Sophia University

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For the Bulgarian university, see Sofia University.
Sophia University
上智大学
Badge of Sophia University
Latin: Universitas Sedis Sapientiae 
Motto Lux Veritatis (Light of Truth)
Established 1913
Type Private Catholic, Jesuit
Chancellor Rev. Fr. Toshiaki Koso, SJ
President Prof. Tadashi Takizawa
Admin. staff 1,000
Undergraduates 10,000
Postgraduates 1,000
Location Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Campus Urban
Affiliation IAU, IFCU
Colors Dark Red     
Website www.sophia.ac.jp
Sophia University main building

Sophia University (上智大学 Jōchi Daigaku?) is a private research university in Japan, with its main campus located near Yotsuya station, in an area of Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. It is one of the leading Japanese universities and is well known for its international climate. It takes its name from the Greek Sophia meaning "wisdom". The Japanese name, Jōchi Daigaku literally means "University of Higher Wisdom".

The university emphasizes language education and is well known for enrolling a large number of international students. It has an exchange program with many universities throughout the world, including Yale University, Sogang University and the University of Hong Kong. The university was a men’s university in the past, but at present admits women; the proportion of men to women is now more or less equal. Sophia’s alumni are referred to as "Sophians"; they include the 79th Japanese Prime Minister of Japan, Morihiro Hosokawa, a number of politicians represented in the Diet of Japan and professors at institutions such as the University of Tokyo and Yale University.[1][2][3][4]

Contents

History [edit]

Sophia University was founded by Jesuits in 1913. It was the first university in Japan that fulfilled the hopes of St. Francis Xavier,[clarification needed] who came to Japan in 1549 to spread Christianity. It opened with departments of German Literature, Philosophy and Commerce, headed by its founder Hermann Hoffmann (1864–1937) as its first official president. Sophia University continued to grow by increasing the numbers of departments, faculty members and students, in addition to advancing its international focus by establishing its exchange program. Many of its students studied at Georgetown University in the United States as early as 1935. Sophia's junior college was established in 1973, followed by the opening of Sophia Community College in 1976.

With the founding of the Faculty of Liberal Arts in 2006, Sophia University presently holds 27 departments in its eight faculties. Its current president is Yoshiaki Ishizawa. Toshiaki Koso serves as head of its board of directors.

Since 2008, the Global Leadership Program was started for students from four Jesuit universities in East Asia: Ateneo de Manila University in The Philippines, Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, Sogang University in South Korea, and Sophia University in Japan, which share the common catholic sprit.[5]

Campuses [edit]

Sophia's main campus, at Yotsuya, is an urban campus, consisting of roughly 25 large, modern buildings in the center of Tokyo. The majority of Sophia's 10,000 undergraduate students spend nearly all of their time here. The Faculties of Humanities, Law, Foreign Studies, Economics, Liberal Arts, and Science and Technology have their home here, as do the main library, cafeteria, gymnasium, chapel, bookstore, and offices.

In April 2006, the Faculty of Comparative Culture (FCC), which was located at the smaller Ichigaya campus, moved to the main Yotsuya campus. At the same time as the move, FCC changed its name to the Faculty of Liberal Arts (FLA). Nearly all of Sophia's foreign exchange students study at FLA, as all the courses in the FLA are taught in English, with the exception of Japanese language courses.

The Tokyo office of the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), the student exchange organization, which oversees roughly half of the international students, is also based on the main Yotsuya Campus.

The Shakujii (Tokyo) campus houses the Faculty of Theology.

The Hadano campus in Kanagawa Prefecture is home to the Sophia Junior College, as well as a number of seminar halls and athletics complexes.

Academic Rankings [edit]

University rankings (overall)
Toyo Keizai National[6] General 41
WE National[7] Employment 8
NBP Greater Tokyo[8][9] Reputation 4
Shimano National[10] Selectivity SA
University rankings (by subject)
Social Sciences & Humanities

LAW
BE Success National[11] Qualification 17
BE Pass rate National[12] Qualification 29

There are several rankings below related to Sophia University.

