Basic Philosophy / Features / History

Basic Philosophy

The mission of Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT) is to conduct research and education in technological science, developing new technologies through scientific inquiry.
Based on this mission, TUT targets new graduates from technical colleges and high schools for enrollment, and with its graduate school emphasis, TUT conducts research in technological science, fostering practical, creative, and leading engineers and researchers as it forges a path toward a new era.
While focusing on science, TUT nevertheless emphasizes the importance of social context. Accordingly TUT strives to promote social diversity and works to enhance collaboration with the local community. Through these efforts, TUT strives to be a top-class engineering university that is open to the world.

Feature

Fostering advanced engineers and innovative human resources

While students from technical colleges are the university's primary target recruitment pool, TUT also accepts freshmen from both regular and industrial high schools. Through a unified undergraduate to graduate education, TUT trains advanced engineers equipped with the outstanding skills in technological development needed to drive industry in Japan, as well as innovative human resources equipped with the broad perspectives, flexible thinking, and wealth of scholarship needed to conduct the research and development that will blaze a trail to the global era.

Upgraded and refocused as a new, future-oriented education and research organization fit to respond to societal and industrial changes in the era of globalization

The Faculty of Engineering and the Graduate School of Engineering were reorganized in academic year 2010 around the two pillars of cutting-edge technology fields that can support key industries and those that can support sustainable social development. Furthermore, TUT established the Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences to incorporate liberal arts education so that TUT can train engineers who not only are highly specialized, but also have a broad perspective and can flexibly respond to social changes.

Distinctive education (Spiral-up curriculum, Mandatory internships)

A major feature of TUT's education is its "spiral-up curriculum". In this curriculum, students who received specific technical instruction (basic and specialized) in their first and second years of undergraduate education and technical college will repeat the subjects from their third year with more advanced approaches in order to accumulate further competence in their basic and specialized education, creating a spiral-like education.
In their fourth undergraduate year (before advancing to graduate school), students will undertake long-term internships in the business sector, and through their experiences in dealing with problems as a working engineer, they will come to understand the meaning of their education, and how the master's program is meant to create practical, creative, and innovative engineers.
In this way, TUT is able to nurture students who understand science and have a deep interest in technology due to their repetition of basic and specialized education and their practical training in the work place.

An educational system focused on postgraduate education and research

The business sector is moving towards a focus on hiring engineering students who have completed their master's degrees. TUT, with its integrated undergraduate and postgraduate education, has a large capacity for students in its graduate school's master's program, and provides a path of advancement to the master's program for those students who have suitable abilities. Additionally, there is enough faculty to meet the needs of postgraduate education, so the student-faculty ratio is considerably smaller when compared to other universities, which allows TUT to offer highly intensive and productive small-group instruction.

Research strengths

Since its founding, TUT has had on-campus facilities capable of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing semiconductors, from materials to chips, and has achieved world-class results in research into semiconductor sensors and devices. In addition, industry-academia collaboration is active, with the amount of joint research funds received per faculty member with private companies ranking first in the nation in 2020, and we have strengths in interdisciplinary research such as robotics, agricultural engineering, and medical engineering collaboration.

Collaboration with Kosen (National Institute of Technology) colleges

While promoting educational and research exchanges for Kosen instructors, TUT also conducts experience-based training for fourth and fifth year Kosen students and graduates. TUT also maintains a joint curriculum with technical colleges so as to provide a seamless education for transfer students starting from their matriculation to their studies, on to graduate school, and until they secure employment and become leading engineers.

Active international relations

As a "university open to the world," TUT promotes sending Japanese students abroad, accepting international students, and conducting international joint research, and focus on fostering global human resources. In addition to the establishment of overseas offices and the implementation of bilingual lectures, TUT also implements initiatives such as double degree programs with European universities in Germany and other countries, and overseas practical training.

Varied industry-academia-government collaboration and cooperation with the local community

TUT mission is to form a base for industry-academia collaboration through joint research, etc. with corporation. The amount of joint research funds per faculty member with companies has consistently been among the top five in the nation over the past several years, and the number of patent applications, etc., is high, indicating active collaboration with industry. In addition, TUT develop and implement programs for human resource development and education for working adults in order to resolve issues faced by the local community.

History

1974	Establishment of "Graduate School of Science and Technology (tentative name)" in Toyohashi city was decided.
1976	Opening of Toyohashi University of Technology
1976	Inauguration of the first president Yoneichiro Sakaki
1977	Commencement of Undergraduate Courses: Energy Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Information and Computer Sciences, Materials Science, Architecture and Civil Engineering
1978	Establishment of Language Center
1978	Inaugural entrance ceremony
1980	Commencement of Master's Course in Graduate School of Engineering
1984	Inauguration of the second president Namio Honda
1986	Commencement of Doctoral Course in Materials System Engineering and Systems and Information Engineering within the Graduate School of Engineering
1987	Commencement of Doctoral Course in Integrated Energy Engineering within the Graduate School of Engineering
1988	Establishment of Faculty of Knowledge-based Information Engineering at the undergraduate level
1990	Inauguration of the third president Shinichi Sasaki
1991	Establishment of Knowledge-based Information Engineering as a Master's Course in Graduate School of Engineering
1993	Establishment of Faculty of Ecological Engineering
1995	Reorganization of Doctoral Courses in Graduate School of Engineering: Establishment of Mechanical and Structural System Engineering, Functional Materials Engineering, Electronic and Information Engineering, Environmental and Life Engineering
1996	Inauguration of the fourth president Keishi Goto
1996	Energy Engineering Course renamed as Mechanical Engineering Course
1997	Establishment of Ecological Engineering Program for Master's Course in Graduate School of Engineering
2000	Commencement of Master's Course given in English
2001	Establishment of International Cooperation Center for Engineering Education Development
2002	Inauguration of the fifth president Tatau Nishinaga
2002	Establishment of International Student Center
2004	Established "National University Corporation" at Toyohashi University of Technology
2008	Inauguration of the sixth president Yoshiyuki Sakaki
2010	Reorganized Undergraduate and Master's Courses: Mechanical Engineering, Electric and Electrical Information Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Environmental and Life Sciences, Architecture and Civil Engineering
2010	Merged Language Center and International Student Center into Center for International Relations
2012	Reorganized the Doctoral Courses
2012	Selected for National University Reform Enhancement Project
2013	Establishment of Center for International Education
	Establishment of TUT-USM Technology Collaboration Centre in Penang, Malaysia
	Selected for Program for Leading Graduate Schools
2014	Inauguration of the seventh president Takashi Onishi
2014	Selected for Top Global University Project
2016	40th Anniversary Commemoration of Toyohashi University of Technology
2017	Commencement of Global Technology Architects Course
2019	Environmental and Life Sciences Course renamed as Applied Chemistry and Life Science Course
2020	Inauguration of the eighth president Kazuhiko Terashima