Kumamoto University has established education and research goals according to the spirit of the Basic Act on Education and the School Education Act, as described below.
 

[Page Top]		[Graduate School of Education]		[Graduate School of Social and Cultural Sciences]		[Graduate School of Science and Technology]
[Graduate School of Medical Sciences]		[Graduate School of Health Sciences]		[Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences]		[School of Law]

Kumamoto University’s graduate schools aim to contribute to the advancement of culture by teaching, studying and thoroughly investigating academic theory and application and by cultivating the profound knowledge and superior capabilities necessary to follow the profession for which a high degree of specialization is required.

The courses in the Graduate School of School of Education(Teacher Education) strive to create opportunities for students graduating from the faculty and incumbent teachers to stimulate one another, while following the cycle of theory and practice repeatedly, in order to enhance their skills as teachers, based on close relationships between the courses and schools and boards of education, and also to foster human resources who can lead primary and secondary education in the future (i.e. excellent new teachers or experienced teachers serving as core members in their organizations).
 

Name of Major			Aim
Graduate School of Teacher Education Course	Teacher Training Practice and Development Major	Advanced Course in Educational Practices	This course strives to foster teachers who have high-level skills for teaching classes, instructing students, and managing organizations, as well as their underlying research and development skills (especially skills for instructing students [including education related to mental and physical health], deep understanding and high-level qualities and capabilities regarding class management and school management), and who can lead and manage school reform.
		Advanced Course in School Subject Methods and Practices	This course strives to foster teachers who have high-level skills for teaching classes, instructing students, and managing organizations, as well as their underlying research and development skills (especially deep understanding and high-level qualities and capabilities regarding practices and development for subject education), who can contribute to enhancing the quality of school education, and who can lead and manage school reform.
		Advanced Course in Special Needs Education	This course strives to foster teachers who excel in the understanding of the disability properties of students with special needs, skills for instructing students, coordination skills for obtaining school support, research and development skills for proceeding with special needs education, and an understanding of inclusive education systems, who can contribute to enhancing the quality of school education, and who can lead and manage school reform.

The Graduate School of Social and Cultural Sciences aims to foster highly specialized professionals who can leverage knowledge of humanities, social sciences, instructional systems, etc., and practical expertise based on such knowledge, thereby demonstrating their capabilities as core human resources in a wide variety of organizations, such as local communities, governments and companies in society today. At the same time, we strive to lead Japanese academia by serving as a research and educational hub in a wide variety of academic fields, including interdisciplinary areas, to proceed with research that can contribute to the development of global expertise, and also to foster researchers who can play the main role in these attempts.
 

Name of Major			Aim
Master’s Course	Division of Law, Policy and Conflict Resolution Studies	Law, Policy, and Conflict Resolution Research Course	This course aims to foster human resources with the ability to think logically in order to resolve conflicts arising at various levels in society, as well as the capability to analyze social phenomena and resolve various challenges.
		Law and Public Policy Practice Course	This course strives to foster human resources who can achieve logical resolution of various problems related to increasingly complicated and diversified law and public policies in society today.
		Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Studies Practice Course	This course aims to foster leaders who can see disputes, strife and conflicts in organizations and local communities as opportunities to realize change toward better situations, can achieve constructive resolution, and can support such change.
	Joint Degree Program For Master Degree Between The University of Massachusetts Boston, USA		The aim of this course is to foster human resources who possess the ability to implement peaceful solutions through dialogue in relation to local- and global-level conflicts by acquiring advanced levels of expert knowledge in conflict resolution. In addition, we strive to foster people who will become the bridge between Japan, Asia and the US with the energy to lead productive activities in cooperation with a diverse range of people.
	Division of Modern Social Human Studies	East Asia Business Communication Specialist Course	This course strives to foster human resources who can solve a wide variety of problems arising in business settings due to differences in culture and social relationships, based on the understanding of the fundamental institutional frameworks, legal systems, etc. to handle such problems. In addition, we aim to foster human resources who have an extensive understanding of the particulars of economic activities of both Japan and China and their differences, and who can ensure smooth communication between two parties through high-level Japanese proficiency.
		Advanced Ethics Research Course	This course strives to equip students with the capability to analyze a wide variety of ethical issues in modern society in a theoretical and empirical manner and to handle such issues.
		Field Research Course	This course aims to enhance students’ expertise and research skills and to nurture their capability to analyze the realities of modern society correctly and a critical mind.
		Cognitive Philosophy and Psychology Research Course	This course strives to foster students’ capabilities to deal with practical issues in society in a rational and objective manner.
Doctoral Course	Division of Human and Social Sciences		Based on the master’s courses under Law, Policy and Conflict Resolution Studies and Modern Social Human Studies, the doctoral courses under Human and Social Science Studies strive to develop academic research in various fields, such as law, politics, economics, business administration, communication and information studies, comparative studies of cultures and societies, ethics, sociology, cultural anthropology, ethnology, geology, linguistics, philosophy, and psychology, and various areas established through the fusion of these fields, and to foster human resources who can play the main role in such development.
	Division of Cultural Sciences		Based on the master’s courses under Cultural Science Studies, the doctoral courses under Cultural Science Studies strive to develop academic research in various cultural science fields, such as history, archaeology, ethnology, linguistics, and literature, and various areas established through the fusion of these fields, and to foster human resources who can play the main role in such development.
	Instructional System Studies		The doctoral course under Instructional System Studies strives to foster those who can play the main role in the development, implementation and assessment of educationally effective, efficient, and attractive e-learning by placing the focus on instructional design and integrating information technology and other related fields.

