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

Tsuda University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, 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
for Results for Tsuda University
Overview
Originally established as the Women’s Institute for English Studies in 1900, Tsuda
University (hereafter, the University) opened as Tsuda College with just one undergraduate
English Literature program in 1948. Through subsequent expansion and reorganization, theUniversity now has two undergraduate schools (College of Liberal Arts and College ofPolicy Studies, with the latter created in 2017) and three graduate programs (English andCultural Studies, International and Cultural Studies, and Mathematics and Computer
Science). Education and research activities are conducted on two campuses in Tokyo, one in
the City of Kodaira and the other in Sendagaya, Shibuya Ward.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2010, the University has worked to address areas requiring improvement under
the leadership of the University-wide Self-Assessment Committee, while also gauging thelevel of recognition of the principles upheld by the University-wide Strategic Planning
Committee across departments and units, and whether education, research, and student
support are carried out in line with those principles. In addition, the Vision and Mission
Committee, established in 2016, adopted and published “Tsuda Vision 2030” in 2017.
The University has a number of noteworthy features that include the College of
Liberal Arts’ “Sogo” course, a long-running public extension course organized entirely bystudents from selecting topics to inviting speakers. Also, the Writing Center and other units
provide thorough student support by encouraging independent student learning. Promising
initiatives include the Off-Campus Learning Center established in 2016 as part of the support
system to enhance learning activities outside the classroom, and the introduction of thequarter system with a gap year program and concurrent curriculum revision.
The University is not without weaknesses, however, such as its failure to establish
a curriculum design and implementation policy for each graduate program. Going forward,
the University is expected to continue making improvements based on the results of its
self-study audits performed in accordance with the Internal Quality Assurance Policy
formulated in 2017 so as to fully achieve its goals.

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Notable Strengths
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

The College of Liberal Arts common courses offer a comprehensive discipline designed
to refine a broad liberal arts knowledge base and intelligence. The “Sogo” course, forexample, provides students with the experience to build independence and develop
communication and interpersonal skills by having them work as volunteer staff entirely
responsible for setting the year’s theme, selecting and inviting speakers, and managing
the class itself. And the Women’s Studies course invites speakers from a range of fields
to ensure the topics covered meet diverse student interests. By providing different rolemodels, the course exposes students to the knowledge and experience of successful
women working in various fields and helps them design their careers. These longrunning extension courses require students to document and present their learning,which helps to broaden student perspectives and career planning. These courses are
fully consistent with the University’s mission and are commendable.

Student SupportThe Writing Center aims not only to improve writing skills but also to develop
leadership skills. In one-on-one sessions, instead of simply correcting students’ work,
the Center’s tutors (the Writing Center staff) ask probing questions to make students
think deeply on their own, and work with them to explore ways to present cogent
arguments. Tutors help students develop the ability to think and reflect on themselves,
along with writing skills, by discussing weaknesses and improvement ideas. With anever-increasing number of students visiting for guidance, the Center is proving to be aneffective resource and is commended for embodying the University’s mission of“nurturing independent women with all-round abilities.”

Suggestions for Improvement
Faculty and Faculty Organization
The Graduate Programs in English and Cultural Studies, Mathematics and Computer
Science, and International and Cultural Studies are advised to establish qualification

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criteria for selecting graduate school teaching staff.
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
English and Cultural Studies of the Graduate Program in English and Cultural Studies,
Computer Science of the Graduate Program in Mathematics and Computer Science, andInternational and Cultural Studies of the Graduate Program in International and CulturalStudies have the same curriculum design and implementation policy at the master’s anddoctoral levels and are advised to establish a separate policy for each level.

The Graduate Programs in English and Cultural Studies, Mathematics and Computer
Science, and International and Cultural Studies have not established grading methods
for the undergraduate specialized subjects of each program, the credits for which areapplicable to a degree, and are advised to do so to ensure the quality of education they
provide.

Enrollment
The Graduate Programs in English and Cultural Studies have the same student
admissions policy at the master’s and doctoral levels and are advised to establish aseparate policy for each level.

The average ratio of freshman enrollment to the freshman enrollment cap over the past
five years is high at 1.27 in the Department of Computer Science, College of Liberal
Arts, and should be lowered.

The ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap is low at 0.20 in theGraduate Program of International and Cultural Studies and should be improved.