Nagasaki University is a national university in Nagasaki City, Japan, established in 1949 by bringing together several earlier institutions. Its medical roots reach back to 12 November 1857, when the Dutch naval physician Pompe van Meerdervoort began medical training at the Nagasaki magistrate’s office, and the medical college was heavily damaged in the atomic bombing of 1945. The university became a national university corporation in 2004.
Teaching is organised in schools and faculties that include Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Education, Engineering, Economics, Environmental Studies and Information and Data Sciences. Engineering opened in 1966, Dentistry in 1979, Environmental Studies in 1997 and Information and Data Sciences in 2020. Research bodies include the Institute of Tropical Medicine, known as NEKKEN, and the Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, which reflect the history of the city.
The campuses lie in different parts of Nagasaki City: Bunkyo, which houses several faculties including Education, Engineering and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sakamoto for Medicine and Dentistry, and Katafuchi for Economics. The university states that its contributions include developing innovative science for world peace, and its directory profile lists fisheries science, marine engineering and environmental science among its main specialties.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Leading institution for tropical medicine and radiation effects research. Strong in fisheries science.
Research:
Tropical diseases & Global health, Radiation biology & Risk management, Marine resources & Aquaculture, Sustainable energy & Environmental engineering.
Famous Alumnis:
Takashi Nagai
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2000
Current students***:
9000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Unique expertise in tropical medicine and radiation effects, strong fisheries science, important historical context.
Cons
Primary strength in medicine, engineering faculties are smaller.
Best For
National university renowned for medicine, with strong programs in fisheries, environmental science, and engineering.
Kumamoto University, on the island of Kyushu like Nagasaki, lists engineering (mechanical, electrical, materials) among its main fields.
Hiroshima University shares an engineering and applied biological sciences profile, and is located in the other city struck by an atomic bomb.
Kobe University is a port-city institution whose specialties include maritime sciences and engineering.
Yamaguchi University offers engineering in mechanical, electrical, applied chemistry and civil fields, together with sciences.
Okayama University combines engineering with life sciences and biotechnology, a broad national-university profile.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
James Cook University (Australia) pairs medicine and dentistry with marine biology, echoing Nagasaki's medical, dental and fisheries schools.
In the United Kingdom, University of Southampton teaches engineering and ocean and earth science, comparable to the engineering and marine strands in Nagasaki.
University of Bergen, Norway, is known in the directory for marine science and climate research.
Canada's Dalhousie University lists ocean studies and health professions among its main specialties, a pairing close to Nagasaki's sea and medicine focus.
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (Germany) is a port-city university with marine sciences as a leading specialty.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When was Nagasaki University founded?
The university was established in 1949 by bringing together earlier national institutions. Its medical training goes back to 1857, when medical teaching began in Nagasaki under Pompe van Meerdervoort.
Which campuses does the university use?
It has three main campuses in Nagasaki City. Bunkyo is the main site for several faculties, Sakamoto hosts Medicine and Dentistry, and Katafuchi hosts Economics.
What can students study there?
Faculties and schools cover Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Education, Engineering, Economics, Environmental Studies and Information and Data Sciences. The latter was opened in 2020, and Engineering has existed since 1966.
What links the university to the atomic bombing?
The medical college was heavily damaged by the atomic bomb in 1945. The university also includes the Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, which is part of its research structure.
Does Nagasaki University work on tropical diseases?
Yes, its Institute of Tropical Medicine, known as NEKKEN, is one of its research institutes. The university also has a School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, established in 2015.
What is the university's legal status?
It is a national university, and since 2004 it has operated as a national university corporation. Tuition and admission details are published on the official English website.
Aquaculture, Marine Ecosystems, Marine Life Impact, Medical, Sustainable Practices
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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