A "KOSEN (National Institute of Technology, Japan)" is the translated Japanese word used to describe the kōsen educational Japanese college system, a variety of programmes of 5 years of study at a collegiate level.
The kōtō-senmon-gakkō (高等専門学校), often abbreviated to "KOSEN" (高専) are attended by students 15 years old or older.
Most of the institutions are technical schools, each with an enrollment of about 200 students per grade, focusing on engineering and mercantile marine studies.
There are a total of 63 colleges of technology in Japan, of which 55 are national, five are public (established by local government) and three are private.
The colleges of technology were established starting in 1962 to respond to a need for well-trained manpower in the rapidly growing industrial sector.
Several colleges of technology have developed their own advanced programmes (専攻科) which are one to two years in length.