The Graduate School of Science and Technology aims to foster practical, creative, and global-minded human resources with comprehensive and global perspectives who can flexibly respond to diversifying social needs and also to evolving scientific technology and academic research while achieving interdisciplinary fusion, and who are equipped with solid basic academic ability and the capability to apply such ability to a wide range of fields. We strive to become a globally attractive graduate school.
 

Name of Major			Aim
Master’s Course	Science	Mathematics Course	This course provides educational and research opportunities to investigate and theorize the fundamental structures of mathematics, thereby enabling students to obtain an extensive range of understanding of cutting-edge, in-depth math theories and capabilities to utilize such understanding. The aim of this course is to foster independent-minded human resources with sufficient logical thinking and problem-solution ability to accommodate societal demands.
		Physics Course	The aim of this course is to foster advanced professional human resources who can contribute to establishing a safe and rich society by striving to create new wisdom in the field of physics, hand down such knowledge to the next generation, and further develop it.
		Chemistry Course	This course fosters human resources who can contribute to clarifying physical properties’ occurrence mechanisms and chemical reactivity from the viewpoint of molecular science, based on their understanding of the basic properties of a wide variety of materials in nature from the perspective of chemistry; to creating new materials by controlling physical properties and chemical reactivity; and to creating new material analysis methods. In addition, we also foster human resources who are always aware of international society and local communities, and who can contribute to progress in the field of chemistry for the next generation.
		Earth and Environmental Science Course	This course fosters human resources who have an understanding of the earth environment based on fundamental science, and who have extensive knowledge of natural science. We strive to enable students to acquire the solid, fundamental academic ability to understand problems in interdisciplinary fields, and to improve their creativity so that they will have in-depth knowledge toward analysis and integration. To address a wide variety of problems confronting society today, we also develop human resources who have the knowledge and skills necessary for conducting both field work and precise analyses in laboratories, as well as sufficient expertise, capabilities and broad perspectives.
		Biological Sciences Course	Showing rapid progress, biological science is forging close connections not only with fundamental scientific fields but also with applied scientific fields, such as medical science, agricultural science, fishery science, and engineering, and even with humanities and social scientific fields, such as economics and law. This change is causing a considerable impact in society and industries. The Biological　Sciences Course provides opportunities for students to conduct laboratory analyses and field work with their targets set on everything from genes to eco-systems. By doing so, we strive to foster human resources who have a deep knowledge of and high-level thinking ability in biological science, and who can take active approaches to society based on their own clear visions.
	Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture	Civil and Environmental Engineering Education Program	This program strives to foster civil engineers who have extensive perspectives, knowledge, and highly specialized skills regarding disaster prevention and reduction to protect citizens’ lives and property from natural disasters; regarding planning, design, construction and management of social infrastructure facilities essential to citizens’ daily lives and production activities; and regarding environment preservation to maintain harmony between humans and the natural environment and establish a recycling society. The program also aims to enable such civil engineers to present technical suggestions to solve global-scale problems.
		Urban and Regional Planning and Design Education Program	This program strives to foster integration-type engineers with sufficient communication skills, design skills, and management skills, so that they can address new problems confronting communities, such as an aging society with a declining birthrate and the necessity to save energy, by clarifying specific points to be solved, presenting solutions, and establishing next-generation social systems, while realizing community development and implementing public policies.
		Architecture and Building Engineering Education Program	The basic policy of this program is to enable students to obtain more in-depth expertise in general fields of architecture, covering architecture planning, architecture design, architecture structure, architecture materials, architecture environment and equipment, architecture history, urban planning, architecture production, architecture maintenance, and disaster prevention. The program also helps students to obtain knowledge of advanced technologies and practical skills to utilize the knowledge, capabilities to develop new technologies and to provide instructions on them, extensive perspectives and comprehensive judgement ability, and skills to create new things in cooperation with others.
	Mechanical and Mathematical Engineering	Mechanical Engineering Education Program	This program strives to develop human resources with advanced specialties who can understand mechanical engineering, which constitutes a cross-sectional field underpinning manufacturing, from comprehensive perspectives, such as a complicated society, the environment, and energy. To enable students to do so, the program helps them acquire high-level specialties, awareness of various problems, and problem-solution ability, through basic and applied education and research regarding technologies underlying engineering (heat, fluids, and energy conversion, material strength, and precise processing) and regarding mechanical systems and processes (signal measurement processing and system control using computer technologies).
