Sunrise University's Gundam Degree Program!

[Nozomi]

(Note: Before we begin here, let me tell you the quick story of how this idea came to be. I was reading an article about the fall of Bandai Entertainment (North American division of Bandai Japan) from earlier this year. Some random commenter on the article said:
"What Bandai should have done was show American kids, Gundam X because 1.) It's an alternate series and thus more easily digestible than getting your degree in UC with six different programs..." At the mention of "degree in UC", I had quite the hearty laugh about such an idea... AND THEN I realized that I ALMOST have one myself! So, without further ado...)

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Anime watchers and fans of all ages! Sunrise University is proud to open its doors and present its first-ever degree program, Gundam Arts!

There are four degrees available to attain:

I. Bachelor of Gundam Arts-History of the Universal Century
II. Bachelor of Gundam Arts-History of Alternate Universes
III. Master of Gundam Arts
IV. Doctorate of Philosophy in Gundam Arts

Completion of the BGA-HUC Degree requires watching the following series (hereby referred to as "courses"):

HUC 101: Intro to Gundam (Mobile Suit Gundam 0079)
HUC 102: Newtype Theory I (Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy)
HUC 103: Mass Production in Warfare (Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team)
HUC 111: War and Space Colony Society (Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket)
HUC 112: Mobile Suit Design I (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory)
HUC 201: Newtype Theory II (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam)
HUC 202: Mobile Suit Design II (Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ)
HUC 251: Newtype Theory III (Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack)
HUC 254*: Advanced Mobile Suit Design and Newtype Theory (Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn)
HUC 301: Growth of Aristocracy (Mobile Suit Gundam F91)
HUC 401: Decay of Aristocracy (Mobile Suit V Gundam)

*-Under construction

Please note that the courses need not be taken in linear order for completion of the degree; however, it is highly recommended for incoming freshmen to use this method.

Completion of the BGA-HAU Degree requires the following courses:

HAU 101: The Gundam in Competitive Sport (Mobile Fighter G Gundam)
HAU 151: The Gundam in Teamwork Settings (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)
HAU 152: The Gundam in Peacetime (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz)
HAU 155: The Gundam in Post-Apocalyptic Times (After War Gundam X)
HAU 201: The Gundam in Interplanetary Conflict(Turn A Gundam)
HAU 301: Alternate Newtype Theory I (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED)
HAU 302: Alternate Newtype Theory II(Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny)
HAU 303: The Gundam in Chaos (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer)
HAU 305*: TBD (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Movie)
HAU 401: The Gundam in Our Time I (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)
HAU 402: The Gundam in Our Time II (Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer)
HAU 451*: The Gundam Through The Generations (Mobile Suit Gundam AGE)

*-Under construction

Completion of the MGA Degree requires completion of both BGA Degree Programs.

Completion of the PhD in Gundam Arts requires completion of the MGA Degree, as well as all requiring texts (manga that have yet to be turned into anime or likely never will be turned into anime) supporting the coursework from the previous degree programs.

Best of luck to all prospective anime watchers and Gundam fans out there! We do hope that you will learn many great things with your investments here at Sunrise University.

[SilverToast]

oh man I need to work on getting the universal century degree.
I think Master Asia and the 5 gundam wing pilots would teach philosophy.

[Vilo159]

Is there any senior thesis requirement on any of those degrees?

[Raleford]

Wow, that really is about the amount of time as mainstream degree... but a little more entertaining.

[Nozomi]

Ace--I think once you start on the BGA-HUC, you'll get a better idea of who else would be able to teach philosophy.

Vilo--there is no thesis requirement on any of the degrees. I was thinking about that, but writing essays on material that are already essays (in a way) seems a bit... well, to quote Walt Disney, "You can't top pigs with pigs."

Raleford--Yeah, my HUC degree is going to take me about 3 years to finish. If Gundam Unicorn finishes December of next year, my completion date is January 2014 (I started in January 2011). What's great about that HAU degree is that you can complete it while waiting to complete the HUC!

[Xeno]

So with the exception of needing Unicorn to finish, I'll have my HUC done in about a month and a half, my HAU will take a bit longer but is definitely in the works as I have the basic courses already completed.

[SilverToast]

Ace--I think once you start on the BGA-HUC, you'll get a better idea of who else would be able to teach philosophy.

I actually did start recently on UC with Gundam 0079. I finished it and I just need to get around to watching Gundam 0080. How is it like?

Anyways I think building a gundam would require doctorate programs for most fields of engineering(e.g mechanical, computer, chemical, metalurgical, etc.)

[Davidizer13]

I actually did start recently on UC with Gundam 0079. I finished it and I just need to get around to watching Gundam 0080. How is it like?

0080 is amazing, probably the best Gundam I've seen so far. It's quite a bit different from the other series, mostly pushing the mecha action and politics to the side in favor of a deep human drama. More than anything, it plays out like an old-style war movie, say, The Great Escape, and goes into a lot of the same themes.

[Nozomi]

I was not a fan of 0080. It hit way too close to home for me, because when I was 10-12 years old, I was very much into planes and weapons and warfare.

Instead, I prefer Gundam Unicorn; it is by far the best Gundam I've seen so far. Very interesting mecha designs, a plot that keeps you on your toes, and great character development, despite it being a 7-episode OVA. And, since I've been watching the UC series in timeline order (as opposed to production order), it makes for a really solid culmination of the war/peace philosophies and newtype theories prevalent throughout the multi-series story.

You might want to watch 08th MS Team before you head into 0080 though, because the former is still set in the year UC 0079.

Xeno--Excellent! Keep it up!

Ace--Few engineers spring for doctorates these days; so you don't go with one or a few engineers. You go with whole FIRMS of engineers and scientists.

[Crossfire]

Nothing regarding the art of Gunpla? For shame.

[Nozomi]

Nothing regarding the art of Gunpla? For shame.

If you'd like to submit a separate degree program for Gunpla, I'm sure the University would be open to negotiations about it. Gunpla was not initially included because it's almost a separate hobby which, while it supports core material, is not watching/reading material itself, as the anime and manga series are.