Multidisciplinary Education Programs

International Public Policy, a multidisciplinary Education Program at the doctoral level, is a joint program that integrates studies of economics, business administration and law. Tax Law and Accounting, another multidisciplinary Education Program at the doctoral level, is a joint program of business administration and law. These two programs are taught by the members of the YNU faculties, visiting international professors and experts who work for international organizations and other institutions. They provide education in which students are expected to play such an autonomous role as the role of organizing joint seminars with business communities inside and outside Japan, internships and field studies. Highly specialized professionals are developed with the holistic perspective and knowledge of society that are needed for the new era of globalization through integration of the fields of economics, business administration, law and political science and cooperation with business communities.

TED Program and PED Program

In terms of the credit-earning process, engineering-related specializations generally offer the TED Program and the PED Program as their Education Programs.

The TED Program is generally the traditional engineering Education Program. Students join a laboratory and pursue their studies while carrying out research activities. A Master’s thesis is submitted for the Master’s degree program and a doctoral dissertation is submitted for the doctoral degree program. The PED Program is a special Education Program offered by YNU. The units for coursework are divided into systematic modules comprising problem solving-style education in Studio with small group, high-level, project-based practicums, seminars, and workshops, lecture courses that are closely connected to Studio, and training at an internship. For the Master’s degree, instead of a Master’s thesis, students submit a portfolio of course work and project results for each module, and they submit a doctoral dissertation for their doctoral degree.

PSD Program and Science Program

In terms of the credit-earning process, science-related specializations offer the PSD Program and the Science Program as their Education Programs.

The PSD Program is an Education Program offered by Specialization in Chemistry and Specialization in Physics. In addition to learning in-depth physics, courses for practicing engineering components and presentation, communication, and discussion skills are offered and students are educated as future engineers and researchers. The Science Program is an Education Program provided by Specialization in Mathematical Sciences. Students acquire high-level mathematics knowledge and are fostered to develop a broad perspective in mathematics and related fields. For both programs, a Master’s thesis is submitted for the Master’s degree program and a doctoral dissertation is submitted for the doctoral degree program.

Adoption of a flexible credit-earning system

Students choose the specialist field they want to study and specialized courses for their research plan. In addition, there is a flexible system for students to take specialized courses to match personal objectives, so they are not restricted to one field of specialty and can freely take a variety of courses as needed for their own objectives.

Interdisciplinarity- and Practicality-oriented EIS Common Courses

The Graduate School offers a set of the common prerequisites called the EIS (Environment and Information Sciences) Literacy Courses that are oriented towards imparting interdisciplinary education and conducting research across the liberal arts and sciences. By participating in these courses, our students are expected to adopt a wide perspective on issues related to the environment, information, and society. The Graduate School also offers another set of common prerequisites that are referred to as the EIS Generic Skills Courses, which are designed to cultivate the general and practical knowledge and skills that highly specialized professionals are desired to possess. By being trained in the latter courses, our students can acquire the ability to communicate effectively with others in our highly globalized society, the ability to implement innovative activities, and the knowledge of professional methods useful for academics.

Educational design and educational interns

Educational Design (core course) is a seminar or workshop-based course with instruction based on free cooperation between the professor in charge of each student's core course and other professors. With guidance from the supervising faculty member, students set their own education plan and process such as class, grade, school, and community cooperation to match their own research objectives, methods, and specialist fields. In addition, students decide when to participate in the Educational Intern course to concretely test their abilities according to their own perception of objectives and methods. After that, to test what was learned in core courses in the actual teaching field and use that experience to bring research to the next level, students participate in the Educational Intern course (compulsory) in which they set objectives and issues to find solutions to in the field and endeavor to accomplish them while receiving guidance from their supervisor.

The only graduate school in Japan that trains architects: Y-GSA

Y-GSA, which was established in 2007, is the only graduate school in Japan that trains architects. This school uses a studio type education format and small classes to provide in-depth design education. Students take the Studio course run and supervised by one of six architects four times over two years, at a pace of once every semester, and must pass the course. Studio classes are held twice a week. Through in-depth, practical education and dialogue, students develop practical skills, an awareness of social issues, and a critical eye that can be applied around the world. Of the four studio classes, one can be made into an internship to practice real activities in an architectural design office in Japan or overseas. Upon completion, students present a portfolio based on the original data underlying the results of the four studio classes that is subject to review.

Guidance system that offers careful academic instructions over thesis and dissertation writing from multiple professors

The curriculum is systematically composed of core and non-core courses and enables each student to develop a firm grasp of basics of his/her special research field through coursework and to develop up-to-date, advanced specialist skills, problem-detecting skills, and problem-solving skills in small-size seminars. One characteristic of dissertation guidance in the doctoral program is that it employs a multiple supervisor system. One main supervisor and two sub supervisors provide intensive group guidance in the process of writing and presenting the two interim reports and of preparing for a preliminary defense prior to the final defense to ensure that the students can earn their degree in time.

