Kobe Women's University Announces Plan for New "Department of Health and Welfare (tentative name)" to Open in April 2027

Kobe Women's University (Chuo-ku, Kobe; President: Aiko Hong) plans to establish the "Department of Health and Welfare (tentative name)" within the Faculty of Health and Welfare in April 2027 (currently under consideration) and is proceeding with preparations. This plan is part of the university's reform efforts, marking the significant milestone of Kobe Women's University's 60th anniversary. The new department will build upon the expertise of each specialization, broadly learning foundational knowledge related to human welfare, nutrition, and exercise concerning health, thereby fostering a wide range of knowledge and acquiring interdisciplinary perspectives.

Overview of the Faculty of Health and Welfare, Department of Health and Welfare (tentative name, currently under establishment plan) In recent years, welfare, health, nutrition, and exercise support are no longer viewed as independent fields but as interconnected areas that support people's lives. Particularly, there is a demand for fostering human resources who can comprehensively address these areas to realize "community-based integrated care" and a "community-inclusive society." Therefore, the university is proceeding with a plan to establish a new Department of Health and Welfare (tentative name) by integrating and reorganizing the conventional Department of Social Welfare and the Department of Health and Sports Nutrition to build an educational system that comprehensively studies these fields. The new department is planned to have a one-department, two-specialization system, consisting of the Wellbeing Social Welfare Specialization and the Wellness Sports Nutrition Specialization.

Furthermore, the new department emphasizes education that addresses regional welfare and health issues from a multi-professional collaboration perspective through inter-specialization learning. In addition, based on the expertise of each field, it aims to foster human resources with practical skills to proactively tackle regional issues in collaboration with related organizations.

*1 Application for course certification is pending. However, the timing of the opening of the planned teacher training courses may change depending on the results of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's review.

New Faculty Plan Faculty Name: Faculty of Health and Welfare Department Name: Department of Health and Welfare (tentative name, currently under establishment plan) Enrollment Capacity: Department of Health and Welfare 110 students (of which 65 students for Wellness Sports Nutrition Specialization) Opening Date: April 2027 (planned) Location: Kobe Women's University Port Island Campus *Please note that the content published is a plan and may change. Also, all faculty, department, and specialization names are tentative.

Future Plans Information regarding the Department of Health and Welfare (tentative name, currently under consideration) will be released and disseminated on the university's homepage as soon as details are decided.

Contact for inquiries regarding this matter Address: 4-7-2 Minatojima Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0046 TEL: 078-303-4937 (Kobe Women's University Admissions and Public Relations Department, Public Relations) E-mail: [email protected]