I’ve done a research for more than 3 months, but I’m still unsure.
Besides I’m going to apply as a transfer student, and I’m majoring in International Relations, so Ritsumeikan and Keio (they don’t allow transfer students) are automatically eradicated from the list.
Can anyone at least list 5 universities in Japan where I can study International Relations as a transfer student? I’m not waiting until I get my master’s degree. I’m going to study in France for my master’s degree.
Please don’t include Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University or TIU. They’re not that good in my opinion. Especially TIU.
Thank you very much. Any answer will be very much appreciated.
Are you fluent in Japanese?
I’m not that fluent in Japanese. But I’ve planned to achieve at least JLPT N2 in two years. I’m seeking for English programs but Japanese programs are absolutely fine.
Look at Temple University Japan, International Christian University, and the
English instruction sections of Waseda and Sophia University. I have not checked them closely enough to know what the transfer student situation is, but I am pretty sure that at least the first two would probably take transfers.
I’m really interested in Sophia’s liberal arts faculty! And I don’t really like the idea of going to a religion-specific university (International Christian University). I’m not the type of person who likes to be surrounded by a religion-specific community. I’m not religious and besides I’m not Christian ;( sorry.
Waseda accepts double degree students, but not transfer students. Do you know anything about other universities that have global studies/international relations/ international politics (anything that can lead to the career path as a diplomat) that accept second year transfer students?
If you don’t want a “religion-specific university”, you should throw out Sophia as well since it’s Catholic. But you’re being silly. This is Japan–most students will be non-Christian Japanese. Also as a future diplomat it would be helpful to have a familiarity with major world religions. So you potentially have Temple, ICU and Sophia.
I forgot Sophia is a catholic university too :'P I think I’m set on going to Sophia. Their liberal arts faculty is one of the best in Japan.
What is your timeframe? Are you in college now, or high school?
hey i’m applying to schools in japan for the semester starting in September in 2016. I travelled to japan during the summer to visit these schools so if you need any information about required GPA or SAT scores let me know!
I would say the International Christian University has the best english program in Japan with Waseda coming in next. If you’re worried about being surrounded by christians, then i don’t think that’s a problem. Also ICU offers a 5-year program in which you can obtain your masters degree in 5 years. ICU offers a great international studies program and I highly recommend it.
I went to Sophia University and there is not a strong religious vibe there, nor at ICU either. As my son is currently looking at these schools for 2017, we visited ICU and Waseda. Waseda has a smaller, newer, less established program. The course offerings in English are limited and you may find it a bit disappointing. You need level 1 to take courses in Japanese. My son has it so he can take the full range of courses offered which is appealing to us. It is also regarded like Yale or Princeton with the Japanese. We loved the vibe of ICU more. The course selection in English is much larger, the students are smart but laid back. He prefers the urban campus of Waseda and the shorter commute for him. But he would be happy at either schools. He is also applying to Sophia as his third choice. I didn’t love the small campus of the international program and though there were plenty of courses in English, the level felt like high school. The truth is the other programs at Waseda and ICU may be like that as well. The level of English of the Japanese students is not that high. Many internationals are from other Asian countries so all programs welcome native English speakers transferring. We actually didn’t go visit Sophia in the summer so things may be changed but I doubt it. We will still go visit in 2016. Keio’s program is for very bright Japanese self-starters to become fluent in English, so their needs are slightly different. Good luck!
I’m a current undergrad student in the Sophia FLA. It’s not so religious here, if that’s what you’re worried about. Transferring might be a bit difficult because their program has a specific core program and things that they have set in place from freshman year, so I’m not sure if you will have to take those classes. There are many foreign teachers here, and the classes vary in difficulty, I wouldn’t say there’s a real “standard”, like “high school level” such as a previous poster said. I heard that he international program used to be on a separate campus several years ago, but now everything is at the same campus as regular Japanese programs. I enrolled in April 2016, so I’ll be starting my sophomore year from April 2017. Let me know if you have any other questions about Sophia! I hope I can help. 