “Gallery

3and Concert Guide,” and enriching its home page. These efforts have been very
successful, as the number of event participants has increased.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
The policy on degree award in the Faculty of Music and the Graduate School ofMusic do not specify learning outcomes at the time of program completion. Thisshould be improved. In these programs, curriculum design policies do not state thebasic ideas for educational content and methods. This situation should be improved
consistent with the policy on degree award. Moreover, the doctoral program of theGraduate School of Arts does not define its policy on degree award and curriculum
design policy. The Graduate School of Music defines these policies only at the levelof Graduate School. This situation should be improved by each master’s or doctoral
program defining these policies.

In the master’s course in the Graduate School of Arts and the Graduate School ofMusic, credits earned by taking undergraduate classes are allowed to be counted as
credits for the completion of master’s course; however, the University has notclarified the ways to evaluate graduate students who take these undergraduate
classes. This situation should be improved from the perspective of quality assuranceof education.

The Faculty of Fine Arts does not stipulate the maximum number of credits
students can register for per year for the third and fourth year students. The Facultyof Music has set the number high at sixty. This situation should be improved inaccordance with the purpose of having a credit system.

The master’s course of the Graduate School of Arts and the master and doctoral
course of the Graduate School of Music have not clarified the criteria for examining
degree-seeking theses and dissertations. This situation should be improved by eachprogram clarifying and stating its criteria in the student handbooks such as the“Registration Guidelines.”

In the doctoral course of the Graduate School of Arts and the Graduate School ofMusic, some students complete all the requirements except the dissertation, andleave the University before completing their dissertation requirement within thetime limit set by the University. Later, when these students submit theirdissertations, even though they do not have enrollment status, they are granted
doctoral degrees in the same manner as those students who earn the degrees within
the time limit. This is not an appropriate use of the system. The University needs toreconsider the ways to administrate their course-based doctoral course, and inaccordance with the purpose of course-based doctoral course, the University should
improve the situation by creating measures to ensure the degree completion within
the required time frame.

Enrollment
The doctoral program of Graduate School of Arts does not define its admission
policies. Although the Graduate School as a whole has such admission policies,
both master’s and doctoral course should formulate separate student admission
policies. This situation should be corrected.

4Area of Serious Concern
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
The master’s program in the Graduate School of Music has not formulated research
instruction plans. This situation must be corrected by giving guidance for research
and writing degree-seeking theses based on the research guidance plans.