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Academic Program

In addition to the intensive Japanese language courses found in most study abroad programs, the OUS – AGU program is notable for the broad selection of courses that students can pursue. International students at Aoyama Gakuin may enroll in any courses for which they have completed the necessary pre-requisites. This means that Oregon students can challenge themselves to complete courses in chemistry, astronomy, design, music, etc. taught in Japanese!

Aoyama offers four types of classes:

• intensive Japanese language classes
• content courses taught in Japanese with a Japanese textbook,  or
• content courses taught in Japanese with an English textbook, or
• content courses taught in English with an English textbook.

All OUS students will enroll in intensive Japanese language classes, and will have the option of choosing classes taught in English, classes taught in Japanese, or a combination of both.  Most students take three or four classes taught in English, and then push themselves by enrolling in one or two classes taught in Japanese.

Students complete 6 hours per week of intensive Japanese language study and choose an additional 8 – 14 hours per week of subject area coursework.

Host University Description

Aoyama Gakuin University is a mid-size comprehensive university located in Tokyo, with a total student population of about 20,000.  AGU has two primary campuses; the main campus is located in the central business district of Shibuya, and a new satellite campus was recently opened in Sagamihara.

Host University Website

• Home Page: http://www.aoyama.ac.jp/en/
• International Exchange Center: http://web.iec.aoyama.ac.jp/english/index.html

A Partial list of courses offered in English can be found here

Registration and Credits

Students participating in this program will be registered at their home university in Oregon and will receive home campus credits for courses taken at Aoyama Gakuin University. Students’ course work will be reviewed and evaluated by appropriate academic departments at their home institutions. Students must keep detailed records of course outlines, reading lists, exam results, and other work completed to facilitate accurate evaluation by their home university academic departments.

Students are advised to consult with their academic advisor about their plans to study in the Japan on the AGU program. Students wishing to earn major or minor credits for courses taken at Aoyama Gakuin are strongly advised to be in frequent communication with their academic advisor to determine what’s possible.

Because of the nature of this program, courses and credits are applied after completion of the program.

Academic Calendar

Note: Aoyama Gakuin operates on the Japanese academic calendar. The first semester of the academic year is in the spring, from April through July. The second semester is in the fall, from September through February. Many AGU courses are offered in multiple semester sequences, so the class begins in the spring and will continue through fall semester. Other courses are only offered in the fall. For these reasons, we highly recommend that students begin their studies with the spring semester.

In addition, students tell us that due to the high level of immersion of the OUS – AGU program, they spend their first semester at AGU focused on improving their Japanese language skills and really thrive in their second semester when they’re able to put their new language skills to use. Thus, we recommend that OUS – AGU students pursue a full year of study at AGU.

Sample AGU Academic Calendar:

2008-09 Academic Calendar - dates below are approximate 

First semester: April 2 - July 31
Summer break: August 1 - September 24
Second semester: September 25 - February 4

AGU’s full calendar can be found on-line at:  http://web.iec.aoyama.ac.jp/english/student_life/calendar.html