UMass Amherst at Sophia University  Featured:

(Exchange Program)

Program Overview

Japanese Language and Japanese Studies, Liberal Arts curriculum in heart of Tokyo. Highlights include wide array of courses, extensive student club activities, easy access to Tokyo cultural/night scene, international English-speaking student body. Students may choose to go during the spring semester or academic year.

Location

Sophia University was officially established in 1913 as a special school by the Society of Jesus, and has since grown into a large and well-reputed university with over 10,000 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students across four campuses in the Tokyo area. It takes the name Sophia from the Greek sophia meaning "wisdom". The Japanese name, J?chi daigaku literally means "University of Higher Wisdom".

Sophia's main campus, at Yotsuya, is an urban campus, consisting of roughly 25 large, modern buildings in the center of Tokyo. The majority of Sophia's 10,000 undergraduate students spend nearly all of their time here. The Faculties of Humanities, Law, Foreign Studies, Economics, Liberal Arts, and Science and Technology have their home here, as do the main library, cafeteria, gymnasium, chapel, bookstore, and offices.

Living Arrangements

Students are lodged in dormitories with self-catering. There is no on-campus dormitory, so Students must commute to Sophia from their housing.

Since the Sophia campus is located in the heart of Tokyo, the cost of living near campus is very high. As reasonable housing is located in the suburbs, exchange students should expect a 45-90 min. commuting time to campus. The train and subway systems in Tokyo are well-developed, but during the morning rush hours, the trains are very crowded.

BUDGET INFORMATION FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2010-11 WILL BE AVAILABLE IN EARLY JANUARY 2010.