Why are ICU students encouraged to write their senior thesis in English?

All ICU students are required to write a senior thesis. As well as being the culmination of their four years of study, this thesis also puts the final finishing touches to their bilingual education in Japanese and English. It represents a chance for our students to put the knowledge and cognitive thinking abilities they have nurtured to the test.

Writing their senior thesis in English will not only test the knowledge and cognitive thinking abilities they have acquired. It will also confirm that they have acquired the ability to speak and write logically in both Japanese and English, a skill that is needed for talented individuals with the power to communicate in international society.

35.1% of the class of AY2016 wrote their senior theses in English. We will raise that percentage to 45% by the 2023 academic year. We are pursuing a number of initiatives to achieve this target, such as the establishment of a new natural sciences academic writing course in the English for Liberal Arts Program, enhancement of courses delivered in English, and the commencement of proofreading support for senior theses written in English.