The Faculty of Science consists of Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Mathematics, and Department of Life Science. The Faculty was established in 1949, with two Departments, Physics and Chemistry, as a successor to the Science Course of pre-war Gakushuin High School (a college). The basic plan was laid by Dr. Koji Sato, a leading experimental physicist in acoustics, who emphasized free thinking and tried hard to build up an ideal place for creative minds who would bridge the gap then prevailing between science and engineering in Japan. The third Department, Mathematics, was added in 1963. The Graduate School of Science with the corresponding three graduate departments, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, was started following the completion of undergraduate departments. The Institute for Biomolecular Science was inaugurated in 1991. The addition of this Institute has broaden the field of research in the Faculty. The fourth department, Life Science, was added in 2009.

The faculty is of relatively small size. The number of students admitted in each year is 210 (48 each for physics and life science, 54 for chemistry and 60 for mathematics). We have 34 faculty members and 34 research associates. Due to this small student /staff ratio students and teachers can keep close relation to each other. This is most evident in experimental laboratories, drill courses, and seminar style courses, which occupy considerable portion of the curriculum up to the third (junior) year. It is our policy to keep this person-to-person style education as far as possible. To help this, many graduate students take part in undergraduate education as research assistants. In the fourth (senior) year students are engaged in research activities under the guidance of a professor of their choice and strive for their BS. This is the time when students make the greatest progress towards maturity.
"Think with your own brain, make experiment with your own hands, and then confirm with your own eyes" is our guiding principle.

A considerable part of the graduates of the Faculty prefer to continue their study in the Graduate School. Others, and many of those who finish the first two year course of the Graduate School, take their jobs in the industry and other businesses, and in the education. Some stay further in the Graduate School to strive for a Doctorate and continue their career in universities and other research oriented organizations. In all, the graduates of this Faculty and the Graduate School have good potential of becoming leaders in each field.

Graduate School of Science consisits of three graduate departments, each corresponding to three departments in the Faculty of Science: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

In our system, which follows a typical one in Japan, the graduate course is divided into two: the first two years for a Master's Degree (informally called the master course) and the following three years for a Doctor's Degree (the doctor course). A student who wishes to proceed to the doctor course is required to finish the master course and obtain a Master's Degree before applying for the admission to the doctor course. A student who obtained a Master's Degree from another university (or has an equivalent qualification) can apply for the admission to the doctor course. In the doctor course it takes normally three years for a student to complete his thesis, but a very good student can obtain a doctorate and finish the course in a shorter period.

Our graduate program aims at developing student's capability as scientists and researchers who can meet flexibily various demands of applied and basic research in industry and universities, and demands of education in schools and universities.

Upon admission to the master course, while advancing their basic knowledge and ability by attending courses, students start their graduate program under the guidance of their advisors. In the field of experimental research, students join the research groups of their advisors and begin to participate in the research activities of the group. These research group include those at Institute of Biomolecular Science in the Faculty of Science. Opportunities are also provided to do research under the guidance of some scientists in other research institutes, such as the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Kobayashi Institute of Physical Research and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science. In some part of theoretical physics and mathematics contacts with advisors are mainly through seminars and discussions and students may pursue their own subjects.

To obtain a Master's Degree one has to submit a master's thesis which must demonstrates candidate's capability as a research worker. After an oral test a degree of Master of Science is conferred at the end of the second year. At this point many students leave the university and take their jobs in industry, in particular in research and development branches in large manufacturing firms, and in school education. In fact, it is one of our aims to train and supply these researchers to industry.

Those who are admitted to the doctor course engage in intensive research activities and will possibly become leading young members of their research group. Submission of a thesis based on a successful research achievement will lead to the conferment of a degree of Doctor of Science. Those who cannot complete a thesis within three years can stay up to two more years and submit a thesis after that period.

The members of the faculty of the Graduate School of Science, common to that of the Faculty of Science, will be listed below with the field of research of each member.