HOME > Course Information > Sophia University > Bachelor's Program in Green Science, Department of Materials and Life Sciences

Department	Division	Degree Sought	Student Intake
N/A	N/A	Bachelor	15

Both the Department of Materials and Life Sciences and the Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences will offer new undergraduate programs in environmental studies taught in English beginning in 2012. (1) Aims : The two new English-based programs are designed to cultivate individuals who can tackle environmental challenges using their knowledge of science and engineering. The Department of Materials and Life Sciences' environmental studies program prepares students to approach environmental problems with a molecular-level perspective founded on basic knowledge of atomic / molecular physics, chemistry, and biology. The Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences' environmental studies program provides students with a combined understanding of solid state physics, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering to enable them to take on global-scale challenges pertaining to energy and resources. (2) Curriculum : Students in both programs will enter in the Fall term and spend their first semester taking general studies (liberal arts) classes taught in English by the Faculty of Liberal Arts and other divisions of the University in order to gain a broad base of knowledge from which to examine environmental issues. International students fulfill the foreign language requirement by studying Japanese. The second and third semesters aim to deepen understanding through basic study of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and information science, and through involvement in experiments and seminars. At the same time, students take two interdisciplinary courses: General Theory of Science and Technology, and Introduction to Science and Technology. Coursework for the fourth semester focuses on advanced study of the fundamentals of such disciplines as applied mathematics, organic / inorganic chemistry, thermodynamics, and electromagnetics. In the fifth semester (beginning of the third year), students in the Department of Materials and Life Sciences' program begin environmental studies grounded in biology and chemistry, including classes on green chemistry and environmental analytical chemistry. Those in the Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences' program begin studying energy conversion, resource recycling, and other environmental topics from the perspective of solid state physics, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. Starting in the third year, students in both programs are assigned to small-group seminars for study of environmental issues. At the beginning of the fourth year students begin pursuing their graduation research project under the guidance of an advisor in order to further acquire specialized knowledge of environmental fields.