The School of Education of Kyushu University was founded in May of 1949 (Showa 24) from the Education Course of the School of Letters. At the outset, shortly after Japan’s defeat in World War II, its purpose was the training of leaders for the educational arena who would construct a new society upon the principles of democracy. Since then, always adapting itself to subsequent changes in the world of education, the School has constantly produced talented people who could actively participate at the center of Japan’s educational society.

The School of Education is a site for learning the comprehensive human sciences centered around the axis of human development and growth. Consequently, the possession of a keen interest in human affairs is a critical prerequisite for studying and research. Additionally, ability in the humanities, and in the social and natural sciences is necessary. In order to succeed in learning in such a School of Education, it is expected that students will:

• Have a keen interest in education and the growth and development of human beings, and possess the desire to reflect on the human situation from a variety of angles
• Possess the ability to put themselves in the shoes of the disadvantaged
• Relish reading and investigating new topics
• Possess the ability to understand, analyze, interpret, and criticize given knowledge and information, and also to express one’s opinion

Our School conducts screening from a standpoint which places Education and Educational Psychology as broad and comprehensive human sciences.

In the academic ability preliminary examination, balanced achievement in all main subjects, not slanted toward any particular subject, is regarded as important. Consequently, examinees who pass are those with the highest standard academic achievement scores, as per their combined results on the Center examinations and our site test on National Language, Mathematics, and Foreign Language.

In the academic ability secondary examination, Education or Educational Psychology is emphasized, and consequently selection is conducted by essay and interview in order to best gauge examinees’ aptitude to promote high level research in these fields, as well as their potential to display in a variety of field sites, requisite practical knowledge and techniques. The essay measures logical thinking ability, analytical ability, and the ability to express oneself, while the interview evaluates examinees’ talent for learning and researching Education or Educational Psychology, as well as their interest in and ability to understand their fellow humans. It goes without saying that this kind of ability cannot be acquired through mere cram study alone, and therefore potential applicants are strongly encouraged to deepen their awareness of the human condition and to polish their characters by such daily efforts as reading and gaining hands-on experience in diverse societal contexts.

Additionally, our School, in order to be able to train specialists in Education and Educational Psychology who possess a deep intercultural understanding and internationalism, provides an entrance examination system for international students and returnees. In order to assess examinees’ intercultural understanding as well as understanding toward Japanese culture, and to appraise study motivation and learning potential, returnees are assigned an essay and interview, and international students are given a test of Japanese language ability and an interview.