11 2.2 A Decade of Advancement: From the 10th to the 20th Anniversary 2.2.1 Changes in the Relationship Between the University and Colleges of Technology The University, together with Nagaoka University of Technology, was established to provide further education for graduates of Colleges of Technology. Until around 1986, about 60 percent of graduates from Colleges of Technology who advanced to university transferred to either Toyohashi or Nagaoka University of Technology as transfer students. However, as more universities established transfer admission quotas for graduates of Colleges of Technology, the number of such students entering Toyohashi and Nagaoka University of Technology fell below the number entering other universities from 1991 onward. By 1996, the proportion of university-bound students from Colleges of Technology entering these two universities had dropped to about 30 percent. In addition, from 1992 onward, advanced courses were gradually established at individual Colleges of Technology. At the same time, the number of international students from Asian countries at this University was increasing rapidly, and the environment surrounding the University was changing significantly. Under these circumstances, it became strongly desirable, from a long-term perspective, to create a more attractive university. 2.2.2 Deregulation of the Undergraduate Curriculum The 1991 revision of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities (the so-called deregulation of the curriculum) provided a framework under which each university and faculty could independently develop distinctive education in a flexible manner, provided that students completed at least 124 credits during the four-year period of study. This reflected social demand for more advanced, higher-quality education and research in science and technology at universities. With this new flexibility, universities began comprehensive reviews of the nature of education and research and of the educational and research organizations that supported them. At the University, after about a year of deliberation by the Academic Affairs Committee under the direction of the General Affairs Council, it was decided to reduce the number of credits required for graduation over the four undergraduate years from 138 to 130. It was also decided, in principle, to abolish the required subjects that had been imposed separately by each division, except for experiments and practical exercises. This new curriculum was implemented in 1993. Reflecting the contemporary trend toward liberalization in education and emphasis on individuality, this reform aimed to minimize restrictions imposed by students’ home divisions and to provide an educational program in which students could independently pursue broad study and research according to their own interests, thereby fostering an environment in which they could enter society as independent, cooperative, practical, and creative engineers. However, because each educational program later underwent JABEE review, from around 2003 onward many subjects that each division had traditionally regarded as important were once again designated as required. 2.2.3 Greater Flexibility in the Graduate School System In response to the generalization of the curriculum and the recommendations of the Graduate School Subcommittee of the University Council, the University’s General Affairs Discussion Meeting and Academic Affairs Committee continued deliberations on greater flexibility in the graduate school system, and the graduate school system was revised. The purpose was to provide earlier graduate education to students of outstanding ability, allow earlier conferral of degrees, and expand graduate education to working professionals. This new system was implemented in 1992. 2.2.4 Educational Structure in the 20th Year After the Founding Table 2 shows the University’s educational structure in 1996. In addition to the six educational programs that existed at the time of the University’s founding—Mechanical Systems Engineering (the former Energy Engineering program, renamed in 1996), Production Systems Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Civil Engineering—two new programs were established: Knowledge-Based Information Engineering in 1988 and Ecology Engineering in 1993. In the master’s program, graduate majors with corresponding names were established
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