The Diverse and Integrative Nature of Product Design Curriculum (II): An Example based on a Comparative Study on Sample Universities in Asia and Europe

The current study aimed to clarify the fundamental similarities and differences in diverse and integrative learning of professional education at undergraduate level between Japanese and overseas universities. A comparative study was done through a collection of the product design curriculums from 25 sample universities in Japan, Korea, China, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. From the study, university and industry in Japan appeared to adopt different roles in the education of undergraduates as compared to the oversea samples. Secondly, the Japanese and Korean samples seemed to favor a more diverse and flexible study of professional education. While the European and Chinese samples seemed to favor a more rigid curriculum structure. Thirdly, two general frameworks for integrative learning of professional education content seemed to be adopted among the sample universities.