		Mechanical Systems Education Program	This program strives to develop human resources with advanced specialties who can understand mechanical systems, which is a cross-sectional field underpinning manufacturing, from comprehensive perspectives, such as a complicated society, the environment, and energy. To enable students to do so, the program helps them acquire high-level specialties, awareness of various problems, and problem-solution ability, through basic and applied education and research regarding mechanical systems and processes (signal measurement processing and system control using computer technologies) and regarding technologies underlying engineering (heat, fluids, and energy conversion, material strength, and precise processing).
		Applied Mathematics  Education Program	This program provides education on the investigation and theorization of the fundamental structures of mathematics, as well as on their application. The program strives to enable students to obtain mathematical knowledge, such as of nonlinear analyses, stochastic analyses, statistical science and information mathematics; sufficient logical thinking ability and problem-solution ability to accommodate societal demands; and the ability to apply their knowledge to solve various problems in the fields of science and engineering in a practical sense.
	Computer Science and Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering Education Program	This program fosters highly specialized engineers and researchers who can address complicated, extensive academic and societal demands flexibly in the electrical engineering and energy engineering fields, which underpin social infrastructure; and who can contribute to communities and international society by creating new technologies based on their developed expertise and creativity.
		Electronics Engineering Education Program	This program fosters highly specialized engineers and researchers who have an extensive range of specialties in electronics engineering, control engineering, and their interdisciplinary fields, which underpin the information society involving humans and the environment toward a sound and well-balanced development of society; and who can take advantage of such specialties for contributing to humans’ welfare in a creative and practical manner.
		Computer Science Education Program	This program fosters highly specialized engineers and researchers who have high-level specialties and insight in the general fields of computer science, such as information communications engineering and computer engineering, which are positioned as basic and applied technologies in the advanced information society; and who can demonstrate their presence in the globalized world based on their extensive perspectives and highly ethical standards.
	Materials Science and Applied Chemistry	Chemistry and Bioscience Education Program	By providing comprehensive education covering basic to applied academic fields regarding chemistry, biology, and physics, which serve as the cornerstone of applied biochemistry, this program strives to foster creative human resources who pursue the truth of applied biochemistry and endeavor to develop new fields.
		Chemistry and Materials Education Program	To realize a sustainable and safe recycling society, it is essential to deeply understand the relationships between the structures and functions of chemical materials at the levels of their atoms and molecules based on material chemistry, as well as to develop new materials that are well controlled at the nano level. By providing comprehensive education covering basic to applied academic fields regarding chemistry, physics and biology, which serve as the cornerstone of material chemistry, this program strives to foster human resources with practical research abilities that enable them to address societal demands and various problems, which change with the times, from the perspective of chemistry.
		Materials Science and Engineering Education Program	This program fosters highly specialized professionals who have expertise in the basic and applied technologies used to analyze physical and chemical properties of materials necessary for establishing new material systems that will contribute to the sustainable development of a rich society, as well as used to enhance process efficiency and promote recycling; who can flexibly address societal demands, which show a wide variety of changes, from scientific and technological perspectives based on materials science; and who can consider things from a holistic viewpoint supported by their high-level specialties.
Doctoral Course	Science	Mathematics Course	While respecting fundamental research in each of algebra, geometry, analysis, and stochastic theory, this course helps students to master and deepen cutting-edge, advanced theories, thereby striving to foster human resources who can contribute to academic evolution and social progress.
		Physics Course	This course strives to enable students to deeply understand nature from a super-micro level to a super-macro level, as well as phenomena occurring there, from the perspective of basic physics, and also to foster independent-minded researchers.
		Chemistry Course	This course fosters human resources who strive to reveal the fundamental principles of chemistry based on their understanding of the basic properties of a wide variety of materials in nature from the perspective of chemistry, to clarify physical properties’ occurrence mechanisms and chemical reactivity from the perspective of molecular science, and to create new materials by controlling physical properties and chemical reactivity. In addition, we also foster researchers who are always aware of international society and local communities; and who can contribute to the establishment of basic and applied fields of chemistry, and also to progress in the field of materials science necessary for the next generation.
		Earth and Environmental Sciences Course	This course strives to enable students to obtain the cutting-edge knowledge and technology of basic science regarding the earth environment, while cultivating creative research capabilities. In particular, we focus on developing students’ comprehensive research capabilities so that they can address a wide variety of problems in interdisciplinary fields, thereby fostering human resources who can contribute to solving various problems regarding the earth environment in society today.
		Biological Sciences Course	Showing rapid progress, biological science is forging close connections not only with fundamental scientific fields, but also with applied scientific fields, such as medical science, agricultural science, fishery science, and engineering, and even with humanities and social scientific fields, such as economics and law. This change is causing a considerable impact in society and industries. The Biological Sciences  Course strives to foster world-leading level researchers who have not only an international mindset and high-level expertise based on fundamental biological science and environmental biology but also extensive knowledge with which they can flexibly respond to changes in the social situation.
