Policies of Department

The Department has set the following learning and educational goals for students to develop into individuals who contribute to society. The curriculum is organized based on these goals, so you are expected to understand and direct your efforts to achieving them.

Diploma Policy

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering aims to develop civil engineers capable of being active in society as talented professionals with a global perspective, in line with Kindai University’s future-oriented founding principles of “learning for the real world” and “nurturing intellectual and emotional intelligence.” To cultivate professional civil engineers who will contribute to society by developing and maintaining safe and secure infrastructure, the Department runs educational curricula and evaluates students’ performance using strict criteria. A Bachelor of Engineering will be granted to students who have achieved the following qualities and abilities. The Department was the first among civil engineering and architectural departments in Japan to be certified by the Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (JABEE). The following criteria are consistent with departmental learning and educational goals as laid out by JABEE.

1.

Principles and Fundamental Abilities

(A)

Interest in society and the environment, self-reflection, and the ability to serve and contribute to society

(B)

Acquisition of necessary qualities as an enthusiastic, brave, and self-reliant engineer who values ethics

(C)

Ability to voluntarily continue learning throughout life, keeping up with changes of the times

(D)

Ability to plow ahead with work under any given constraints and produce results

2.

Extensive Knowledge and Technical Expertise

(E)

Acquisition of mathematical and natural science knowledge and the ability to apply it

(F)

Acquisition of the technical knowledge required for civil engineering and the ability to apply it

(G)

Interest in a wide spectrum of fields, from the living environment to the global environment, and the ability to do things to one’s full potential

3.

Creativity and Organizing Capability

(H)

Ability to use multi-faceted technical knowledge and creativity to develop a concrete model when planning and designing infrastructure

(I)

Ability to coordinate and establish communication to pursue collaborative projects with others, including those in other fields

4.

Communication Competence

(J)

Ability to write logically, make oral presentations, and hold discussions in Japan and abroad

(K)

Ability to identify social and environmental problems from diverse and global perspectives, and to provide comprehensive solutions using various sciences, technologies, and information

Curriculum Policy

The Department has organized educational curricula for cultivating professional civil engineers capable of making contributions to society by developing and maintaining safe and secure infrastructure. The Diploma Policy sets out four ability categories (Principles and Fundamental Abilities, Extensive Knowledge and Technical Expertise, Creativity and Organizing Capability, and Communication Competence), as well as detailed descriptions (A through K) of these categories. The Department offers common liberal arts, foreign language, core proficiency, and specialized courses required to develop the aforementioned abilities. Arrangements for specific courses are illustrated in the departmental curricula flowchart, “Flowchart of Subjects Required to Meet the Goals Set Out in the Diploma Policy.” By learning and earning credits for programs listed in the syllabi of individual courses, you will acquire the following abilities (A) through (K). Completing the required subjects from the following groups of subjects illustrated under (A) though (K) are designed to equip students with the minimum necessary proficiency. Students, together with their teachers, can track their performance in (A) through (K) through an established system, which incorporates performance assessment sheets filled out on a periodic basis.

Subjects corresponding to (A) through (K) set out in the Diploma Policy are designed according to the guidelines outlined below.

(A)

Interest in society and the environment, self-reflection, and the ability to serve and contribute to society
You will cultivate your interest in society and the environment and become self-reflective by taking an extensive range of faculty-shared liberal arts subjects, which are required elective subjects. You will learn about social problems and relevant solutions in Comprehensive Exercises I, a required course for the second year, as well as through fieldwork and interviews with working people to gain knowledge about how contributions to society should be and can be achieved.

(B)

Acquisition of necessary qualities as an enthusiastic, brave, and self-reliant engineer who values ethics
You will acquire criteria necessary to evaluate right and wrong regarding legal, environmental, quality, and safety issues for scientists and engineers by taking the required subject, Technology and Ethics, in the first year. You will understand ethical actions and decision making through lectures on ethics for civil engineers in Basic Seminar 1, which is a required subject for the first year and deals with potential ethical issues encountered by civil engineers.

(C)

Ability to voluntarily continue learning throughout life, keeping up with changes of the times
The required subject for the first year, Introduction to Civil and Environment Engineering, offers lectures by several presenters from the private sector to enable you to understand the necessity of continually honing your skills as an engineer. The required subject for the fourth year, Individual Study for Bachelor Thesis, will help you acquire the ability to gain necessary information and knowledge by studying academic papers, textbooks, reference literature, and so forth in an instinctive manner.

(D)

Ability to plow ahead with work under any given constraints and produce results
The required subject for the first year, Basic Seminar 2, enables you to understand the need for a systematic approach by working on experimental tasks under time constraints. Comprehensive Exercises I, which is a required subject for the second year, involves group work that equips you with the ability to tackle challenges in a planned way. The required subject for the fourth year, Individual Study for Bachelor Thesis, will help you understand the necessity of a systematic approach for research, while keeping research progress and cost in mind.

