Obtaining Transfer Credit for Japanese Language Courses
Whether you are paying your own way or are sponsored, earning academic transfer credit for your Japanese language studies may be important to you. This is particularly the case for students seeking credit points towards degrees from North American institutions.
There is no substitute to learning Japanese in a full immersion environment. Some good attempts at recreating a full language immersion environment for Japanese have been made offshore (notably at places such as Middlebury in the US), however always with mixed results according to alumni. Realistically the only way you will be able to experience genuine immersion is by coming to Japan. The language is so intricately interwoven with the culture, that studyabroad programs in Japan remain the best way to reach your goals.
If you are a registered student in the USA planning to take a full-load of courses overseas, you may also qualify for financial aid or scholarships should your academic results or economic circumstances warrant this. This is also the case for many students in other countries.
Ideally, the effort you put into your language studies in Japan should result in more than just an improvement in your level of language proficiency. It should also result in credits being counted towards your degree, and as far as possible - towards the satisfaction of requirements for your Japanese major or minor. The decision to grant credit is ultimately decided by your institution. It is far from automatic that credit will be granted, so it is important that you fully understand what is involved and make inquiries early.
"Academic credit" has no universal meaning. There is no national standard in the US or most other countries, nor any international standards for awarding it. Japanese education institutions at all levels generally do not have the experience or expertise to help you obtain transfer credit without outside assistance. Whether you actually receive credit (or not) for the Japanese language program you take will be dependent on several key factors:
- The quality of your academic performance as assessed by the faculty or teachers at the school, institution or university where you take your Japanese language course.
- Definitive judgments made by the teachers/faculty of your own college or university as to whether the course meets the same quality and standards set by themselves.
- The degree of familiarity your teachers/faculty have with the institution in Japan.
- Whether the institution is a fully accredited, recognized, audited institution or not.
- Whether other colleges or universities of similar standing to yours have also granted credit to students attending the language course you are thinking of enrolling in.
Few Japanese teachers at colleges and universities abroad are keen to risk recommending an institution they are unfamiliar with. In part this is normal conservatism, but it also reflects a desire to avoid making mistakes which could harm your academic development. Information regarding Japanese education institutions has often been poorly publicized or coordinated. Also there are many cases where it hasn't been of direct relevance to the faculty members and so for confidence they need to rely more on personal experience. As far as possible it is a good idea to consult with and ask your faculty to participate in the enrolment process. They will be able to ask the Institution directly (in Japanese) vital questions that will help you decide on the quality of the program and its suitability. You will also need their assistance not only with course selection but scholarship applications and of course obtaining credit.
KINDS OF CREDIT
There are usually 3 different types of credit available from most colleges and universities. There are slight differences between countries but they are broadly similar, as credit is basically a process-oriented assessment.
- Credit granted for programs actually sponsored by your host institution
- Transfer Credit
- Credit by examination
Home institution credit
If you are reading this guide this section is probably not going to apply to you. Home institution credit is where you enol in Japan in a program actually sponsored by your college or university. By definition, the courses will earn credit, so the only variable is whether you pass or not.
The courses may even be listed in your college or university catalogue/calendar. The sort of credit will be clearly stated. Since very few foreign universities or colleges have their own campus in Japan, this is probably going to be a course offered by a partner Japanese school. Most Japanese teachers abroad like to have personal knowledge of the institution where you will be studying, so introducing them to the school you are interested in (something worth doing for the purpose of advice in any case) won't hurt you either.
Transfer Credit
This is where if you enol in a program that is not directly under the auspices of the college or university in which you are enrolled. The Japanese courses you take in Japan, and your performance in that course will then be evaluated and judged via "transfer credit" procedures and standards.
The people most likely to whether or not to award credit include the registrar, Japanese language faculty, and overseas studies personnel at your university.
The procedure usually involves examining documentation provided by the Japanese language school that did the teaching and assessment. In addition, you will probably be interviewed and asked to supply as much documentation (syllabus/curriculum, exams and tests, note books, texts, audio tapes of oral exams etc) as possible.