	Advanced Industrial Science	Environmental Conservation Engineering Education Program	While providing comprehensive education on cutting-edge technologies related to the safety, disaster prevention, conservation, development, use, and co-existence of the nature and social environment, this program fosters researchers and highly specialized professionals who can demonstrate their capabilities at the forefront of their fields.
		Environmental Management and Planning Education Program	While providing comprehensive education on research, planning, design and management methods necessary for developing, maintaining, restoring, sustaining, and managing social infrastructure in light of respective regions’ climate and culture, this program fosters researchers and highly specialized professionals who can demonstrate their capabilities at the forefront of their fields.
		Architecture and Environment Planning Education Program	This program fosters global-minded researchers who can lead the international society with their ability to extensively and flexibly address regional space design and environmental problems in light of respective regions’ climate and culture in order to preserve regional diverse natural and social environments. The program also fosters research-minded and highly specialized professional leaders with similar capabilities.
		Building Materials and Structures Education Program	This program fosters global-minded researchers who can lead international society with their cutting-edge knowledge and skills regarding disaster prevention, maintenance, and renovation of structures. The program also fosters research-minded and highly specialized professional leaders with similar capabilities.
		Advanced Mechanical Systems Education Program	In the mechanical industry, which is experiencing a rapid diversification and a rapid functionality improvement, it is becoming necessary to obtain expertise and skills for designing and producing highly intelligent multi-functional mechanical systems. With this background, this program fosters human resources who have basic to applied knowledge in extensive fields covering heat, fluids, and energy conversion, precise processing, mechanical design and mechanical production, and who can utilize such knowledge and demonstrate their creativity.
		Intelligent Mechanical Systems Education Program	For mechanical systems and structures, which are showing rapid advancement today, even higher performance and functions are needed. At the same time, intelligent design and production of the entire system in harmony with the surroundings are needed. This program fosters human resources who can demonstrate their creativity and capabilities actively, by helping them obtain basic to applied knowledge extensively regarding the production process, as well as academic ability regarding intelligent production system technologies, including signal measurement processing and system control using computer technologies.
		Applied Mathematics Education Program	While respecting fundamental research in each of the fields of nonlinear analyses, stochastic analyses, statistical science and information mathematics, this program helps students to master and deepen cutting-edge, advanced theories, thereby striving to foster human resources who can contribute to academic evolution and social progress.
		Computer Science and Communication Engineering Education Program	Information communications (information processing and transmission) underpin a globalized, highly advanced information society. This education program fosters human resources who can contribute to humans’ welfare in a creative and practical manner with their high-level specialties and insight in information communications and related fields.
		Frontier Technology for Energy and Devices Education Program	While incorporating electric energy engineering, which underpins social infrastructure, into functional and organic education and research projects, this program fosters human resources with high-level and creative specialties who can flexibly address complicated, extensive academic and societal demands in the electric energy engineering field. The program also expands students’ insight based on highly ethical standards, and raises their awareness of the responsibility to contribute to the development of communities and international society, thereby fostering human resources with the willingness to support social infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and practical capabilities.
		Human and Environmental Informatics Education Program	Information serves as the pivotal axis for the sound and well-balanced development of the human, social, and natural environments. For information education, it is necessary to deepen the basic field of information electrical and electronics engineering and to improve its foundation extensively. This program provides education on information engineering, electronics engineering, measurement and control engineering, etc., from a wide variety of angles. By doing so, the program fosters human resources who have expertise not only in the fields related to information, electronics, and measurement and control but also in boundary and interdisciplinary fields; and who can demonstrate their presence in the globalized world based on their extensive perspectives and highly ethical standards.
		Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry Education Program	The fundamental elements for developing chemical technologies with humanity are found in highly recognized, well-balanced, and elaborate functions of nature and organisms. This education program fosters creative, unique, and international-minded human resources who can contribute to establishing new scientific technologies that will support industrial society by clarifying the basics of nature and organisms from the perspective of material chemistry, and by pursuing applied development of the consequences extensively.
		Materials Science and Engineering Education Program	Underpinning all types of scientific technology fields, material creation technology is one of the mother technologies in modern science. This program provides education on materials from a wide range of angles, including their creation, process control, physical and chemical properties, analytical evaluation of mechanical properties, and recycling. By doing so, the program fosters creative, global-minded, and independent-minded researchers with high-level specialties in materials science and flexible, far-sighted, logical thinking ability.

