Graduate School Overview

Students in the Master's and Doctoral Courses can obtain the following degrees.

Degrees Offered in the Graduate School

Academic Year

Entrance: Students can enter the ICU Graduate School in April or September. For more details, please see the Applying page.
Completion: There are two graduations per year, in March and June. Students time their graduation to match their career options such as study abroad and employment.
Trimester system: The academic year is divided into the Spring, Autumn, and Winter terms, and courses are designed to be completed on a term-by-term basis.

Classes

Each course period is 70 minutes. The number of academic credits assigned to a course corresponds to the number of classroom periods per week, with the exception of laboratory hours.

Language of Instruction

ICU offers students both courses taught in Japanese and courses taught in English. Students can choose their courses in accordance with their needs and interests. Japanese students and non-Japanese students can improve their language skills in English and Japanese by participating in courses together. Japanese language programs for international students and English language courses to acquire the English skills essential for research are also provided.

In the Public Policy and Social Research Program, it is possible to complete the Master's degree by taking only classes in English.

Graduate School School-Wide Course

The Graduate School has introduced the following school-wide interdisciplinary courses that provide fundamental knowledge and build proficiency in academic writing, computing, and field research techniques. To improve their skills in research methodology, academic writing and presentations, all Master's Course students are required to take at least one of these courses, preferably during their first year of studies.

Course Title: Field Research and Professional Learning

This course provides students with opportunities and skills to link their fields of interest or specialization to personal and professional life outside the university, with the expectation that these links will provide enhanced academic motivation and new perspectives on learning and work. In this course students will be encouraged to find a way to make contributions to society by performing internship/service in sites related to their respective fields of specialization. Students will share their experiences and findings in class and learn to communicate effectively with people in different fields. Students provide services at NPOs/NGOs, Governmental organization, International organization, museums, schools, and companies.

Course Title: Writing for Researchers (English)

This course will help graduate students successfully engage in the research publication requirements of their chosen disciplines. Students will learn about the aspects of professional writing that are common to most academic fields. These will include reader expectations, required content, information ordering, logical aspects of argumentation in writing, data commentary, and qualification of claims. In addition, students will analyze examples of writing to identify discipline specific models of style, content and format. Students will be given writing assignments to practice and apply what they learn in the course.

Course Title: Writing for Researchers (Japanese)

This course will 1) explain the structure of academic writing including the formats and styles commonly used in Japan and 2) allow the students to choose the specific theme, write the paper, and receive feedback on corrections, deletions and additions, in order to learn how to write an academic paper in Japanese.

Course Title: Data Analysis for Researchers

This course will help graduate students from many academic fields develop computing skills for research. Students will learn computing techniques and basic tools for data processing, statistical analysis, charting, graphing, as well as the TeX/LaTeX software for typesetting research articles in professional style.

Follow the links below to view our curriculum and syllabi.

• List of Courses (from the menu on the left side, select "Graduate School Courses")
• Syllabi (select "English" / under "Major," select "Graduate School Courses")

Master's Course

• The research topic must be set out clearly.
• The research methods must be stated in concrete terms.
• Previous research must be adequately understood and examined, and the position where the dissertation author's research is situated academically must be made explicit.
• Sources must be cited appropriately.
• The content of the thesis must include a unique perspective.

Doctoral Course

• The research topic must be set out clearly.
• The research methods must be stated in concrete terms.
• Previous research must be adequately understood and examined, and the position where the dissertation author's research is situated academically must be made explicit.
• The content of the research must be described clearly and logically.
• Sources must be cited appropriately.
• The content of the dissertation must be innovative, and the dissertation must contribute new knowledge to the field of study and society.

Right after World War II, a group of Christian educators in Japan and their supporters in the United States began fund-raising efforts with the hope of establishing a university based on Christian principles. ICU was established in April 1953 as the first liberal arts college in Japan. From its inception, ICU planned to place emphasis on graduate education, and established a graduate division of Education in April 1957; Public Administration in 1963; Comparative Culture in 1976; and Natural Sciences in 1987. In April 2010, with a view to advancing interdisciplinary education, these four graduate divisions were united and regenerated as the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

As a liberal arts college, ICU places the utmost importance on dialogue between faculty and students. Our approach revolves around sharing information concerning "who thinks about what subject matter and how he/she thinks" with one another and generating new ideas through dialogue. This approach reflects our faculty members' strong awareness that they should respect students as individuals and strive to bring out the potential of the students.

Students and faculty members from various countries come together on campus in an academic environment where they can accept and respect one another's "differences," and students grow into individuals who can make the world their stage.

By assisting a class as teaching assistants (TAs), graduate students can learn pedagogical methods directly from faculty members while earning remuneration. The TA system provides graduate students with financial support for their research activities and contributes to enriching and maintaining meticulous undergraduate education at ICU.