Foundation Background and History of Suzuka National College of Technology
TAKAHASHI Seiki, President
The system of National Colleges of Technology was established in April 1962 to prepare students to become promising engineers who will contribute to the development of Japanese industry. The Colleges of Technology are among Japan's higher educational institutions and provide junior high school graduates with a 5-year program of study, by which they can attain the same educational level as engineering college students. Suzuka National College of Technology was one of the first 12 colleges of technology created in Japan. It initially started with a 3-department system: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering (currently Electrical and Electronic Engineering), and Industrial Chemistry (currently Chemistry and Biochemistry). Now, with the establishment of two additional departments, Metal Engineering (currently Materials Science and Engineering) and Electronic and Information Engineering, it has been expanded to a 5-department system. Each department has a fixed number of 40 students per academic year. Graduates take active roles in society as engineers, researchers and business managers, and have achieved outstanding reputations in the educational and industrial worlds.
To remain competitive in the ever-advancing fields of technology, the "Advanced Engineering Faculty" was created in 1993 in order to provide a fixed number of 20 five-year program graduates per academic year with an additional 2 years of professional education. These students are trained to be creative and practical engineers with expertise in broader fields and in technology developing abilities. With certain requirements fulfilled, students who have completed a 7-year program will be given a Bachelor's Degree (Engineering)? the same academic title as college graduates. That is why the Colleges of Technology are recognized as institutions that are equal to engineering colleges.
In April 2004, Colleges of Technology underwent an organizational change. They no longer are under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, but rather are now fall under the jurisdiction of the Independent Administrative Agency, the "Institute of National Colleges of Technology, Japan."