Professional universities and junior colleges started in 55 as a new higher education system for the first time in 2019 years.
Regarding the background of why the system of professional universities was created, and the purpose, role, and significance of professional universities, Assistant Manager Masanori Muramoto, Special Education Division, Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Norihiro Kanto, Chief of Professional Universities We talked to them.

　When it was premised on lifetime employment, companies were able to develop human resources, but companies are also demanding immediate action.Under these circumstances, a professional university was institutionalized by providing specialized vocational education and creating a new university that systematically secured education to train human resources who can respond to changes in society. It was.

Characteristics of learning at a professional university

　Professional universities are characterized by learning both theory and practice.The characteristics of professional universities are introduced in detail on the website of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, but they can be roughly summarized into four. The first is that there are many practical training skills, the second is small-group education by practitioner teachers, the third is a practical and applied curriculum, and the fourth is that a university graduate or junior college graduate degree is given at the time of graduation. Is to be done.

　The difference from a normal university is that, as vocational education, there are on-site practical training that you can actually study for a long time at the site of a company, there are development courses that you can learn one major and also learn other related fields, and the area and industry. It is a new system that is not found in general universities, such as the establishment of a curriculum cooperation council that can incorporate the needs of the world.

　I hear from a professor at a vocational university that students will be able to take a break when they experience practical training.If you learn what kind of abilities are actually required in the workplace through practical training, I think that the attitude of students toward learning at university will change after that.

Learning "development subjects" that are useful in a rapidly changing society

　As a feature of the curriculum unique to professional universities, a subject called "development subject" is set.The development course is a course to foster abundant creativity that can create new goods and services by linking with knowledge of other fields related to the specialized field.

　We are entering an era in which we do not know if our current profession will continue to exist in the future.In such an era, by having knowledge of plus alpha in addition to expertise, you will be required to have the ability to develop new businesses, arrange original occupations and create new fields, so development courses I think that learning at will be beneficial for students.

　In addition, the speed of change in the world these days is fast, and the required subjects and contents may change.We hope that each professional university and professional junior college will make good use of the curriculum cooperation council to grasp the latest trends in the industry and reflect them in the curriculum.

→To raise awareness of the professional university system