OpenFieldKobe Design University (Kobe DU) is a specialized higher education institution dedicated entirely to comprehensive design education and research, situated in Kobe—a designated UNESCO City of Design in Hyogo Prefecture. Founded in 1989, Kobe DU operates across seven specialized design departments: Product and Interior Design, Visual Design, Manga and Comic Art, Media Arts and Animation, Fashion and Textile Design, Architecture and Environmental Design, and Visual Communication, fostering creative practitioners who blend Japanese artisanal sensibility with advanced digital technologies.
Review checked academic pathways and funding options below:
Institutional tuition waiver reducing tuition by 30% for all international students admitted to undergraduate and graduate programs at Kobe Design University.
Two-year master's program exploring cross-disciplinary design methodologies: digital fabrication, human-centred interaction design, generative media art, and sustainable lifestyle products.
Four-year comprehensive curriculum mastering visual storyboarding, character design, scriptwriting, digital panel coloring, and commercial serialization techniques.
Four-year bachelor's degree training industrial product creators in consumer electronics, future micro-mobility concepts, sustainable furniture, and medical device ergonomics.
Two-year postgraduate credential examining wood tectonic architecture, mountain-to-sea coastal ecological corridors, and disaster-preventive urban spatial planning in Kansai.
Three-month creative residency offering studio facilities, digital media labs, and a solo exhibition at the Kobe Design University Art Gallery.
Six-week intensive studio examining keyframe timing, layout composition, voice-over sound sync, and digital compositing in CLIP STUDIO PAINT and After Effects.
Tuition for undergraduate and graduate design programs is approximately ¥1,350,000 to ¥1,550,000 JPY per academic year (with an initial admission fee of ¥250,000 JPY). Kobe DU provides an International Student Tuition Exemption granting a 30% discount on tuition for all privately funded overseas students holding a college student visa.
Distinguished researchers and laboratory heads at Kobe Design University:
President and Professor of Environmental Architecture and Children's Environments · Architectural Play Structures, Children's Environmental Design, Sustainable Public Architecture, Biophilic Urban Spaces
Professor of Manga and Sequential Narrative Art · Manga Storytelling Architecture, Character Prototyping, Digital Comic Publishing, Graphic Narrative Semiotics
Professor of Industrial Product and Transportation Design · Universal Product Design, Future Mobility Systems, Sensory Ergonomics, Eco-Materials in Manufacturing
Facts reflect official Kobe Design University documentation reviewed 2026-10-15. Degree admissions, scholarship awards, and employment positions are subject to formal university review. OpenField does not charge students application fees.
Reviewed 2026-10-15 · Editorial standards · Report an issue