Welcome to Otani University

In the Graduate School, students develop advanced theoretical knowledge and skills necessary to conduct academic research in Buddhist Studies and the humanities. All departments place major emphasis on careful reading of primary texts. Programs leading to the master's and doctoral degrees are offered in Shin Buddhist Studies, Buddhist Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, Buddhist Culture and Intercultural Studies. Classes consists of seminars, lectures and textual studies.

Candidates for the Masters of Arts must be enrolled in the program for two or more years. A minimum of 34 credits are necessary for graduation, including 6 credits in basic courses, 8 credits in required courses and 20 credits in elective courses. A master's thesis (in Japanese or English) is also required.

Candidates for the Doctor of Literature must be enrolled in the program for three or more years. A minimum of 18 credits are necessary for graduation, including 2 credits in basic courses, 12 credits in required courses and 4 credits in elective courses. They must also submit a doctoral thesis (in Japanese) to receive the doctoral degree.

Since 2005, a course entitled "Buddhist Thought" has been instituted in the graduate school to provide an opportunity for graduate students to reflection the significance of their studies at Otani University.

The Joint Research Room, located in the Korukan and connected to the library, provides graduate students with a space well-stocked with basic reference material, in which to pursue their studies.

Language of Instruction

Most classes in graduate school are conducted in Japanese. Students whose native language is not Japanese are urged to acquire a solid grounding in written and oral Japanese before applying.

Undergraduate Education

The Faculty of Letters of Otani University provides a four-year course for the completion of a Bachelor's degree. As in the graduate school, all courses are conducted in Japanese.

The undergraduate courses are conducted by the following eight departments: Shin Buddhist Studies, Buddhist Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, History, Literature, Intercultural Studies, and Humane Informatics. Students are required to choose their major at the beginning of their second year. The course work for each major includes seminars, lectures and directed readings of related texts. In the seminars, through intensive study of fundamental texts related to each field, the students learn the rudiments of research methods for their academic specialty. In their fourth year, this course of studyculminates with the submission of a graduation thesis, which embodies the results of their research.