Mission

Kasuga Erea

   The College of Media Arts, Science and Technology is a science and technology based faculty with the aim of being a front-runner in creating a prosperous future for the information society. In our current era, computers and mobile devices connected to a global network enable anyone, anywhere, and at any time to disseminate information and interact with others. The explosive growth of this network has resulted in transformations in industries, businesses, education, culture, and everyday life, to a scale comparable to and even surpassing the Communication Revolution sparked by Gutenberg’s movable type printing technology. The College of Media Arts, Science and Technology intends to foster engineers and researchers who will play a leading role in this era of change.


Two Keywords: Network Media and Content

   The development of information media on the web has given birth to a technological means for creating a high level of diversity and freedom of expression and transmission to a degree that is incomparable with the past. It is now possible for non-professionals to utilize a wide variety of ways to create and disseminate a large amount of information (content) on a daily basis. Furthermore, networks that are supported by technology for the efficient transmission of such information have created an environment where members of the general public are able to make a significant impact on society.

   The College of Media Arts, Science and Technology was established for the purpose of providing education starting from fundamentals in information and communication technology, leading to advanced topics in content technology for producing and utilizing content that flows through networks, and net-media technology for supporting the accumulation and flow of content. Our aim is not to raise creators who will work on generating the content itself; but to foster engineers and researchers who will make an impact on society through their technological and scientific achievements.

Message

Message from the Chair

Kazuo Misue, April 2024

Kazuo Misue

   Our College of Media Arts, Science, and Technology has been with us for 15 years now since its founding in 2007. As we have all experienced, the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything since the beginning of 2020, and our academic environment was not an exception. Many of our courses moved online, and we have not been able to talk to peers directly or arrange studies abroad. Our annual university festival was canceled in 2020 and held online in 2021. However, even in this situation students in Media Arts, Science, and Technology have remained resilient by demonstrating their strong technical skills. The faculty also moved most of its meetings online and experienced a pleasant surprise when we saw that it improved efficiency.


    The College of Media Arts, Science, and Technology was founded in 2007. Since the very first group of students graduated in March 2023, we have sent off a total of 804 graduates into the world. 60% of those graduates decided to go on to Master’s and Doctoral studies, and most of the other graduates have chosen a career in an industry setting. Some have even started their own businesses. Most of the students who decided to pursue a higher level of studies chose to stay with us, within the University of Tsukuba. The students who went for a career in the industry have found positions in various areas: Informatics and Communication, Internet Services, Manufacturing, Transportation, and Entertainment, just to name a few. Some have found careers in the public sector and teaching. The College of Media Arts, Science, and Technology accepts 50 freshmen students every year. And in the third year of studies, we accept 10 or so additional students, making the total number of students around 60. Wehave 31 lecturers and professors as of February 2024, so we have a generous ratio of 1.6 to 2 students per one faculty member.

    Our curriculum has its basis in science and engineering, and we build our educational foundation on mathematics and coding. In addition, we put a unique emphasis on the technology that supports the “network (media)” and its “contents (information).” If we break down what is behind these things, we find many different areas of study such as imaging and audio technology, human-computer interaction, networking, information management and search methods, content creation, optimization and process control, and the scientific study of the human body and its functions. These are all fields of research for our faculty members and the topics of their courses. Our faculty keeps the courses up to date with recent technological advances and progress in research. On top of that, we prepare courses such as Embedded Technology Campus OJT and enPiT, which invite professionals from the industry for more hands-on group work. These courses challenge students to form and collaborate in a team while applying their studies to practical tasks.

    It has been 40 years since I myself have graduated from university. Those 40 years came with dramatic advances in information technology that changed society as a whole. From the 1980s personal computers began to appear and in the 1990s, the internet became commercialized. In the 2000s people started interacting on social media on their smartphones and in the 2010s AI and cloud computing became mainstream. The 2020s so far has been an age of digital transformation and remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When I look back upon these changes, I feel that they continue to happen more rapidly each year. And now, the change is happening faster than ever. I hear that some jobs will disappear in the near future. However, I believe that newer, more modern jobs will replace them. Some people will learn to adapt and optimize while others will invent something completely new. People like to polarize things by classifying other people into those who can accept change and those who can’t, but we suggest that the world is more complex than that. We feel that whether you choose to be the change, adapt to change, fight the change, or run away from change, those are all valid choices in considering where you want to be. But to make those choices, we need to know that the change is happening in the first place, and then analyze the nature of it.

    Our university is not exempt from change. One day, the education we provided may become completely useless, and we would need to think of another way to provide knowledge. Actually, we feel that that change may be happening now. And aspiring students will need to mold their career while it is ongoing. But however things may unfold, let us give you an invitation. If you are willing to learn information technology to create or challenge change with like-minded people, you are welcome to join us at our College of Media Arts, Science, and Technology.

