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Hokkaido Information University (HIU) (北海道情報大学, Hokkaidō Jōhō Daigaku) is a private university in the city of Ebetsu, Hokkaidō, Japan, about 20 kilometers away from Sapporo.

The institution started with a focus on basic computer education. Currently, its curriculum has robustly expanded to include various aspects of information science, including data science, artificial intelligence, and network technologies.

Over the years, the university has maintained its commitment to innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and to offering practical, personalized, hands-on experience, with the aim of preparing its graduates to prosper in a workforce that is ever-increasingly integrated with information technology.

History

Hokkaido Information University has its roots in a group of information-technology-focused technical colleges that began in April 1968 under the auspices of Saburo Matsuo (PhD, engineering, Kyoto University), whose vision was to promote computer literacy in Japanese higher education.

Dr. Matsuo specialized in radio wave engineering and wireless communication at the Japanese Ministry of Communications, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), and Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc. Matsuo anticipated the widespread adoption of computers and information technology in Japanese daily life, and the need to foster computer literacy to accommodate the needs of a changing workforce. In 1968, Matsuo founded 電子開発学園 (Denshi Kaihatsu Gakuen, or the Electronics Development Computer College), a group of technical schools across Japan with a focus on information technology.

In 1989, Hokkaido Information University (HIU) opened in Ebetsu, Hokkaido, as the flagship of this group of colleges. Today, the university, the group of ten affiliated technical colleges, and three affiliated research institutes collectively form the eDC Group, headquartered in Nakano, Tokyo. The eDC Group, and its individual constituent entities, are still sometimes referred to by the older Japanese moniker, Denshi Kaihatsu Gakuen.^[1]

Hokkaido Information University is recognized as the first university in Japan to offer accredited degrees via a distance-based learning program. Through its Distance Learning Department, established in 1994, it is able to offer both in-person and remote classes. Originally, remote lectures were broadcast via satellite link, but switched to dedicated terrestrial lines in 2008. The university's well established distance education program via continues to be one of its strengths, with more than 60 percent of its students enrolled through its Distance Learning Department.

Academic Structure

Faculty of Business Administration and Information Science
- Department of Business and Information Systems
- Department of Systems and Informatics
Faculty of Medical Informatics
- Department of Medical Management and Informatics
Faculty of Information Media
- Department of Information Media
Graduate School
- Master's Degree in Business Administration and Information Science
School of Distance Learning
- Department of Management and Information Networks
- Department of Systems and Informatics.

Affiliations

Hokkaido Information University is one component of the Electronics Development Company (eDC) Group, which consists of:

(1) Hokkaido Information University (HIU) is a private four-year university with a specialization in information technology.

(2) Software Consultant Corporation (SCC) develops software for businesses and education.

(3) Space Engineering Development (SED) Inc. supports Japan-based rocket-launch and space station-related activities.

(4) Hokkaido Institute of Information Technology (HiiT) is a research center adjacent to HIU, involved with satellite-based communications networking and the development of multimedia systems.

(5) Electronics Development Computer College(s) (EDC) consist of ten IT-focused technical colleges across Japan (original English names in parentheses, followed by the year of their establishment):

HCS北海道情報専門学校 - Hokkaido College of Information Technology (Hokkaido Computer School, 1968)
JOHO新潟情報専門学校 - Niigata College of Information Technology (Niigata Computer School, 1970)
JOHO大阪情報専門学校 - Osaka College of Information Technology (Osaka Computer School, 1981)
JOHO広島情報専門学校 - Hiroshima College of Information Technology (Chugoku Computer School, 1991)
NCS名古屋情報メディア専門学校 - Nagoya College of Media and Information Technology (Nagoya Computer School, 1970)
NMIC名古屋医療情報専門学校 - Nagoya Medical Information College (1980)
KCS北九州情報専門学校 - KCS Kitakyushu College of Information Technology (Kyushu Computer School, 1982)
KCS福岡情報専門学校 - KCS Fukuoka College of Information Technology (Kyushu Computer School, 1969)
KCS大分情報専門学校 - KCS Oita College of Information Technology (Kyushu Computer School, 1985)
KCS鹿児島情報専門学校 - KCS Kagoshima College of Information Technology (Kyushu Computer School, 1984)

** Note: Acronyms in the Japanese titles of the technical colleges as well as the hyperlinks reflect the institutions' original English names (e.g. HCS = Hokkaido Computer School, NCS = Nagoya Computer School, KCS = Kyushu Computer School).

Accreditation

Hokkaido Information University is accredited by the Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) and by the Association for National University Accreditation (ANUA).