HISTORY
Seisen University traces its roots back to 1935 when Seisen-ryo Gakuen was founded in Azabu, Tokyo, by the religious congregation of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the purpose of providing higher education for high school graduate girls. This congregation of sisters was originally founded by Rafaela Maria Porras born in the middle of the 19th Century in Spain. As a result of her intense religious experience at the young age of seven she dedicated her life to caring for the needy in society and subsequently founded the congregation. Following her death, the congregation has spread her work throughout the world encompassing 140 convents in 20 countries in which it is dedicated to serving needy people and promoting women's education. In 1977, the Catholic Church recognized her life's depth and dedication by declaring her a saint.
In 1950, the University, then located in Yokosuka City, was formally established as a women's college with university status consisting of two departments: English Literature and Japanese Literature. The English Language Institute, a two-year course of study outside the college program was established in 1953. It consisted of a specially-designed English language program including general education subjects.
To meet the demands of increasing expansion, the University moved to its present location in Tokyo in 1962. A year later the Department of Christian Cultural Studies was established. In 1978 the Research Institute for Cultural Studies was established to promote humanistic studies. A second research institute, the Research Institute for Christian Culture, was established in 1992 to further the study of Christian philosophy and culture in terms of the University's educational philosophy.
In 1993 the University saw a number of major developments to meet the demands of modern society including the restructuring of the Department of Christian Culture into the Department of Cultural History, and the establishment of the new Graduate School of Humanities with a master's degree program in language and culture. The following year another master's program in thought and culture was begun. A doctoral program in the related humanities was added in 1996. In 2001, the Department of Global Citizenship Studies was established, offering innovative programs to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The International Center and the Catholic Center opend in 2003 to provide various services and programs.
Seisen University is committed to progressive and quality education, keeping pace with the times.