Education and Course of Study

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   The curriculum is built so the student can pursue a major while selecting courses depending on their study plans and motivation. For example a student may study content creation, application of content technology, and content distribution on network media while pursuing subjects in humanities, culture, society, and art to support their main area of interest.

   In the first and second year of studies students study mathematics and programming in mandatory courses, which will build a foundation for them to study network media and content technology. Students will also take courses on language, physical education, and general subjects along with the rest of the university.

   Third and fourth year courses are more specialized. Subjects are focused around network media and content technology, and additional information science/technology courses provide a deeper understanding of the two areas. These will be mostly electives and can be classified in 6 groups as shown below: "Network and Communication Technology", "Storage and Distribution of Content", "Interaction Technology", "Computer Science", "Content Processing and Application", "Content Creation and Technology".

   In addition to lectures, we offer hands-on training labs and projects that will allow students to design and achieve their own goals and outputs. These will enable students to apply their knowledge outside of the classroom environment and acquire skills for future careers.


year

Courses

1st

First Year Seminar, Invitation to Arts and Sciences, Introduction to Information Science, Introduction to Information Science: Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics for Informatics A, Linear Algebra A, Calculus A, Introduction to Programming A, Introduction to Programming B, Special Project on Information Media I, Introduction to Information Media, Introduction to Content Application, Introduction to Information Science:Computation, Introduction to Information Science:Information Systems, Introduction to Knowledge and Information Sciences, Introduction to Librarianship, Foundations of Knowledge Information Systems

2nd

Calculus B, Linear Algebra B, Probability and Statistics, Mathematics for Informatics B, Data Structures and Algorithms, Data Structures and Algorithms Laboratory, Programming, Computer Systems and Operating Systems, Introduction to Data Engineering, Introduction to Content Sharing, Introduction to Network Media, Cognitive Science, Media Sociology, Statistical Analysis, Web Programming, Signals and Systems, Information Theory, Computer Graphics, Information Design I, Introduction to Content Technology, Data Communications and Computer Networks, Human Measurement Methods, Special Project on Information Media II, Introduction to Image Media Studies, Information Society Law, Introduction to Intellectual Property

2nd and 3rd

Special Lecture on Information Media G

3rd

Information Media Laboratory A, Information Media Laboratory B

2nd, 3rd and 4th

Special Lecture on Information Media H, Mathematics for Informatics C, ACPC joint lecture: topics on live contents, Special Lecture on Information Media B

4th

English for Specialized Subjects A, English for Specialized Subjects B, Undergraduate Thesis A, Undergraduate Thesis B

3rd and 4th

Programming Languages and Methodology, Pattern Recognition, Image and Video Information Processing, Fundamentals of Acoustics and Speech Communication, Workshops on Hybrid Art, Automata and Formal Languages, Network Communications, Interactive Computer Graphics, Music and Acoustic Information Processing, System Operation and Administration, Real-World Oriented Systems, Markup Language, Database Systems I, Database Systems II, Frontier Technology in Media Arts, Content Producing, Software Construction, Information Design II, Interaction Design, Digital Content Expression and Arts Laboratory, Digital Documents, Entertainment Computing Laboratory, Introduction to Vision, Mathematical Systems Theory I, Mathematical Systems Theory II, Knowledge and Natural Language Processing, Information Visualization, Mathematical Systems Theory III, Mathematics for Informatics D, Perceptual Psychology, Lectures on Computer Algebra Systems, Advanced Computer Graphics, Human Information Interaction, Machine Learning and Information Retrieval, Human-computer Interaction, Design and Development of Business System A, Design and Development of Business System B

All

Overseas Special Seminar I, Overseas Special Seminar II, Special Lecture on Information Media C, Special Lecture on Information Media E

Faculty

campus_ojt

   The faculty of the college, who also teaches "Graduate School of Library, Information and Media Studies" or "Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering", forms the following seven education/research groups : "Image/Audio Media", "Interactive Systems","Internet Science", "Management, Sharing, Search and Discovering of Network Media", "Creation/Representation of Digital Contents", "Advanced Computing Engines" and "Cognitive Science".


Image/Audio Media

Makoto FUJISAWA Makoto FUJISAWA fujis(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Phisyics-Based Computer Graphics Lab.
Hiroyuki KUDO Hiroyuki KUDO kudo(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Image Science Lab.
Yoshihiro KANAMORI Yoshihiro KANAMORI kanamori(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Computational Geometry & Graphics Lab.

