Temple University Japan is a
branch campus of
Temple University, located in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Recognized as the oldest and largest American university in Japan, it was founded in 1982.
Location: TUJ has three locations: the main campus is located in
Tokyo. Furthermore, there are two campuses in
Osaka and
Fukuoka that support their
Graduate College of
Education Program. One attends their graduate program to recieve their
Masters in TESOL - Teaching
English to
Speakers of Other
Languages.
The Tokyo Campus: The main campus of TUJ is located in
Minato-ku, which I've been told is a large
foreign embassy/
business district. Self-contained in one office building, it boasts a
Writing Center, a
Language Learning Lab, an
Editing Room (for
audio and
video production), a
Computer Center, the traditional
library,
study room, and
student lounges, as well as a
bookstore. In addition, the TUJ campus has one of two
TOEFL Test Centers in Tokyo.
Dorms: Since TUJ is located in the heart of Tokyo, there is no large dorm akin to major universities in the US. However, there is a smaller
apartment complex known as
TUJ House, located in the
Jiyugaoka district of
Meguro-ku. Priority for living in TUJ House is reserved for
study abroad students registered through the main campus in Philadelphia.
Enrollment Breakdown: The total number of students at TUJ is around 1,700 according to the website, with about 500 of those in the
Undergraduate program. 200-300 students are in the
Academic Preparation Program, which is an intensive course to help Japanese natives improve their English for the purpose of studying at TUJ or another American university. The rest of the students are either in the many graduate programs or continuing their education.
Nationality Breakdown: Within the undergraduate program, roughly 60% of the students are
Japanese, 15% are
American, and the remaining 25% come from other international backgrounds. However, the numbers are much more balanced in the graduate program, with an almost even
50/50 split between Japanese and International students.
Why would Japanese students attend TUJ? It gives them the opportunity to recieve an American BA, which offers them more job opportunities in the US. Because it's a branch of TU, they offer the exact same course catalog, offering a welcome chance at an intensive college education rather than the 4-year-party that most Japanese universities are considered to be.
Why would international students attend TUJ? IMHO, TUJ offers the best of both worlds: While Americans (and other international students as well) can study abroad (an opportunity that everyone should take advantage of), TUJ gives them the comfort of classes taught in english.
Source: TUJ homepage, http://www.tuj.ac.jp
I depart for my year at TUJ on August 25th, 2004. Woohoo!