General rankings [edit]

The university was ranked 61st in 2010 (84th in 2009, 37th in 2008) in the ranking Truly Strong Universities by Toyo Keizai.[6] However, it has to be noted that Sophia focuses on the Humanities education, especially for undergraduate students, more than other universities, therefore it has a tendency to be ranked weaker.[13]

Graduate school rankings [edit]

Sophia Law School's number of successful candidates for bar examination was 14th in 2009 and 17th in 2010 in Japan.[14]

Alumni rankings [edit]

Alumni of Sophia have good graduate prospectives in Japanese industries. According to the Weekly Economist's 2010 rankings and the PRESIDENT's article on 2006/10/16, graduates from Sophia have the 8th best employment rate in 400 major companies, and the average graduate salary is the 6th best in Japan.[15][16]

Popularity and selectivity [edit]

Sophia is a popular university in Japan. The number of applicants per place was 18.1(24,531/1,357) in the 2011 undergraduate admissions.[17] Its entrance difficulty is usually considered as one of the top with Waseda and Keio among 730 private universities.[18][19][20]

Notable faculty [edit]

Notable alumni [edit]

Government, politics, and society [edit]

Academia [edit]

Business [edit]

Media and literature [edit]

Others [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/people/graduate-school-of-arts-and-sciences/okoshi-yoshihisa
  2. ^ http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/people/graduate-school-of-arts-and-sciences/yasuoka-haruko
  3. ^ http://www.yale.edu/polisci/people/jsaito.html
  4. ^ http://www.law.yale.edu/intellectuallife/KYoshinaga.htm
  5. ^ http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/2009glp/2009glp_f_1_1.html
  6. ^ a b "Truly Strong Universities" (in Japanese). Toyo Keizai. 2010. Retrieved Apr 29, 2011. 
  7. ^ "Employment rate in 400 major companies rankings" (in Japanese). Weekly Economist. 2011. Retrieved Apr 29, 2011. 
  8. ^ "Nikkei BP Brand rankings of Japanese universities" (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications. 2010. Retrieved Apr 29, 2011. 
  9. ^ "Nikkei BP Brand rankings of Japanese universities" (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications. 2009. Retrieved Apr 29, 2011. 
  10. ^ "GBUDU University Rankings" (in Japanese). YELL books. 2009. Retrieved Apr 29, 2011. 
  11. ^ "Bar Exam Successful Applicants rankings" (in Japanese). Shikaku Seek. 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2011. 
  12. ^ "Bar Exam Pass rate rankings" (in Japanese). Shikaku Seek. 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2011. 
  13. ^ see Truly Strong Universities#Criticisms
  14. ^ http://laws.shikakuseek.com/data/2010data-2.html
  15. ^ "Employment rate in 400 major companies rankings" (in Japanese). Weekly Economist. 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011. 
  16. ^ http://hensachi-ranking.seesaa.net/article/26733115.html#more
  17. ^ http://www.sophia.ac.jp/jpn/admissions/gakubu_ad/gakubu_news/110117/2011ippan_syutuganjyokyo
  18. ^ National and Public universities apply different kind of exams. so it's only comparable between universities in a same category.
  19. ^ e.g., Yoyogi seminar published Hensachi (the indication showing the entrance difficulties by prep schools) rankings http://www.yozemi.ac.jp/rank/gakubu/index.html
  20. ^ Japanese journalist Kiyoshi Shimano ranks its entrance difficulty as SA (most selective/out of 11 scales) in Japan. "危ない大学・消える大学 2012年版" (in Japanese). YELL books. 2011. 

External links [edit]

Global 30
National universities
Private universities
Service Learning Program for 8 Jesuit Universities in East Asia
Indonesia
Japan
  • Sophia
Philippines
South Korea

Coordinates: 35°41′03″N 139°43′55″E / 35.68417°N 139.73194°E / 35.68417; 139.73194

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