Our Mission

    According to the Japanese School Education Act, the aims of universities, as centers for academic activity, are to help develop intelligence, morality and practical skills through the teaching and research of specialized arts and sciences, as well as to bestow knowledge. Colleges of technology (kosen) aim to foster the capabilities necessary for actual professions through the teaching of specialized arts and sciences.

    John F. Kennedy made a speech entitled “A Strategy of Peace” at the commencement ceremony of American University on June 10, 1963, a speech which is said to be historically famous comparable to the Gettysburg Address given by Abraham Lincoln. In this speech, he spoke of the mission of universities, drawing upon elegant words, saying that “there are few earthly things more beautiful than a university”, because it is a place “where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see.”

    The School Education Act defines the mission of universities theoretically and former president Kennedy defines it in a highbrow tone. Indeed, universities are centers of academic activity, where high-level education and innovative research activities are carried out, aiming to contribute to national and international progress in science and technology and the enhancement of international culture. Colleges of technology aim to produce excellent engineers who will play a prominent role in the further development of Japanese industry.

The Principle of Education

    As advocated by the philosopher Fichte, the purpose of general education is to cultivate human beings as themselves, each as his true self. In addition, educator Paul Natorp says that education is the act of cultivating character, meaning the formation of personality.

    KIT has three main missions: the cultivation of character, academic research and occupational education. Although these three missions each have important significance, we focus on the cultivation of character as our ultimate mission. In short, although character can be formed through academic research and occupational education, the latter cannot be accomplished without character cultivation. Therefore, we are positive that the true nature of our mission is to be a place that produces highly intelligent people possessing deep cultural refinement.

    Considering the above, we regard our school as a setting for the cultivation of character. Student life consists not only of classrooms, laboratories and libraries, but all aspects of life including cultural activities, physical exercise, guidance in dormitory life, health facilities, hygiene management, counseling for school life, job placement, etc.

The Ethics of the School Community

    Cultivation of character is the most important mission for both public and private schools. In private schools especially, we must appreciate that not only professors but also board members and school staff are involved in education. Accordingly, our school community, consisting of board members, school staff and students as a trinity, must become a place for the cultivation of character and a seedbed for the nurture of citizens suitable for the democratic society of Japan.

    Although they are subject to the Private School Act and have to abide certain rules, private schools enjoy a degree of freedom compared to public schools that are regulated by complicated rules and subject to bureaucratic control. In the prewar era, the government supervised and controlled private schools strictly. However, private schools have established distinctive traditions and solid school cultures in spite of this strict control.

    While every private school faces many challenges in management planning and finance, they continue to maintain their pride because they enjoy a position of freedom. Our school has set a goal of innovative academy-industry partnership, a policy that makes us a forerunner in the technological age. Our board of directors aims to establish a noble academic tradition through various activities, freely demonstrating our strengths as a private school in order to accomplish our policies of “cultivation of high character”, “deep technical innovation” and “superb academic-industrial cooperation” with the full support of our school’s staff and students. 

    There are many private schools built through the founders’ personality and insight. They have strengthened themselves by weathering hardships over long periods of time, and are proud of their traditions and school cultures. For example, we can see Okuma’s spirit and intentions in Waseda University, Fukuzawa’s in Keio University and Niijima’s in Doshisha University. KIT must also establish a style based on our school’s principles stated here that sets an example as a model worthy of veneration in Japanese academic circles.

Path to Glory

    Following World War II, Japan’s amazing economic development far surpassed that of West Germany, which also came following war defeat. This great success can be attributed to a combination of Japanese wisdom, technology and diligence.

    With this great national strength as a backbone, our school plays a central role as a technical base and academic foundation for regional development in Ishikawa Prefecture, the Hokuriku region, Chubu region and the coastal area along the Sea of Japan. We are also responsible for producing the leading engineers and top class managers that are required for Japanese industry to be competitive in the world market.

    Learning from the school management principles of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said to be the “sacred ground” of modern American science and technology, we will realize our ambition of becoming a first-class university boasting the highest standards, from space development to industrial sociology, and provide great honor to the academic world of democratic Japan. In order to accomplish this national mission, we will devote ourselves by combining all of our capabilities with cooperative might and determination.

 (February 1965)

Three Principles

KIT and ICT's trinity of students, administration, and faculty and staff work together to realize the shared goal of an ideal engineering academia. We strive to contribute to society by providing excellence in education and research as the realization of the three principles stated by our school’s founder, the venerable Dr. Rikichi Izumiya.

Code of Conduct (Based on Our School Community's Shared Values)

We, the members of this school community, have come to recognize the core values that should be shared by all of those among us, and from these values we have established the “KIT-IDEALS” as follows. Students, administrators, and faculty and staff should remain ever mindful of these and, by adhering to them, strive to better our school community.

	We strive to embody a spirit of honesty, gratitude, and humility, and to realize a bright and fair place for learning.
	We strive to exhibit the passion, self-confidence, and conviction necessary for a spirited learning environment.
	We strive for independence, creativity, and flexibility, constantly promoting reform and progress through collaboration and co-creation.
	We value honesty and take gratification in learning together.
	We value diligence and cheer on those who strive to improve themselves.
	We value initiative and take joy in achievement and the pursuit of discovery.
	We value self-discipline, and we trust and respect one another.
	We value teamwork and strive to fulfill the responsibilities of our individual roles.
	We value individuals and their goals, and we strive to reach great heights, unfazed by the fear of failure.

