Higher education in Japan has expanded remarkably over the last couple
of years because of the significant rise of private educational
institutes of the country and also because of the initiative of the
ministry of education, Japan. Universities, Junior Colleges, Colleges
of technologies and specialized training Colleges constitute the
institutes of higher education in Japan. One can join a Colleges of
Technology soon after completing the lower secondary courses for
getting in depth training in specialized courses. The term of study
here is 5 years and graduates are awarded the title of associate. One
can earn an associate degree in Japan from the Junior College.
The term of study here is two to three years. In order to earn a
bachelor degree one needs to join a University where the term of study
would depend upon the course pursued. Those who complete the graduate
course can earn a master's, doctorate or professional degree course
from a University in Japan. The term of study for earning a bachelor
degree is four yeas, though it is six years for those who wantto pursue medicine dentistry and veterinary sciences. The master degree
courses are of two years duration and doctoral courses are generally of
five years. The government of Japan is taking various measures to improve
accessibility, relevance and quality of higher education in Japan.
While the scholarship Foundation of Japan provides various loan
facilities to the meritorious students of economically weaker sections
of the society, it provides subsidies private institutes of higher
education in Japan. In order to improve the competitiveness of the
govt. universities the govt. is also considering of giving them
corporate status. The specialized training colleges of Japan are also
playing a very important role in the higher education sector in Japan
as they provide technical and vocational education to meet the diverse
needs of changing society. Moreover the country also provides
tremendous importance on research and development in various fields of
study and provides adequate scholarships to international students to
pursue research in Japan.