Toyo University uses the typical Japanese credit allocation system. Academic courses (both semester and quarter) are 2 Toyo credits apiece. Sports courses, Japanese language courses, and laboratory courses are 1 Toyo credit apiece. Two Toyo credits represent a total of 90 contact hours of in-class instruction; one Toyo credit represents a total of 45 contact hours of in-class instruction. (Note that 1 contact hour is equivalent to 45 minutes.) In addition to in-class hours, students are expected to devote at least 60 prep/study hours per course.

Semester-long academic courses meet once a week for 2 contact hours. Over a 15-week semester, this amounts to 30 contact hours. Quarter-long academic courses meet twice a week for 90 minutes apiece. Over an 8-week quarter, this amounts to 30 contact hours.

Students MUST enroll in a minimum of 14 Toyo credits (approximately 7 classes per week) to satisfy visa requirements. There is no limit on how many credits students can take and no additional charge for taking a high number of credits. However, KEI recommends students limit their enrollment to 21 Toyo credits to afford enough time for cultural and social activities.

Students must consult with their home university’s study abroad advisor and relevant faculty about course approval and credit transfer (including the maximum number of credits that may be transferred). Depending on the US university, a typical 2-credit course at Toyo will transfer at 2 to 3-semester credits, and a typical 1-credit course at Toyo will transfer as 1 to 2-semester credits.

Toyo offers intensive Japanese language and culture (NEST) courses for students who have not passed level 1 (N1) or level 2 (N2) of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Note, students with advanced Japanese language proficiency (JLPT N1 or N2) are able to enroll in Advanced Japanese language courses as well as in subject-specific courses taught in Japanese.

Most of the NEST courses are offered during periods 1 (9:00-10:30), 2 (10:40-12:10), and 3 (13:00-14:30). Afternoons are left open for students to enroll in subject-specific courses (taught in English) that best match their individual interests.

Students are placed in one of four proficiency levels based on the results of a Japanese placement test.

NEST Courses
Students are encouraged to enroll in all NEST courses available at their level of proficiency. Click on the course title to view the syllabus (opens in a new browser window).

Japanese for Beginners: Theory (2 credits)
Japanese for Beginners: Practice (2 credits)
Japanese Reading I (1 credit)
Japanese Listening I (1 credit)
Japanese Writing/Kanji I (1 credit)
Project Work I (1 credit) – open to beginner and level Ⅰ students

Integrated Japanese I: Theory (2 credits)
Integrated Japanese I: Practice I (2 credits)
Japanese Reading I (1 credit)
Japanese Listening I (1 credit)
Japanese Writing/Kanji I (1 credit)
Project Work I (1 credit) – open to beginner and level Ⅰ students

Integrated Japanese II: Theory (2 credits)
Integrated Japanese II: Practice (2 credits)
Japanese Reading II (1 credit)
Japanese Listening II (1 credit)
Japanese Writing/Kanji II (1 credit)
Project Work II (1 credit)

Integrated Japanese III: Theory (2 credits)
Integrated Japanese III: Practice (2 credits)
Japanese Reading III (1 credit)
Japanese Listening III (1 credit)
Japanese Writing/Kanji III (1 credit)
Project Work III (1 credit)

Japanese Culture & Society (2 credits) – open to beginner and level Ⅰ students
Introduction to Japanology (2 credits) – open to level Ⅱ and Ⅲ students

KEI students at Toyo may take most courses offered at the Hakusan and Akabanedai campuses, which include Faculties (Schools/Colleges) of Letters, Economics, Business Administration, Law, Sociology, Regional Development, Global and Regional Studies, International Tourism Management, Information Networking, and Human Life Design.

Courses taught in English are available in the following subjects:
– Business & Economics
– International Relations & Political Science
– Japanese Studies
– General Education: Philosophy, History, Sports, Social Studies, Writing

Advanced Japanese Language and courses taught in Japanese are open to students with JLPT N1 or N2 language proficiency.

There are too many courses to list on this webpage. Download the Course Offerings (Toyo).xlsx to view the most commonly offered courses. Additional courses and syllabi can be found using the Toyo Syllabus System.

Use the Toyo Syllabus Database (opens in a new browser tab) to find courses and syllabi. Select ENGLISH from the Language options in the top right corner to view the database in English. Below are recommendations for each of the filter fields in the Search Form as well as a description of the Search Results page.

Search Form

Academic Year: Select the latest year available in the drop-down menu. If this does not produce results, select the previous year. Note that Toyo updates course offerings only a couple of months prior to the start of a semester. However, the same courses are usually offered regardless of the academic year. For example, most of the courses offered during the Fall semester of this year will be the same as courses offered during the Fall semester of last year.

Curriculum: Leave this field blank.

Faculty/Graduate School: Leave this field blank if you are looking for a specific course title. Select a specific Faculty and leave all other fields blank if you would like to view all courses offered by that faculty. Note that the term “Faculty” in Japan is synonymous with the term “School or College” in the USA.

Department/Course: Leave this field blank if you are looking for a specific course title. Select a specific Department and leave all other fields blank if you would like to view all courses offered by that department.

Year of Study: Leave this field blank

Semester: Select your desired semester. Note that 1Q is the first half and 2Q is the second half of Spring semester; 3Q is the first half and 4Q is the second half of Fall semester.

Day of Week: You can limit your search to a particular day. KEI suggests you leave this field blank to maximize search results.

Period: Period refers to the time of day classes are scheduled. Period 1 is from 9:00 to 10:30; Period 2 is from 10:40 to 12:10; Period 3 is from 13:00 to 14:30; Period 4 is from 14:40 to 16:10; Period 5 is from 17:00 to 18:30; Period 6 is from 18:40 to 20:10; and Period 7 is from 21:00 to 22:10. KEI suggests you leave this field blank to maximize search results.

Course name: Enter the course title. This is the main field to search for specific course titles. If you select a specific Faculty or Department and want to view all of the offerings, leave this field blank.

Instructor: Leave this field blank.

Language options: Select your preferred language of instruction (English or Japanese). If you are searching for advanced Japanese language courses, select “Foreign Language Course”.

Practical Instructor Type: Many Toyo courses rely on the practical experience of instructors (Type-A), guest speakers (Type-B), or experiential learning (Type-C). KEI suggests you leave this field blank to maximize search results.

Keyword search: Use this field if you are not sure of a course title. For example, use the keyword “computer” to view all courses with that word in the course title.

Search Results

Search results are presented in a table format. Some courses may have multiple sections, which are designated with Roman Numerals after the course title. Some courses may have a number or letter next to the course title, which is not relevant for study abroad students.

The syllabus column contains a button that links to the course syllabus. Some courses offer syllabi in English and Japanese; others only have a syllabus in one of the languages. Click on the button to view and print/save the syllabus.