If you are interested in Japanese language education, don't miss this article!
✅ What is Japanese language education?
✅ How is Japanese language education divided into graduate schools in Japan? What exactly do you learn?
✅ Recommended as a popular school for studying abroad in Japanese language education
✅ It is suitable for those who are applying for the Graduate School of Japanese Language Education
✅ Introduction to the Graduate School of Japanese Language Education
✅ Career Prospects for Japanese Language Education Majors
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If you are studying in Japan to continue your studies in Japanese language education, this tweet may help you! If you're interested, read on~
1. What is Japanese language education?
When you hear the term Japanese language education, you can probably assume that it is a major related to Japanese language and education. Is it equivalent to "Japanese linguistics" + "pedagogy"? The answer is yes, but not all.
Japanese language education can be said to be a highly specialized and practical major. It requires both proficiency in the Japanese language and the ability to teach to transfer knowledge to students.
To put it simply, it is a science of "how to teach foreigners to learn Japanese", which is different from Japan's "Chinese language education", and the target of "Japanese language education" is non-native Japanese speakers, that is, "foreigners" other than Japanese people, which is equivalent to Chinese education as a foreign language in China, and can be called "Japanese as a foreign language education" in the way Chinese is named.
Seeing this, some students may wonder, as a foreigner, is studying this major at a disadvantage compared to native Japanese speakers?
Actually, although we may not be able to compete with native speakers in speaking Japanese, it is a greater advantage for us to use our own experience of learning Japanese and the same native language habits as our learners to teach Japanese.
You can imagine that as a native Chinese speaker, it is sometimes not easy for you to teach foreigners to learn Chinese.
2. How is Japanese language education divided into graduate schools in Japan? What exactly do you learn?
Most students may think that Japanese language education is mainly about the study of Japanese grammar.
In fact, the study and research content of Japanese language education is very extensive. From the sound, grammar, and structure of the Japanese language, to sociolinguistics, psychology of speech, to language teaching, second language acquisition, language databases, and more.
If you look at it, the research directions of Japanese language education are as follows:
After reading the above content, do you feel too theoretical? Too academic? Don't be afraid! The above list is only the possible research direction of this major, and if you actually take classes in school, it will still be closer to practical application.
Let's take a look at the curriculum of Japanese language education in schools.
For example, in 2020, the Graduate School of Japanese Language Education, Waseda University, offered the following courses:
and Tokyo University of Foreign Chinese, Graduate School of International Studies, Major Programs of Study in the Department of International and Japanese Studies:
3. Recommended as a popular school for studying abroad in Japanese language education
Many universities in Japan have Japanese language education majors in graduate schools, but some of them are directly established as graduate schools or majors in Japanese language education, while others are indirectly established in graduate schools such as literature, humanities, environmental studies, and social culture (where you can find professors in fields related to Japanese language education, or professors in related fields).
For example, at the University of Tokyo, if you go to the "Graduate School of Graduate School of Cultural Studies" program on the homepage→ go to the "Faculty Perspective" page → "Faculty Profile", and you can see the research fields of the graduate school where faculty members work in the school, including professors related to Japanese language education.
Below, Xiaoyuan has sorted out for you the popular Japanese colleges and universities with Japanese language education majors (divided into two tables outside Tokyo and Tokyo), remember to move your hands and pay attention to the collection~
(Tokyo)
(Outside Tokyo)
4. Suitable for those who are applying for the Graduate School of Japanese Language Education
So, what kind of people are suitable for Japanese language education?
■ Successful students should be successful in further studies as much as possible, and students who have passed the examination and changed majors
In order to promote culture and expand Japan's influence in the world, the Japanese government has always attached great importance to promoting the Japanese language and encouraging foreigners to learn Japanese.
Therefore, in order to help achieve this goal, there are many universities that offer Japanese language education majors, and there is something for everyone, from first-class universities to local universities.
In addition, Japanese language education does not require many undergraduate majors, and most schools do not require Japanese language majors or education majors. As long as you have graduated from 16 years of full-time school education in China (i.e., bachelor's degree).
■Students who are not good at mathematics, physics, chemical engineering, and English
In most Japanese graduate schools, you do not need to take the Japanese language education major. In general, the subjects of the test are only specialized knowledge, and some international students are required to test their Japanese language ability.
Of course, there are schools that require English, but only a few of them, and generally only need to submit TOEIC or TOEFL scores when applying for the exam.
■Students who like Japanese culture and want to meet more international friends
Although the Japanese Language Education Department is named after "education", as mentioned above, this major also has the task of disseminating Japanese culture to the world.
So, in this program, you can meet classmates from various countries and cultural backgrounds who share a common interest in Japanese culture.
■Students who plan to work in Japan after graduation
For liberal arts students, if they are employed in Japan, companies will pay more attention to the academic qualifications of the graduates than the majors they are studying (a master's degree is a partly advantageous).
Graduates of this major will have a relatively high level of Japanese language proficiency in the entire international student group, which is a very important advantage when working in Japan as a foreigner.
5. Introduction to the Graduate School of Japanese Language Education
Below, we have compiled the documents that international students need to submit, based on the application requirements for Hitotsubashi University's entrance examination. Of course, there will be some differences in the requirements of each school, so you should check in advance.
❶ Admission ticket (download and print it on the school's homepage, or mail it to you by the school after registration)
❷ ID photo
❸ Proof of graduation
❹ Proof of degree
❺ Proof of academic results
❻ Research proposal (the number of words varies according to the requirements of the school, generally ranging from 1000-5000 words)
❼ Return envelope for the mailing of the admission ticket (an empty envelope with a stamp on it, with your address and name written on it, and the school will use this envelope to send you the admission ticket after passing the examination of the application materials)
❽ Make a copy of the front and back of your residence card
❾ Remittance details of exam registration fees, etc
As can be seen from the documents required by Hitotsubashi University above, there is no requirement to submit Japanese or English scores, that is, there are no mandatory requirements for Japanese and English scores.
Of course, not all schools don't need it. For example, Meiji University requires a certificate of N1 proficiency in Japanese or a certificate of 270 or more points in the "Japanese language" subject "Recognition" and "Understanding" and "Memory" in the "Examination for Japanese University Study" for "Study in Japan".
In addition, Meiji University also requires an English score of 550 or higher in TOEIC or 42 in TOEFL, or 2 or higher in the "English Skills Proficiency Test".
In most schools, which do not require Japanese language scores, the "Japanese" test is included in the written test, and of course, the Japanese language ability of the test taker is also taken into account during the essay essay and interview.
6. Career prospects for Japanese language education majors
In addition to continuing their PhDs, some graduates choose teaching-related jobs. For example, if you are enrolled in the Japanese language department of a university or other educational institution, you will be employed as a Japanese language teacher, curriculum designer, or other related positions.
In addition to education-related jobs, a considerable number of them have also entered other industries. In particular, students who have found a job in Japan after graduation can take advantage of their Japanese language skills to enter a wide range of industries such as finance, trade, publishing houses, and manufacturing.
Below, Xiaoyuan lists the employment directions of the previous graduates of the three top universities in Tokyo and the Japanese language education seminary for your reference~