The University of Tokyo has announced its intention to open a new integrated bachelor's and master's degree program, the "UTokyo College of Design," in September 2027. This will be the first new faculty to be established in about 9 years since the establishment of the Faculty of Pharmacy in 1958, and the university will submit an application for establishment to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
According to the University of Tokyo, the College of Design will be a five-year bachelor's and master's degree program. The enrollment quota will be 5 students, about 50 Japanese and 100 foreign, and all classes will be taught in English by faculty from around the world. The school will be located at the Hongo Campus in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The dean is expected to be Professor Miles Pennington of the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies.
The curriculum emphasizes active learning, with students building their own learning based on their own interests. In the design field, students will develop skills for innovation and flexible thinking, including user understanding, concept making, and data utilization. All students will live in dormitories in their first year, and will study abroad on an exchange program. At the same time, a learning support system that utilizes artificial intelligence and digital technology will be introduced.
The University of Tokyo regards design not only as the shape of industrial products or the design of artistic works, but also as a process for creating new value and systems and solving complex social issues. The challenges facing modern society, such as climate change, an aging society, and digitalization, are difficult to solve within a single academic field.
The College of Design aims to cultivate talented people who can solve these problems and make an impact on the world by connecting and fusing diverse academic knowledge through design.
reference:[University of Tokyo] UTokyo College of Design holds press conference (PDF)
