Outline of Akita University

　 Akita University, with its 60-year history, is a comprehensive national university consisting of three undergraduate faculties –the Faculty of Education and Human Studies, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Faculty of Engineering and Resource Science.
　 For those who desire to acquire a Master’s or Doctorate degree, there are also three graduate schools – the Graduate School of Education, the Graduate School of Medicine,and the Graduate School of Engineering and Resource Science.
　 Since its inauguration, Akita University has worked hard to understand and adapt to the needs of local community and its citizens. We have formulated our unique educational/research studies in northeast Japan, and also all over the world. We coexist with the region and strive to improve the tradition and creation of practical knowledge in work on internationally important issues.
　 The Faculty of Education and Human Studies developed out of the Akita Teachers’Training College, which was founded in 1873, and trains students to play important roles in educational fields. In 1998, it was reorganized under the present name and dedicated to the local community, globalization, and human development. The Faculty is solely responsible for the academic programs for students in School Education,Regional Studies, International Language and Culture Studies, and Environmental and Mathematical Sciences.
　 The Faculty of Medicine was established in 1970 as the first new national medical school in Japan since World War II. It has promoted the development of doctors and physicians dedicated to the best care of their　patients, and has served as a leader in the world medical community.
　 In October of 2002, the School of Health Sciences was established, and it has established its own creative basic and clinical research, recognized worldwide to be top level. Its defining principle is to cultivate personnel who have the skills to bring peace of mind to people.
　 The predecessor of the Faculty of Engineering and Resource Science is Akita Mining College, which was founded in 1910. Since then, approximately 20,000 graduates from the faculty have gone on to work in the mining and manufacturing fields. In 1998, it was reorganized as the Faculty of Engineering and Resource Science, consisting of 8 departments. The Faculty is broadly divided into 2 sections: one is related to earth resources and deals with the global problems of resources, the environment, and energy; and the other is related to engineering and deals with advanced and complex technology to enhance the local as well as global ecology.
　 Currently, Akita University has a total of more than 1,500 staff, with about 650 in academic positions and 940 in management. There are about 170 professors and about 160 assistant professors. Of the 940 in management, about 40% work in the medical and health-related faculties, including the university hospital.
　 In total, there are over 5,000 students enrolled in the various educational and research programs, including 640 in graduate courses. The Faculty of Engineering and Resource Science takes about 60% of all graduate students on the campus.
　 Akita University also operates University Hospital, which was established in 1971. There are 29 examination divisions in the hospital and the hospital served a total of about 250,000 outpatients in 2009.
　 As mentioned above, Akita University is relentlessly striving to play important roles as a leading institution of higher education and research in the northern part of Japan,contributing to both the local and international communities.