The history of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering started with the establishment of the Graduate School of Engineering (master’s program) in 1973, followed by the addition of the Graduate School of Science (master’s program) in 1978. In April 1989, the Graduate School of Science and Engineering (master’s and doctoral program) was established to cultivate talented human resources and promote the research and development of science and technology under Japan’s science and technology promotion policies. The Graduate School of Science and Engineering was Japan’s first joint graduate school in cooperation with the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), which is a research institute geographically close to Saitama University and blessed with competent researchers. At the start of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, the master’s degree program consisted of eleven majors: five science majors and six engineering majors. The doctoral program consisted of three majors: the Material Science, the Production Information Science, and the Bioenvironmental Science.
In response to the needs of the society, the Department of Informatics and Mathematical Science was established in the doctoral program in April 1994, and the Department of Environmental Control Engineering (independent major) was added to the master’s program in April 1995.
After the reorganization of the Graduate School in April 2002, the Environmental Control Engineering Program (an independent program) was established in the doctoral course, offering twelve majors in the master’s course and five majors in the doctoral course.
In April 2006, the Graduate School of Science and Engineering was reorganized following Japanese government’s policy of prioritizing graduate school education, starting the new organization you see today.
Chronology
| Calendar year | Month | Major events |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | September | The Graduate School of Engineering was established. |
| The regulations of Saitama University Graduate School were formulated. | ||
| 1976 | May | The Faculty of Science and Engineering was reorganized into the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering. |
| 1977 | April | The Electronic Engineering Program was established in the Graduate School of Engineering. |
| The Department of Regulatory Biology was established in the Faculty of Science. | ||
| 1978 | April | The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering was established in the Faculty of Engineering. |
| The Graduate School of Science was established. | ||
| 1979 | January | The Joint First-Stage Achievement Test for National and Public Universities was conducted for the first time. |
| April | The Environmental Chemistry Engineering Program was established in the Graduate School of Engineering. | |
| 1981 | April | The Regulatory Biology Program was established in the Graduate School of Science. |
| 1982 | April | The Civil and Environmental Engineering Program was established in the Graduate School of Engineering. |
| 1984 | March | The Faculty of Science and Engineering was abolished. |
| October | The opening ceremony of the Saitama University International House was held. | |
| 1988 | April | The Department of Information and Computer Sciences was established in the Faculty of Engineering. |
| 1989 | April | The Graduate School of Science and Engineering (master’s course/doctoral course) was established. |
| 1991 | March | The Graduate School of Science was abolished. |
| April | The Information Processing Center, Saitama University, was established. | |
| September | The Graduate School of Engineering was abolished. | |
| 1992 | April | The Department of Functional Materials Science was established in the Faculty of Engineering. The Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Electronic Engineering were reorganized into the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The Department of Applied Chemistry and the Department of Environmental Chemical Engineering were reorganized into the Department of Applied Chemistry. |
| The Information and Computer Sciences Program was established in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering. | ||
| 1993 | April | In the Faculty of Engineering, the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Second Mechanical Engineering were reorganized into the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The Department of Foundation Engineering and the Department of Civil Engineering were reorganized into the Department of Civil Engineering. |
| 1994 | April | The Information and Mathematical Sciences Program was established in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering. |
| June | The Cooperative Research Center, Saitama University, was established. | |
| The preparation office of the Institute for Policy Science Education and Research (tentatively named) was set up at Saitama University. | ||
| September | The Japan Foundation was established. | |
| 1995 | April | The Faculty of Science was reorganized to include the Department of Mathematics, the Department of Physics, the Department of Basic Chemistry, the Department of Molecular Biology, and the Department of Regulatory Biology. In the Faculty of Engineering, the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Department of Information and Computer Sciences were reorganized into the Department of Electrical and Electronic Systems and the Department of Information Systems Engineering. |
| The Environmental Control Engineering Program (an independent program) was established in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering. | ||
| 1996 | April | The Functional Materials Science Program was established in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering. |
| In the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, the Electrical Engineering Program, the Electronic Engineering Program, the Applied Chemistry Program, and the Environmental Chemical Engineering Program were renamed as the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Program and the Applied Chemistry Program. | ||
| 1997 | April | The International Student Center was established. |
| In the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, the Mechanical Engineering Program and the Second Mechanical Engineering Program were renamed as the Mechanical Engineering Program. The foundation Engineering Program and the Civil Engineering Program were renamed as the Civil and Environmental Engineering Program. | ||
| 1999 | April | In the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, the Chemistry Program, the Biochemistry Program, the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Program, and the Information and Computer Sciences Program were renamed as the Basic Chemistry Program, the Molecular Biology Program, the Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering Program, and the Information Systems Engineering Program. |
| November | A ceremony was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of Saitama University. (The book of 50-year history was published; the university chapter was formulated; the ceremony overture was composed; the anniversary monument was built.) | |
| 2001 | April | The Geoscience Observation Laboratory in the Faculty of Education and the Geohydrological Research Facility in the Faculty of Engineering were reorganized to establish the Geosphere Research Institute of Saitama University. |
| October | The Research Center for the 21st Century was established. | |
| 2002 | April | The Environmental Science and Technology Program, Doctoral Course, was established in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering. |
| 2003 | April | The Comprehensive Analysis Center for Science was established (by integrating the Analysis Center, the Isotope Laboratory, and the Animal Test Laboratory of the Faculty of Science). |
| 2004 | April | The Institute for Education and Student Services, the Research Center for the 21st Century, and the Center for Research and Education in Program Evaluation were established. |
| October | The Center for Information Technology was established (to set up the Library and the Information Media Center by reorganizing the existing Information Processing Center). | |
| 2005 | January | The Research and Development Bureau was established (to establish the Council, the Intellectual Property Department, the Comprehensive Analysis Center for Science, and the Cooperative Research Center). |
| 2006 | April | The Graduate School of Science and Engineering was reorganized (to separate it into the Research Department and the Education Department to focus more on graduate schools). |
| July | The International Exchange Center was established. | |
| 2008 | April | The Department of Environmental Symbiosis was established in the Faculty of Engineering. |
| 2009 | January | The Brain Science Research Center was established in the Comprehensive Research Organization. |
| April | The Environmental Science Research Center was established in the Comprehensive Research Organization. | |
| 2012 | April | “Collaborative Research Division” changed to “Collaborative Advanced Research Division” in the Research Department |
| 2014 | April | Strategic Research and Development Division was established. |
| 2018 | April | The departments in undergraduate School of Engineering was reorganized into five departments. |