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

Kyushu Sangyo University
Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Fukuoka, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2012
Accreditation Status: accredited (Accreditation Period: April 1, 2013 – March 31, 2020)

Related Links
Kyushu Sangyo University: http://www.kyusan-u.ac.jp/E/Full Text of the Accreditation Results (in Japanese):
http://www.juaa.or.jp/accreditation/university/result_2012.html
Accreditation Standards, Process and other related information (in English):http://www.juaa.or.jp/en/accreditation/university.html

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kyushu Sangyo University
Notable Strengths
Educational content, methods, and outcome

It is commendable that Kyushu Sangyo University has made efforts to promote
both English and career education. In particular, the Language Education andResearch Center’s Career English Program offers opportunities to polish practicalbusiness English through classes taught by native speakers. In addition, theOverseas Job Training and Domestic Job Training programs offer chances to gain
practical experiences using English through internship programs. These programs
nurture motivated students to enhance their English ability to benefit their career
education.

It is commendable that the university has developed projects that realize theuniversity’s founding idea of “industry and academia as one.” In particular, theProject Development Program in the Department of Industrial Management in theFaculty of Management offers practical courses jointly organized with corporations.
It has produced concrete results, including: the development and sales of 50th
Anniversary Commemoration Bottle of Wine; a unique payment system using
student ID cards, which won second prize in the 2010 Ministry of Economy andIndustry Society Member Basic Ability Nurturing Grand Prix Kyushu Competition;and the Kashii Shopping District Re-vitalization Project, which won the Nikkei
Business Special Prize in the West Japan Inter-Collegiate 2010 Competition,organized by Nikkei BP.

Student supportIt is commendable that the university has allowed the Center for Fundamental
Education to function as a comprehensive support system to enhance student life.
The Center not only provides study support such as supplementary lessons but also
facilities for mutual student support such as the Shaberi-ba Taberi-ba, a student
lounge, and a Student Assistant System for mutual student development. Thesemeasures have encouraged 5,300 students, or more than half the student body, tovisit the Center.

Suggestions for Improvement
Mission and purposeThe purposes in nurturing talented persons in education and research according toeach Faculty, Department, and Graduate School are not clearly stated in theregulations. This should be improved.

Educational content, methods, and outcome

There are some inappropriate phrases in the item section on “preparation for andstudying after class” in class syllabi such as “none” and “left to the discretion of thestudent taking the course.” These should be revised in accordance with the purposeof the credit system.

In the Faculty of Engineering and the Department of Fine Art in the Faculty of Fine

3Arts, there is no limit to the number of credits that students can register for. In theFaculty of Management and the Faculty of International Studies of Culture, there isno limit to the number of credits third and fourth year students can register for.
These should be revised in accordance with the purpose of the credit system.
Transfer students in both the Day School and Evening School in the Faculty ofCommerce, and students in the Department of Design and the Department of
Photography and Imaging Arts in the Faculty of Fine Arts are allowed to register fora maximum of 60 units. These numbers are high and should be revised inaccordance with the purpose of the credit system.
Although the calculation method for credits has been stipulated in the University
Regulations and Graduate School Regulations, there is no mention of one credit
being the equivalent of 45 credit hours of study. This should be stated.

In the doctoral programs, some students complete all the requirements except thedissertation, and leave the university before completing the dissertation requirement
within the time limit set by the university. Later, when these students submit theirdissertations, even though they do not have enrollment status, they are granted
doctoral degrees. This is inappropriate. The university should modify the ways it
has addressed the problem of awarding course-based doctoral degrees, and, inaccordance with the purpose of having course-based doctoral programs, should
create measures to encourage degree completion within the required time frame.

Enrollment
In the Department of Commerce Evening School in the Faculty of Commerce, theratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is low at 0.79, and in the last
five years, the average of the ratios of enrolled freshmen to the freshman admission
cap is low at 0.76. These numbers should be improved.

The ratio of transfer students to the transfer student admission cap is low at 0.40 in
the Department of Tourism Industry Day School in the Faculty of Commerce. In theFaculty of International Studies of Culture, the ratio is also low at 0.09 in theDepartment of International Studies of Culture, 0.17 in the Department of Japanese
Culture, and 0.17 in the Department of Clinical Psychology. These numbers shouldbe improved.

In the Graduate programs, the ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment
cap is low at 0.17 in the doctoral program of the Graduate school of Engineering,and 0.48 in the master’s program in the Graduate School of Information Science.
There are no students in the doctoral program in the Graduate School ofInformation Science. These numbers should be improved.

Area of Serious Concern
Enrollment
In the Faculty of Engineering, the ratio of enrolled students to the student
enrollment cap is low at 0.66 in the Department of Civil and Urban DesignEngineering and 0.59 in the Department of Biorobotics. The ratio is also low at 0.84
in the Faculty of Fine Arts as a whole, with 0.69 in the Department of Fine Arts and0.71 in the Department of Photography and Imaging Arts. Moreover, it is low at0.75 in the Faculty of Information Science as a whole. These numbers must beimproved. In the last five years, the average of the ratios of enrolled freshmen to the4freshman admission cap is high at 1.25 in the Department of Architecture in theFaculty of Engineering. In contrast, in the Faculty of Engineering, the average ratio
is low at 0.67 in the Department of Civil and Urban Design Engineering and 0.57 inthe Department of Biorobotics. It is also low at 0.85 in the Faculty of Fine Arts as awhole, with 0.67 in the Department of Fine Art and 0.77 in the Department of
Photography and Imaging Arts. The average ratio is high at 1.25 in the Faculty ofInternational Studies of Culture as a whole, with 1.25 in the Department ofInternational Studies of Culture, 1.30 in the Department of Japanese Culture, and1.21 in the Department of Clinical Psychology. The ratio is low at 0.75 in theFaculty of Information Science as a whole. These numbers must also be improved.