Public Policy

The Graduate School of Public Policy is pleased to announce that the doctoral program has launched from AY2016. The main research areas of the doctoral program are International Finance and Development, and International Security. The program aims to nurture highly skilled researchers in law and politics and economics. In addition, it aims to foster cross-cutting, multidisciplinary and practical skills for policy-making.

Globalization and major changes in the global environment are presenting modern society with increasingly diverse and complex challenges. Dealing with these challenges demands an advanced skillset—the ability to identify quickly and accurately the key issues from amidst complex phenomena, to apply sophisticated research skills to establish the relevant questions, and to synthesize expert knowledge from various fields to create a set of options for solutions. A choice must then be made from amongst the option set while building social consensus around that choice through communication, and the chosen option implemented expeditiously with an international perspective. Given this new level of complexity and diversity, it is hardly surprising that a growing ratio of international institution and government policy practitioners are doctorate-holders.

Responding to these social demands, our doctoral program trains students in the advanced research skills necessary to develop original questions from their research, construct and assess potential solutions that synthesize expert knowledge from various disciplines, and move these solutions quickly into practice with an international perspective, communicating with diverse stakeholders. Our graduates are policy professionals superbly equipped to handle specialist tasks and take the lead in core areas of society—whether they are leading policy development on diverse and complex social issues critical to state operation, representing the government in difficult international negotiations, leading international discussion at international organizations and research institutions, leading major multinational corporate projects that stimulate industry, or effecting social transformation as social entrepreneurs.

The program focuses on international finance and development and international security as areas where these social demands are particularly strong and where there is a need for close international partnership.

In order to complete the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP), you must be enrolled for 3 years and earn 20 course credits or more. In addition, you must complete the doctorate thesis supervised by one of the GraSPP professors.

Required courses (10 credits)

Elective courses (minimum of 10 credits)

International Finance and Development (Economics)

International Finance and Development (Politics)

International Finance and Development (Law)

International Finance and Development (interdisciplinary)

International Security (Politics)

International Security (Law)

International Security (Economics)

International Security (interdisciplinary)

International Practical Research

※Courses offered in Japanese

• Master’s thesis or its equivalent
• Foundation of specialized knowledge of either Law and Politics or Economics at master level
• TOEFL 
• Letters of reference
• Certificate of Graduation
• Examination fee will be JPY30,000
• Admission fee ¥282,000