Keiwa University, which has a campus in Shibata, Niigata Prefecture, plans to establish a Department of International Liberal Arts (tentative name) in the Faculty of Humanities in April 2026. Returning to the origins of liberal arts education, the new department will integrate the three departments of International Culture, English Culture and Communication, and Coexistence Society that are established in the Faculty of Humanities.
Keiwa Gakuen University was founded in 1967 by the Keiwa Gakuen Corporation, which is supported by churches in Niigata Prefecture affiliated with the United Church of Christ in Japan and other churches both in Japan and overseas. Keiwa Gakuen University was founded in 1991 with Christianity at the core of its education. Since its founding, the university has consistently provided liberal arts education.
The new Department of International Liberal Arts, which is planned to be established, will have six distinctive specialized courses (Information Media, Career English, Regional Management, International Society, Historical Research, and Multicultural Philosophy) with the keyword "Practical Liberal Arts" and students will be able to choose a major from these courses that best suits their interests in their third year. Furthermore, by combining minors, students will be able to integrate different fields and develop the ability to think from multiple perspectives.
There are 4 four-year universities in Niigata Prefecture, but this will be the first in the prefecture to establish an international liberal arts department. President Aiko Kaneko commented, "We want to nurture talent in the international liberal arts department who can create a new society with new ideas, without being bound by the trends and frameworks of existing society."
An increasing number of universities, such as Keiwa University, are adopting "late specialization," where students decide their major not at the time of enrollment but in their third year or so. This allows students to be exposed to a wide range of academic fields at an early stage and allows for interdisciplinary learning, while at the same time preventing mismatches after enrollment for students who are unsure of their aptitude. This is thought to be beneficial in a society where cross-disciplinary issues are on the rise.