Credit by Examination:
With Japanese language studies it is usually possible to earn credit by taking and passing examinations (written and/or oral) given by your college or university's Japanese faculty after your return from Japan. The fact that your Japanese language skills are easily testable is one of the key advantages in obtaining credit for language study abroad. If you do well in these exams, you will usually receive credit.
Please note that some colleges and universities will charge you either for the testing and/or the credit.
Obtaining Pre-Approval
Almost all colleges and universities have some kind of formal procedure or policies in place for selecting programs that are suitable for their students participation, and (if completed successfully) credit.
Pre-Approval offers the advantage of protection and security for both the student and the institution where they are enrolled. To minimize misunderstanding, there are usually clear guidelines available for you. If there aren't, then it's a good idea to ask for standards/guidelines in advance for studyabroad courses. By asking in advance you will already have a good idea of what to look for when choosing a language school and have a clear idea of what is realistic in terms of credit. If credit is obtainable, then perhaps spending a little more for a 'better' or longer course is worthwhile. If on the other hand obtaining credit for courses at the institution that has caught your eye (the one on the beach with the cocktails perhaps) isn't possible - then you may need to re-think the financial value of that course.
Remember that no two institutions have the same policies and practices. Your college or university may have a list of suitable programs that are automatically pre-approved for credit. If it doesn't you can suggest they make one, and/or if you would like to enol in a program that they don't yet know of, then there will probably be a formal set of procedures for program review and approval. This process is usually set up by your campus study abroad office and conducted by the campus adviser, in consultation with faculty. At smaller institutions, it is usually the domain of faculty only.
The key thing to remember is that you need to know what is required and take the necessary steps to apply for a program while getting approval for the credit you anticipate earning. For this reason early preparation is highly advised by Education Japan. These procedures by definition take time.
The advantage of language study is of course that it is testable on return. However Pre-Approval is a reasonable chance if your institution is already familiar with the language school or Institute you intend to enol in.
Obtaining Pre-Approval usually involves the following:
Getting your Japanese language teachers to sign off on your courses. Most campuses have formal documentation for this. Their signature means that they approve the course content at the Japanese institution as being of a standard suitable for graduation credit. This will mean either that the Japanese language program is now either on a campus "approved program list" OR that approval for that particular Japanese language school has been granted on a one off basis. A key will be not only satisfying your teachers, but satisfying the Registrar's regulations for the minimum number of credit hours.
What happens if I change my enrolment after I arrive in Japan?
This rarely happens with language courses, but if you make any changes in your pre-approved courses, it is your responsibility to contact (without any delay) the teacher or department head who signed your approval form and supply them with as much information about the changes as possible.
Finally, make sure you obtain a full academic transcript.
Post-Approval Credit
If you do not have time to obtain pre-approval or if your college or university is not prepared to grant it, then you will need to seek post-approval for your courses.
This is probably applicable if you:
- Have taken courses for which you had no prior approval. (ie you seek approval after the course is completed)
- Take courses where the faculty will not consider credit until they examine the course descriptions and the work you did in your classes overseas.
- Take courses at Japanese schools of which your faculty doesn't have knowledge or in which they don't have confidence.
There will definitely be further questions about your credit, so under no circumstances throw away or misplace any records of your studies. Syllabus/Curriculum, exams and tests, note books, texts, audio tapes of oral exams etc.
Many of the accredited Japanese language schools and institutes in this country do not issue suitable transcripts or any transcript at all. Almost without exception, you will need to have the Japanese institution send a transcript to your registrar. It is likely that you will need at least a C average for the course as required by the Japanese school and your home college or university. The grading and grade transfer policies are different everywhere. Find out what will apply to you.
UMAP (University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific)
UMAP is a newly established body that aims to make credit transfer between universities simpler and promote international exchanges between universities in the Asia Pacific. This program does not necessarily apply to Language Schools, however. There is an associated scholarship worth 150,000 yen per month, which comes with any exchange position under the auspices of UMAP. Application details will be available from your exchange program coordinator.
Assistance with credit transfer and finding institutions
If you or your university's faculty do not know of suitable schools, or need further information regarding particular schools, ask your faculty to contact us with their (and your) requirements and we will be able to help.
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