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

Tsurumi University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Kanagawa, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2017
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.01.2018 – March.31.2025）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Tsurumi University
Overview
The origin of Tsurumi University (hereafter, the University) traces back to the 1963
merger of Koka Girls High School and Tsurumi Girls High School, founded in 1924and 1925, respectively, to create Tsurumi Women’s University with a School ofLiterature. The University adopted its present name in 1973. The University’s campus
is located in the city of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, where the institution offers
undergraduate and graduate programs in Literature and Dental Medicine and carries
out education and research activities based on the Buddhism-inspired founding spirit of“Daigakuenjo Hoongyoji,” emphasizing gratitude, life, and people.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2010, the University set two overarching goals: first, to adopt for eachschool is three policies consistent with those of the University and examine the effectsof each policy on their role as an education institution; and second, to ensure that themeaning of the University is widely understood through implementing university-wide
education programs. To achieve these goals, the University created an organizational
structure to drive improvement, establishing the “University-wide Self-StudyCommittee” and the “University-wide Educational Management Reform ProjectCouncil” responsible for studying individual academic issues. Other improvement
initiatives include enhancing the university-wide programs and first-year programs aswell as revamping the career education program.
This latest review commends the University for its efforts to actively giveback to the community the benefits of the research outcomes derived from theuniversity’s resources. Such efforts include the international social contribution
program offering pro bono dental care to asylum seekers in Japan, and the many
long-running life-long learning courses for local residents.
The review did find a number of areas requiring improvement. Bothundergraduate schools, for example, have enrollment management issues, and theGraduate School of Literature has failed to develop research instruction plans and toimplement appropriate rules for awarding degrees. The Graduate School of Dental
Medicine needs to review its curriculum design and implementation policy and address
deficiencies in its degree award assessment standards.

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Even though literature and dental medicine are separate academic disciplines
with different attributes, it is still possible to develop and promote improvement
activities for the overall institution by comparing and reviewing from a university-wide
perspective the framework, organizational structure, and practices of each school. We
expect such undertakings to build on the University’s unique strengths and lead tofurther progress.
Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution
The University’s Center for International Exchange offers pro bono dental care toasylum seekers in Japan as part of its international contribution program. Also, theUniversity offers a life-long learning program for local residents. Organized
mainly by the Committee for Promoting Regional Collaboration and theCommittee for Promoting Educational Research, this long-standing programprovides diverse learning opportunities through a variety of courses focusing, forexample, on literature or dental medicine specialties or on Buddhism. Furthermore,in line with the University’s founding spirit based on the teachings of Zen, thePreemptive Medical Research Center works to foster clinical chaplains who
provide spiritual care to terminal patients. The University is commended formaking positive contributions to the community and society through these efforts,
actively giving back to the community the benefits of the research outcomes
derived from the University’s resources.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

The curriculum design and implementation policy of the Department of DentalMedicine (Doctoral Course) merely describes the goals of human resourcedevelopment. The policy needs to state the principles of the curriculum as well.

The Graduate School of Literature is advised to formulate research instructionplans for the Master’s and Doctoral Courses to ensure that research and4

dissertation writing are supervised in accordance with the plans.
The Doctoral Programs of the Graduate School of Literature confer a “coursedoctorate” degree, a doctorate of the program-based graduate school system, toformer students who completed the required number of credits but withdrew fromthe program after failing to earn their degree within the prescribed period of study.
Such students are awarded the degree upon submitting their dissertation despite
having lost their student status. This practice is inappropriate and should berevised. The University is also advised to be more conscious of the purpose of theprogram-based graduate school system and ensure that degrees are awarded within
the appropriate timeframe.

The Graduate School of Dental Medicine is advised to establish and stipulate thedissertation assessment standards in the Graduate School Dental Medicine Course
Guidelines or other such documents for each of its programs.

Enrollment
The ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap is high at 1.06 in theDepartment of Dental Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, and should belowered.

The ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap is low at 0.28 in the
Graduate School of Literature and should be improved.

Area of Serious Concern
Enrollment
The average ratio of freshman enrollment to the freshman enrollment cap over thepast five years and the ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap arehigh at 1.32 and 1.30, respectively, in the Department of Japanese Literature,
School of Literature, and must be lowered.