Outline The International Collaborative Graduate Program on Civil and Environmental Engineering offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Saitama University has been selected as one of the promising distinguished graduate programs in Japan by the Support Program for Improving Graduate School Education offered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The program is being supported by the Ministry for three years from 2007 to enhance its organizational and systematic activities for improvement of its graduate school education. Objectives The education in postgraduate programs in civil engineering in Japan focused on the initiation of technologies in infrastructure development for Japanese students so as to develop the country in the past. However, how to balance infrastructure development and environmental protection not only in our country but in Asia and Pan-Pacific region, including developing countries, should be a current important topic. In particular, students should learn fundamental and advanced technologies for environmental protection associated with global environmental problems and infrastructure development, which are supported by a wide range of engineering fundamentals. A systematic education in those study areas is required for students in Japan as well as students in foreign countries, particularly in developing countries. This program, which is for master students, extends "the International Graduate Program on Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering" offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering by strengthening collaboration with the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, Thammasat University in Thailand, and the University of Hawaii in the United States, so as to turn out advanced engineers and researchers who are capable of working internationally in the technical fields mentioned above.
Background The basis of the current program is "the International Graduate Program on Environmental Management and Infrastructure Development Engineering" established in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1992. This program started with 15 doctor students, including 5 students supported by the Japanese government scholarship, and was extended for master students in 1993. In 1996, the Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP) supporting about 15 students per year was established for master students in the International Graduate Program. Also, the program began to accept foreign students with scholarship from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. The UNESCO Chair was also established in 1996. The program has been offering courses and research guidance in English language to foreign students supported by those scholarships and Japanese students and receiving a high reputation nationally and internationally. There have been about 300 Japanese students and about 170 foreign students who obtained a master degree from the program and work actively in many countries since 1993. The program was reorganized in 2006 and named "the International Graduate Program on Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering". In order to enhance the International Graduate Program, an international exchange was made and concluded with the University of Moratuwa in 2001, Thammasat University in 2002 and the University of Hawaii in 2005. There have been faculty and student exchanges with these universities. Numbers of International Students graduated from the International Graduate Program from 1992 2007:
Saitama University Saitama University is located in a quite suburban area of Saitama City, the capital of Saitama prefecture. Saitama city is located about 30 kilometers north of metropolitan Tokyo. Central Tokyo can conveniently be accessed by East Japan Railways in about an hour s journey from the university. The University has five faculties (schools) for undergraduate education -Liberal Arts, Education, Economics, Science, and Engineering- and four graduate schools -Cultural Science, Education, Economic Science, and Science and Engineering-, all offering programs leading to doctorates as well as master s degrees. The total enrollment in the university is more than 8,500, including over 1300 graduate students, with more than 500 overseas students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Research groups, associated with the International Graduate Program on Civil and Environmental Engineering are organized as follows: Geosystem Engineering Environmental System Engineering Planning and Design System Engineering Geosphere Research Institute Environmental Science and Human Engineering Soil Mechanics Rock Mechanics Vibration Engineering Environmental and Hydraulic Engineering Foundations Engineering Structural Material Structural Engineering Design and Planning Geosphere Disaster Prevention Geosphere Environmental Science Applied Ecological Engineering Urban Environmental Design
Our Partners The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Saitama University currently collaborates with the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, and Thammasat University in Thailand, and the University of Hawaii in United States. The department is aiming for future collaboration with other prestigious universities around the world as well. In near future, the International Collaborative Graduate Program seeks the expansion of its international collaboration to universities in Asia, such as the University of Civil Engineering in Vietnam, Yangon Technological University in Myanmar, and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Vietnam University of Civil Engineering Myanmar Yangon Technological University Bangladesh Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology Saitama University International Graduate Program on Civil and Environmental Engineering United States University of Hawaii Present Near Future Sri Lanka University of Moratuwa Thailand Thammasat University University of Moratuwa http://www.civil.mrt.ac.lk/ The University of Moratuwa is located on the quite banks of Lake Bolgoda at the heart of a beautiful and vibrant city of Moratuwa. The University of Moratuwa which specializes in Engineering and Technology is undisputedly one of the best universities in Sri Lanka. It comprises of three faculties including Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology. At present, more than 3000 students are enrolled in the university. With its vision to be a centre of excellence of higher learning and related activities with emphasis on national relevance, international recognition, innovation and creativity in Engineering, Architecture, Information Technology and other allied professional disciplines, the University of Moratuwa has been producing world class graduates in different disciplines in Sri Lanka. The university also offers overseas students opportunity to pursue undergraduate courses and postgraduate degree courses and research programs. Thammasat University http://interaffairs.tu.ac.th/ Founded in 1934, Thammasat University is conveniently located in culturally rich city of Bangkok. It was originally dedicated to the teaching of humanities and social sciences. To cater the growing demand of engineers to sustain the economic growth of the country in the 1980 s and 1990 s, Thammasat
University initiated degree programs in Engineering Technologies, Physical Sciences, and Medical Sciences at its Rangsit Campus, Pathum Thani. Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT) was established under Thamasart University in 1992 to provide an international standard education. SIIT offers undergraduate and graduate programs (master and doctoral levels) with all the courses carried out in English. The institute has established exchange programs with a number of universities in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. These programs allow not only faculty members to collaborate with their counterparts in research projects but also students to have an opportunity to take engineering courses at those universities. University of Hawaii http://www.hawaii.edu/ Located in the beautiful Manoa valley, University of Hawaii offers a comprehensive array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through the doctoral level; carries out advanced research; and extends services to the community. The university was founded in 1907 and today more than 20,600 students are enrolled in Manoa courses, on campus or via distance delivery. The university offers a comprehensive array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. University of Hawaii's engineering programs have launched thousands of successful engineering careers - locally, nationally, and internationally. The program is accredited by ABET, the U.S. accrediting board for engineering programs. The department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has approximately 300 undergraduate students, 60 graduate students, and 19 faculty members and offers the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE), MS, and Ph.D. degrees. Our Location Contact Us: International Collaborative Graduate Program Saitama University 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-Ku Saitama-Shi Saitama 338-8570 Japan URL: http://www.civil.saitama-u.ac.jp/icgp/