The School Education Act that defines the foundation of the school education system, stipulates the aim of graduate schools as follows: “The purposes of graduate schools shall be to teach and research academic theories and their applications, thoroughly pursue their depths, foster in-depth scholarship and outstanding capabilities to lead future professions that require high expertise, and thereby contribute to further progress in culture.” This means that the development of future researchers is no longer a sufficient goal for graduate school education and that graduate schools are required to offer the faculty and curriculum that cater to the needs of high-caliber professional workers.
Then, what should we do to thoroughly pursue the depth of theories, foster in-depth knowledge and outstanding capabilities, and contribute to further progress in culture? In fact, the difference between undergraduate and graduate students lies in this point. While undergraduate students are those who learn through guidance, graduate students are those who think and learn by themselves. In short, graduate students are required to maintain a spontaneous approach, such as making a research plan and looking for and learning the required literature and materials on their own. Needless to say, faculty members are required to give proper research guidance to graduate students, such as giving them appropriate advice and sharing their own empirical knowledge with them. On the other hand, I anticipate graduate students to become avid seekers who actively tap into and incorporate the knowledge and experience of those faculty members. In an effort to facilitate such pursuits by students, the Graduate School of Political Science and Economics offers a variety of curricula and support programs.
Currently, the Graduate School offers two majors: political science and economics. Moreover, each of the two major programs is divided into a Research Development Course and a Professional Course. The Researcher Development Course encourages students to obtain a master’s or doctoral degree in political science or economics and aims to foster competent researchers who can contribute to the domestic and global academic worlds under a continuous research guidance system that continues from the master’s through to the doctoral courses. The Professional Course aims to develop high-caliber professionals who can fully cater to the needs of the complicated modern society by offering a diversity of subjects in related sciences, including economics and sociology.
Other features of the Graduate School include lectures in English, a system where undergraduates can take subjects offered in the graduate school in advance in that the credits earned by taking graduate school subjects in the fourth year in the School of Political Science and Economics can be certified as part of the credits required for the completion of the Master’s course, shortening of time required for the completion of the master’s program according to a system where, under certain conditions, students can obtain the master’s degree in one year as opposed to the generally required two years, special entrance examination for working people to meet the needs for lifelong education, and the provision of evening classes.
The Graduate School’s curriculum features the division of each major program by category: Theory, History & History of Thought, Public Administration, and Sociology in the political science major and Theory, History and History of Thought, Economic Policy, international Economics, and Regional & Environment studies in the economics major. This system enables a clear definition of the specialty area of faculty in charge of subjects offered in each category, which in turn facilitates not only the selection of course subjects and creation of research plans by graduate students, but also the provision of accurate guidelines for research by the faculty.
Meiji University upholds the concept of “strengthen each individual” as its slogan. The Graduate School of Political Science and Economics also continues its ongoing efforts to improve the research environment to provide the best environment for its graduate students. However, as we all know, although we can provide the “hardware” to “strengthen each individual,” but it is the students who must become “strong.” To this end, they must be able to think, make plans, and search and read the literature on their own. Above all, we want you to adopt such an active and bold attitude as enables you to absorb all the knowledge and experience of faculty. We look forward to seeing you grow into such graduate students.
OGO, Osamu
