The oldest school of science and engineering of all the private universities in Japan, the Waseda School of Science and Engineering has sent more than 85,000 graduates out into the world since its establishment in 1908.

The school moved to its present campus (the Okubo campus) in the mid-1960s, in accordance with a five-year plan. The aim was to create an educational institution for the mass education of science and engineering students which was called for by the national policy of that time. This policy placed considerable emphasis on education in science and technology, while avoiding the pitfalls so often associated with the term "mass education". It was to be an experiment in scientific education, but also an experiment showing how best to nurture the human personality and the creativity of the individual student, bringing both to full bloom in a mass education environment.

Thirty years later, the capacity of the campus was extended with the new twin building for the enrichment of consecutive undergraduate-graduate education, as well as encouragement of joint research projects involving researchers outside the University. Every department, and the Advanced Research Center for Science and Engineering on this campus, continues to be the driving force of such research and educational activities.

The School consists of fourteen Departments and one Course: Mechanical Engineering; Electrical, Electronics & Computer Engineering; Resources & Environmental Engineering; Architecture; Applied Chemistry; Materials Science and Engineering; Electronics, Information & Communication Engineering; Industrial & Management Systems Engineering; Civil Engineering; Applied Physics; Mathematical Sciences; Physics; Chemistry; Information & Computer Science; and Multidisciplinary Studies.

Every year about 1800 students are admitted. Approximately 40 foreign students and Japanese students who have received at least part of their education abroad, are also admitted through separate examinations.

The Departments of Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Chemistry award the degree of Bachelor of Science; the other Departments (except Architecture and Information & Computer Science) award the degree of Bachelor of Engineering. The Department of Architecture awards the degree of Bachelor of Architecture and the Department of Information & Computer Science awards the degree of Bachelor of Information & Computer Science.

Nearly 55% of those graduating continue their studies in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, where they engage in theoretical and applied research in their fields of specialization on their chosen research themes.