(E)

Acquisition of mathematical and natural science knowledge and the ability to apply it
Students are required to earn credits for at least one subject from among the following: Calculus I, Calculus II, Linear Algebra I, and Linear Algebra II; and at least one subject from among the following: Fundamental Physics and Exercises, Introduction to Physics and Exercises I, Basic Chemistry and Experiments, and Basic Biology. These courses are necessary for students to acquire fundamental knowledge about mathematics and natural sciences. Moreover, specialized subjects equip students with the ability to apply fundamental knowledge in mathematics and natural science to the practical development of infrastructure.

(F)

Acquisition of technical knowledge required for a civil engineering and the ability to apply it
You will acquire extensive expert knowledge and the ability to apply it as a civil engineer by taking major-required subjects in the field of civil engineering. The required subject for the fourth year, Individual Study for Bachelor Thesis, affords the ability to tackle and solve challenges in different fields by fully utilizing the expert knowledge required of a civil engineer and then being able to apply a combination of knowledge from various other fields.

(G)

Interest in a wide spectrum of fields, from the living environment to the global environment, and the ability to do things to one’s full potential
You will learn about various cultures, society, and natural phenomena by taking an extensive range of faculty-shared liberal arts subjects, which are required elective subjects. Through this, you acquire the ability to choose a suitable course of action based on knowledge gained through these subjects and other specialized subjects. Comprehensive Exercises I, which is a required subject for the second year, guides students in forming groups and selecting topics for group projects, in addition to providing opportunities to listen to and learn from other group presentations. In this way, students develop interest in a broad range of fields to broaden their horizons.

(H)

Ability to use multi-faceted technical knowledge and creativity to develop a concrete model when planning and designing infrastructure
The required subject for the first year, Introduction to Civil and Environment Engineering, offers lectures delivered by several presenters from the private sector to enable you to deepen your understanding of industrial structures and operations, from project planning to design and construction. In Civil Engineering Experiments and Environmental Engineering Experiments, which are required elective subjects for the third year, students will gain an understanding of methodology through experiments using multifaceted expert knowledge to carry out construction in a tangible way. Individual Study for Bachelor Thesis in the fourth year is intended to equip students with the ability to use their creativity, and the multilateral knowledge they developed by taking specialized subjects, to devise a course of action for solving challenges and implementing solutions.

(I)

Ability to identify social and environmental problems from diverse and global perspectives and to provide comprehensive solutions using various sciences, technologies, and information
Comprehensive Exercises I, which is a required subject for the second year, guides students to form groups and select group project topics to learn how to view a challenge from multiple perspectives and propose a comprehensive solution. By pursuing the required subject for the fourth year, Individual Study for Bachelor Thesis, students will hone their abilities to identify problems; logically organize and analyze problems; and recognize social welfare, the environment, cost, and other constraints. Furthermore, they will gain experience solving the real-world problems of society in a comprehensive manner.

(J)

Ability to write logically, make oral presentations, and hold discussions in Japan and abroad
You will gain the ability to write logically and produce reports by taking specialized subjects, including Civil Engineering Experiments and Environmental Engineering Experiments, which are required elective subjects for the third year. Individual Study for Bachelor Thesis in the fourth year gives you the ability to gather information and convey your perspectives to others as you take part in regular seminars, intermediate presentation meetings, and graduation research presentation meetings. Language lessons are provided in five languages, including English, which will enable you to gather information and communicate in a nonnative language.

(K)

Ability to coordinate and establish communication to pursue collaborative projects with others, including those in other fields
Basic Seminar 2, which is a required subject for the first year, allows you to conduct group experiments, thus acquiring the ability to have the successful interpersonal coordination required to produce results. In Comprehensive Exercises I, which is a required subject for the second year, you will carry out group fieldwork and acquire coordination and communication abilities for pursuing projects in a collaborative manner.

For your information, Admission Policy 1 is related to (A), Admission Policy 2 to (E) through (J), and Admission Policy 3 to (A) through (D).

Admission Policy

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering aims to cultivate professional civil engineers who will contribute to society by developing and maintaining safe and secure infrastructure, which is public property essential for human social life. We welcome applicants with the attributes described below, which will allow you to become prominently active civil engineers after graduation at organizations such as government, general contractors, design companies, and road- or railroad-related business.

1.

Those with a strong interest in the development of infrastructure and disaster prevention measures significant to people’s lives.

2.

Those with knowledge of the high school curriculum (basic knowledge in Japanese, nonnative language, mathematics, and science) required to learn fundamental and specialized subjects after entering the university

3.

Those with a commitment to making contributions to society and the motivation to constantly improve oneself.

The entry examination system for the Department is comprised of several examinations: examination for admission on recommendation by the affiliated high school, a designated school, or a school with which the University has a signed agreement; general entrance examination in English, mathematics, and science; entrance examination combined with the unified exam system making pass/fail judgment based on the overall results for the general entrance examination and the unified exam system for university admissions; and entrance examination for foreign students. The examination for admission on recommendation and the entrance examination for foreign students assess applicants against admission policies 1 and 3 by an interview and against admission policy 2 by survey to determine pass or fail. Meanwhile, the results of the general examination and the entrance examination combined with the unified exam system are used to assess applicants against admission policy 2 and to determine pass or fail. Thus, various entrance examinations are combined to evaluate and screen students who meet admission policies 1 through 3.