Interactive Systems

Takefumi HIRAKI Takefumi HIRAKI hiraki(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Physital Media Lab.
Tomoo INOUE Tomoo INOUE inoue(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Interaction Lab.
Ikkaku KAWAGUCHI Ikkaku KAWAGUCHI kawaguchi(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Interactive Programming Lab.
Masahiko MIKAWA Masahiko MIKAWA mikawa(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Social Robotics Lab.
Kazuo MISUE Kazuo MISUE misue(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Visualization and Interactive Systems Lab.
Satoshi NAKAI Satoshi NAKAI nakai(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Programing Language Lab.
Buntarou SHIZUKI Buntarou SHIZUKI shizuki(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Interactive Programming Lab.

Internet Science

Shuichi MORITSUGU Shuichi MORITSUGU moritsug(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Computer Algebra Laboratory
Shigetomo KIMURA Shigetomo KIMURA kimura(at)netlab.tsukuba.ac.jp
Computer Networks Lab.
Sho TSUGAWA Sho TSUGAWA s-tugawa(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Social Network Lab.

Management, Sharing, Search and Discovering of Network Media

Hanxiong CHEN Hanxiong CHEN chx(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Data System Engineering Group
Atsuyuki MORISHIMA Atsuyuki MORISHIMA mori(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
FusionCOMP Lab.
Mitsuharu NAGAMORI Mitsuharu NAGAMORI nagamori(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Metadata Lab.
Jiro KIKKAWA Jiro KIKKAWA jiro(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
KIKKAWA Lab.
Kei WAKABAYASHI Kei WAKABAYASHI kwakaba(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Machine Learning and Language Understanding Lab.

Creation/Representation of Digital Contents

Sangtae KIM Sangtae KIM pacman(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Graphic Design Lab.
Yoichi OCHIAI Yoichi OCHIAI wizard(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Research and Development Center for Digital Nature
Hiroko TERASAWA Hiroko TERASAWA terasawa(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Sound and People with Computing Lab.
Tatsuki FUSHIMI Tatsuki FUSHIMI tfushimi(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Research and Development Center for Digital Nature
Nami IINO Nami IINO niino(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Sound and People with Computing Lab.

Advanced Computing

Yoshito HIRATA Yoshito HIRATA hirata(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Advanced Control Systems Research Group
Takashi INUI Takashi INUI inui(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Natural Languageprocessing Group
Tohru KAWABE Tohru KAWABE kawabe(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Advanced Control Systems Research Group
Takahito KUNO Takahito KUNO takahito(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
System Optimization Lab.
Yoshio SANO Yoshio SANO sano(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
System Optimization Lab.
Ryuji TOKUNAGA Ryuji TOKUNAGA tokunaga(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Chaos Lab.
Mikio YAMAMOTO Mikio YAMAMOTO myama(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Natural Languageprocessing Group

Cognitive Science

Hiromi MORITA Hiromi MORITA morita(at)slis.tsukuba.ac.jp
Human Perception and Cognition Lab.
Ko SAKAI Ko SAKAI sakai(at)cs.tsukuba.ac.jp
Computational Vision Science Lab.

Career Options after University

computer_room

   60% of our students choose to go to graduate programs, which is a relatively high proportion. This reflects the tendency of employers (especially larger companies) preferring master's degrees and above in their fresh graduate recruitment.

(For more information on careers after graduate programs, please check the websites of our master's and doctoral programs. The Master's/Doctoral Program in Computer Science in our School of Science and Technology and the Graduate School of Library, Information, and Media Studies are the two most popular graduate programs for our students.)


   Half of our students who choose to pursue a career after graduation start their careers in information technology, communications, and network services. However prospective careers are not limited to those industries. Professionals with a background in information engineering are in high demand across various sectors whether the market is thriving or not, which is a great advantage to graduates from our program.

Admission

computer_room

[Admission Policy]   Our program actively looks for candidates who have a passion to study technology and subjects that lay behind the network and information society, show aptitude for maths and sciences as well as art and culture, and are willing to creatively contribute to society.

   Our program offers entrance exams for international students, including privately funded candidates. https://www.mast.tsukuba.ac.jp/admission/index.html (Page available in Japanese only)

   Privately funded international candidates will be exempt from the Common Test for University Admissions. Instead they will be subject to an essay-style exam and an interview with our faculty. Additionally, Japanese language proficiency and other documents will be considered in the selection. For more details, please see the web page


Contact us

[Address]  College of Media Arts, Science and Technology, School of Informatics, University of Tsukuba
1-2 Kasuga, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577 Japan
[Office]Academic Service Office for the Library, Information and Media Sciences Area
TEL : +81-29-859-1110, e-mail : mast-info@mast.tsukuba.ac.jp