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Message from the Dean

Introduction to the College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

img_2021.jpg Fumitaka MAFUNE
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
The Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Thank you for visiting our website.
This website outlines the origin, history, administrative organizations, curricula, research institutions, and educational and research facilities of the College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and also introduces the various intellectual activities taking place on campus. The information on this page is updated regularly. We hope that you will make use of it as needed.

In addition, this page provides a brief overview of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The University of Tokyo has three campuses in the Komaba area, located at the northern end of Meguro-ku, Tokyo. Among them is the Komaba I Campus, where the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are located. The campus can be found directly in front of Komaba-tōdaimae Station on the Keiō Inokashira Line. Although this area is within walking distance of Shibuya, it is located at the starting point, so to speak, of the Musashino area, which extends westward from here. One of the impressive features of this area is its rich natural setting with abundant trees.

Komaba I Campus is home to more than 9,000 people. The University of Tokyo divides the bachelor's program into the Junior Division (years 1 and 2) and the Senior Division (years 3 and 4), and all of the approximately 6,600 students in the Junior Division are enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to the students in the Junior Division, 500 students in the Senior Division (years 3 and 4) of the College of Arts and Sciences, 1,300 graduate students and research students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and 200 graduate students and research students in the Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences study at Komaba I Campus. Some 400 professors, associate professors, lecturers and research associates conducting cutting-edge research, along with 200 administrative and technical staff members, support these students.

The College of Arts and Sciences was founded in May 1949, when the new University of Tokyo began under the present system, with the aim of providing a liberal arts education. The year 2024 will mark the 75th anniversary of its founding, and various initiatives will be undertaken in anticipation of the 100th anniversary. In 1983, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences was established with majors in the humanities. In 1996, after expanding and upgrading the science majors, the reorganization of the Graduate School was concluded and shifted to the current structure of four humanities majors and one science major (the science major consists of three departments). Our College and Graduate School are interdisciplinary, and have international and innovative features that stand out more than other colleges and graduate schools at the University of Tokyo. These features have allowed us to produce a large number of people active in diverse fields. In addition, we continue to pursue various new educational initiatives with the aim of fostering new kinds of human resources. Examples include the establishment of the First-year Seminars, which offer small, active-learning-based classes to first-year students who have just entered the university; ALESS / ALESA / FLOW for practical English education; Programs in English at Komaba (PEAK); and advanced subject groups that stimulate and develop highly motivated students.

The pandemic caused by COVID‑19 that began to spread in the spring of 2020 has severely limited our social activities. We believe that it is the mission of our College and Graduate School to provide all of our students with an educational environment that exceeds their expectations and to promote the most advanced research to support them, so that no one is left behind in these unforeseen circumstances. Now that we have emerged from the Corona disaster and are regaining our new normal, we will continue to strive to take what we have learned from the Corona disaster and make our College and Graduate School even more engaging. Your warm support is greatly appreciated.

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