KIT and ICT's trinity of students, administration, and faculty and staff work together to realize the shared goal of an ideal engineering academia.
We strive to contribute to society by providing excellence in education and research as the realization of the three principles stated by our school’s founder, the venerable Dr. Rikichi Izumiya.

ICT Educational Mission

Fostering Leaders of Global Innovation

Three Policies 

To achieve the educational mission, our school set the following three policies (Admission Policy, Curriculum Policy, Diploma Policy).

Admission Policy

The mission of International College of Technology, Kanazawa is Fostering Leaders of Global Innovation who can create new value, introduce advanced engineering education, and play an active role in society, based on the principles of our founding mission statement, which are to create well-rounded citizens with good character, to be innovative, and to promote industry-university collaboration.

In order to build the foundation to be leaders of global innovation, the 1st and 2nd year students aim to improve their own qualities and diverse abilities through residential education, the 3rd year students study abroad for a year, and the 4th and 5th year students collaborate with Kanazawa Institute of Technology in specialized fields and project activities so as to practice education that produces the greatest results and aims to foster leaders who can play an active role in the world.

Furthermore, we seek to enroll students who share the code of conduct based on our school community’s shared values (KIT-IDEALS) and seek their own self-realization.

The kind of student we are looking for

1. who have a willingness to learn on their own, have basic academic abilities, and are interested in science and technology, design thinking (problem discovery and solution, manufacturing, etc.), and innovation (creation of new value)
2. who have a strong interest and have an inquiring mind in playing an active role in a global society, and seek to improve their English communication skills.
3. who understand diverse values, are motivated to solve social and regional issues, and act proactively.

Abilities to be acquired before enrollment

It is necessary to have studied a wide range of basic academic skills (mathematics, science, English, Japanese, social studies, art, technology, etc.) by junior high school graduation.

Basic Policy for Admission Selection

In order to recruit diverse students, we will conduct Global Admission, General Admission, and Admission Based on Self-Recommendation.
We will evaluate from multiple and comprehensive perspectives the knowledge and skills applicants learned in junior high school, their achievement of learning, their attitude toward independent learning, and their self-expression and communication skills.
Communication abilities in English and Japanese are comprehensively evaluated in Interview Test (mainly dialogue).
Academic abilities of junior high school level mathematics and English are evaluated by a written test in Academic Test.

Curriculum Policy

We incorporate the ideas of the CDIO Initiative into our curriculum so that students can firmly acquire what it takes to be a global innovator. We also created a curriculum that emphasizes student's active experiences. As for the evaluation of achievement, we use not only created works and exam results, but also a Learning Management System (LMS) to evaluate the activity process and the situation of collaborative activities.

1. Enhance problem-finding and problem-solving skills 
   Start projects to find solutions for open-ended problems immediately after the enrollment. Provide students opportunities to practice design thinking on an ongoing basis and cultivate to their ability to solve problems by repeating problem-finding and problem-solving experiences and using a wide range of research results and research techniques.
2. Enhance scientific thinking and communication skills 
   Cultivate inquiring minds in collaboration with others, polish critical/analytical thinking skills, and acquire effective communication skills including discussion and debate.
3. Cultivate an attitude to actively participate in the creation of a better society
   Be aware of membership within a community, conduct projects to investigate and study various settings (community, nature, and environment), and foster awareness as a member of society by contributing to the community.
4. Develop English skills to act on a global scale
   Most classes are conducted in English as a means of educational communication, particularly in mathematics, science, and engineering.
5. Acquire the ability to collaborate with people from different cultures and with various values
   Cultivate creativity and a deep understanding of self, community, and the world through opportunities to interact with literature and art and by working with people all over the world.

Diploma Policy

Our school fosters practical and creative engineers who have what it takes to be a global innovator acting on a global scale. A global innovator is a person who uses scientific thinking to characterize problems, acquires the latest engineering knowledge and insight, and creates new value using creative solutions. In addition, a global innovator is a professional who can work in global society by cooperating with experts from various fields, accepting the diversity of cultures and values. Innovators who find new value must understand a wide range of engineering principles and engineering practices. In other words, they are those who understand and practice each stage of "Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate" of the international framework CDIO Initiative whose aim is reform of educational engineering.
Specifically, our students need to acquire the following abilities and behavioral objectives.

Ⅰ Personal qualities as a leader that contributes to society

1. Courage to innovate
   Operate with a strong conviction (motive, tenacity) and continue to strive without fearing failure to lead oneself or a team towards success
2. Sense of duty to society
   Maintain a sense of duty to resolve social issues with concern for regional communities and natural environments
3. Integrity as a leader
   Be a responsible collaborator treating others with kindness and respect through modesty while exhibiting leadership in a global environment

Ⅱ Communication skills for acting on a global scale

1. Collaboration
   Actively contribute to accomplishing a goal as a team, understanding one's own role and input 
2. Diversity and identity
   Maintain a clear sense of identity while possessing a fundamental understanding of various cultures and value systems
3. Impressing upon others
   Having organized one's thoughts logically, effectively convey them in a way that takes into consideration the position and emotions of others

Ⅲ Superior scientific and technological capabilities worthy of an innovator

1. Creating value
   Be able to create new value through the practice of design thinking and broad investigations of academic disciplines
2. Scientific thinking that combines industry, society, and nature
   Be able to express one's own thoughts having understood and analyzed science and technology from the aspects of industry, society, and nature
3. Attitude for continuous learning
   With sound learning as a foundation, maintain an attitude for continuously acquiring new knowledge and skills

Based on understanding of the above, graduation requirements are to acquire the specified number of credits by completing the courses and educational programs established according to our school's educational philosophy and purpose.