Special Programs

Pre-seminars

Pre-seminars give students an insight into the demands and pleasures of University life, highlighting the differences with the high school life that many students are accustomed to. Effective use of the University library and other campus facilities, how to approach writing reports and other assignments, and what it means to be a University student-all fall within the scope of your course of preseminars, which are usually conducted in small groups.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork is a necessary part of some scientific fields at most universities. At PUK, we believe that it should be at the center of most educational programs, as it is often through practical engagement that academic and theoretical studies gain their meaning. Thus, students in every faculty have the chance to engage in fieldwork appropriate to their field, ranging from visits to historical and cultural sites, through factory tours and environmental sampling.

Joint Lecture Courses

Joint Lecture Courses offer students a chance to complement the academic knowledge and skills they learn from PUK faculty with lectures delivered by non-academic leading professionals in industry and other fields. To offer a rich program we have signed agreements with prominent institutions such as Higo Bank and Kumamoto Nichi-Nichi Newspapers.

Kumamoto Regional Studies

Kumamoto Regional Studies symbolizes the pride we take in our region. Part of the General Education program, it examines what it means to live and study in Kumamoto from a number of angles, including dialect, history, culture, public administration, industry, and the environment

Cross-Faculty Credits and Credit Exchange

Choice and responsibility are key ideas that symbolize the differences between secondary and tertiary education. Students may find that some of the courses offered in another faculty may suit their interests and goals, and to this end we allow students to obtain a number of credits from other faculties' offerings. Some students in the Faculty of Administration even take credits at other local institutions such as Kumamoto University and Kumamoto Gakuen University.

Moyaist

Moyaist Is a word that we coined to represent our unique program aimed at giving students the skills and local knowledge to become leading players in the community. Its origin is the Kumamoto dialect expression moyau, meaning to unite for a collective purpose, and the program aims to rebuild the links between people. nature, and local society. We identify key local issues, and bring together students, faculty, NPOs, and local communities in summer camps and other gatherings to improve collective knowledge and skills, and build the solidarity needed to address key issues. We hope you'll join us!

Good Practice System to Foster Student Autonomy(Linking graduation research with local companies and organizations)

Our GP (Good Practice) program links students to the local community by allowing them to choose for their graduation research a topic proposed by companies or other entities. In this way, the process of writing a graduation thesis becomes not only an academic one, but also an apprenticeship for the wider world of work outside of the university, during which students learn analytical and problem-solving skills and how to leverage and communicate their knowledge.
This program represents the final stage of our Career Design Education program, which spans the whole four years of students' undergraduate education, fostering autonomy and other skills essential for future employment opportunities.

Grade point Average

In addition to the five-level course-by-course evaluation system, we have a GPA system to inform students of their average achievement level across all courses. Students with very high GPA may receive excellence awards, while students with low GPA receive targeted guidance on how to raise their level of achievement.

Career Folios

It is important in the competitive world of the 21st century for students to consider their educational experiences as a totality, and be thinking from their first year about how individual courses and experiences fit with their goals. Pre-seminars, career folios, and lectures in career development are some of the ways in which we help students to build their own futures.