The period starting from the end of the 1980s and continuing to the present has brought more than just a simple change in name from Showa (1926 – 1988) to Heisei (1988 - ); it has been a turning point in history worldwide, which has brought along globalization and the development of a high information society. Tama University was founded at the dawn of such an era. The founding principles of Tama University are well described in three keywords: internationality, interdisciplinarity, and practicality.

Internationality: Today, for the first time in history, Japan is being swayed by a wave of genuine globalization. With the understanding that it is imperative to foster human resources that can take an active role not only domestically but also internationally, we have made efforts to perfect our educational curriculum to meet such international needs.

Interdisciplinarity: In order to redress the harmful effects of excessive specialization, we have emphasized interdisciplinary research and education at Tama University. For example, we started the interdisciplinary field of Management and Information Sciences due to the fact that the development of management studies and information sciences are inseparable. The main characteristic of this department is that the faculty consists of specialists in management studies and information sciences coming from a wide range of expertise, and this helps to produce more fruitful research and educational endeavors in these fields.

Practicality: In response to the often heard criticism of universities being "ivory towers," Tama University strives to be a university that “holds true” in society. The harmony between practical forefront knowledge and academic research is indispensable, and to this end our faculty consists not only of those with academic careers but also of those who are at the forefront of achievement in the business world.

In order to fully embody these principles, various new plans have been set forth and put into practice. To illustrate this approach, Tama University has adopted the motto of becoming a "contemporary tutoring school," where teachers and students intimately communicate to create new knowledge and classes are conducted in small groups (in contrast to mass education) so as to produce men and women who can actively contribute to the future development of Japan. For example, in the undergraduate program we have instituted smaller, "seminar-oriented" courses in place of traditional, “lecture-oriented” courses. Furthermore, this interactive style of education is not only limited to the undergraduate program but extends to the graduate school and our "Workshop for CEOs in their Forties."
The parent body of Tama University is Tamura Gakuen, which has recognized the importance of education for both women and men in industry since 1937 and has carried out education based on practical science. Following the founders’ ambition toward creating such an educational institution, Tama University was established to create a stir in university education in the new era.