Specialist Education Designed to Fit with Different Degree Types

The Graduate School comprises three departments, i.e., the Programs in Artificial Environment, Natural Environment, and Information Environment, and each of them offers three educational programs where students pursue degrees in the three corresponding fields of study. Each educational program offers core lecture courses, advanced lecture and seminar courses, and workshop courses. They are intended to enable our students to acquire the highly specialized knowledge and skills required in their individual fields of study. By combining the specialized education offered by each program and the practical training sessions conducted in the EIS common courses mentioned above, we successfully produce graduates who not only possess the knowledge and skills required for their own field of expertise, but can also approach problems from interdisciplinary and diverse perspectives.

Four categories of courses

Courses are divided into four categories as the horizontal axis: information-related courses, science-related courses, engineering-related courses, and practical (profession) courses. The information-related courses are compulsory for all students to develop professionals who will lead the super smart society and can be active on the global stage. In addition, to develop professionals who can build science-related industries in which people can create high value-added products, engineering students can also take science–rerated courses and science students can also take engineering–related courses. Through studies in practical courses, students can acquire the components needed to be active in society as an engineer or researcher.

Studio courses, Internship courses

In addition to classroom learning such as lectures and seminars, the school also actively uses Studio education in which students move around and complete works of art and surveys together amidst discussions. Students are developed into professionals with practical skills and advanced expertise through Studio education that offers practicums, seminars, and planning and design practice related to a specific field or region or for a clear practical question or topic set during the course. In addition, more practical education is also achieved with the Internship course based on projects and practical experience in cutting-edge workplaces such as regional or private companies.

Explore and integrate knowledge across disciplinary boundaries

The interfaculty graduate school does not have a pre-determined set curriculum. Students create their own study plan out of the course offerings in accordance with their research topics. They will then work to integrate the knowledge in their own research to create new knowledge.

College-wide common courses that foster integrated, international practical skills

In the Master’s Program, Graduate School-wide common courses for all three majors are offered to foster integrated, international practical skills. They include lectures on how to write academic papers in English and on presentation skills, workshops related to East Asia and South-East Asia, special lecture meetings, other workshops, etc.

Carefully Guided Academic Assistance under the Multiple Supervisor System

Although students’ thesis projects are primarily conducted under the guidance of their major supervisor, an advisory team comprising the chief supervisor and other professors is formed for each student. Such teams are called the Advisory Groups for the Master’s programs and the Advisory Committees for the Doctoral programs. By effectively utilizing this supervision system, students can receive from multiple academic perspectives the well thought-out supervision that leads them to become full-fledged researchers or high-level specialists.

Art and Culture Lab that integrate theory and practice: Y-GSC Studio

At Y-GSC Studio, which is an extension of the art and culture studies department (department related to literature, art, film, and music), students participate in two courses: (1) the Specialization in Architecture and Urban Culture course (field of art and culture) that helps students form their research into a Master's thesis and (2) the Specialization in Culture (Y-GSC) course that has students form a portfolio of their works of art and records of activities at YNU. All faculty members work together to supervise the two courses. Thus, for both courses, students can receive guidance from multiple professors at briefing sessions and feedback sessions for all Y-GSC Studio classes that are held regularly.

Degree and Certificate of Study

Students will be conferred a master’s degree (Master of Arts) upon satisfying the separately designated completion requirements in addition to submitting the master thesis with their findings on their research theme. In addition, they will be awarded the “Certificate of Study” of the research theme if they earn enough credits from the courses specified by the research theme. It is possible for students to obtain certificates on multiple research themes.

Education in English

In the Specialization in International Infrastructure (IGSI) and Specialization in Innovation doctoral program (doctorate in engineering), students can receive all their education in English. International students who wish to receive research guidance in English and Japanese students who wish to become active on an international scale can participate.

Adoption of the Qualifying Examination (QE) to screen basic capability for doctoral thesis research

The graduate school has established the Qualifying Examination (QE) to screen thesis research and basic skills, by setting up ‘Doctoral Dissertation Research Basic Skill Assessment Course’ for each one of three Master’s programs. In lieu of the Master’s thesis writing, students can complete their Master’s degree by passing the QE, thus providing flexible choices for graduation.

Three types of courses

Courses are divided into core courses, major courses, and specialized courses as the vertical axis. Core courses are courses that all Graduate School of Engineering Science students at Yokohama National University should take. Major courses are courses that all students in a particular department comprising multiple specializations should take. Specialized courses are courses that teach the theories of each specialization. For the PED Program, the Studio course is also a specialized course.