The Master’s Course in the Division of Medical Sciences aims to produce researchers and educators with high-level research expertise in their professional field and highly specialized professionals, both of whom possess medical and life-science knowledge and critical thinking skills.

The Doctoral Course in the Division of Medical Sciences aims to produce researchers and educators with international research expertise in their professional field and highly specialized medical professionals with a highly research-oriented mindset and problem-solving skills, both of whom possess a wide range of medical and life-science knowledge and profound critical thinking skills.
 

	Name of Major	Aim
Master’s Course	Medical Sciences	To produce researchers and educators with high-level research expertise in their professional field and highly specialized professionals, both of whom possess medical and life-science knowledge and critical thinking skills
Doctoral Course	Medical Sciences	To produce researchers and educators with international research expertise in their professional field and highly specialized medical professionals with a highly research-oriented mindset and problem-solving skills, both of whom possess a wide range of medical and life-science knowledge and profound critical thinking skills

The Graduate School of Health Sciences aims to foster highly specialized professionals with a highly research-oriented mindset who can play a leadership role in medical settings, and creative educators and researchers, both of whom are rich in humanity based on a high sense of ethics centering on human dignity and a high level of specialized knowledge.
 

	Name of Major	Aim
Master’s Course	Health Sciences, Nursing	To produce researchers and educators with high-level research expertise in their professional field and highly specialized professionals, both of whom possess health-science (nursing/medical technology-science) and life-science knowledge and critical thinking skills
Doctoral Course	Health Sciences, Nursing	To produce researchers and educators with international research expertise in their professional field and highly specialized medical professionals with a highly research-oriented mindset and problem-solving skills, both of whom possess a wide range of health-science (nursing/medical technology-science) and life-science knowledge and profound critical thinking skills

The Master’s Course in the Division of Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences aims to nurture leading-edge researchers in the fields of pharmaceutical sciences and life sciences, and researchers and technical experts who play an advanced role in developing drugs.

The Doctoral Course in the Division of Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences aims to train specialists who can demonstrate excellent research capabilities in their field of expertise based on knowledge and skills in the basic sciences centering on physical pharmacy, chemical pharmacy, biological pharmacy, and life sciences, cultivating creative imagination, inquiring minds, and a drug-discovery mindset. We also seek to produce specialists who independently pose and resolve problems, seeing pharmaceutical and life sciences from a higher perspective, and can demonstrate leadership capabilities in cutting-edge research and drug discovery settings.

The Doctoral Course in the Division of Clinical Pharmacy aims to produce highly specialized medical professionals with a highly research-oriented mindset and problem-solving skills, and researchers and educators with international research expertise in their professional field, both of whom possess a wide range of pharmaceutical and life-science knowledge and profound critical thinking skills.
 

	Name of Major	Aim
Master’s Course	Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences	To nurture leading-edge researchers in the fields of pharmaceutical sciences and life sciences, and researchers and technical experts who play an advanced role in developing drugs
Doctoral Course	Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences	To train specialists who can demonstrate excellent research capabilities in their field of expertise based on knowledge and skills in the basic sciences centering on physical pharmacy, chemical pharmacy, biological pharmacy, and life sciences, cultivating creative imagination, inquiring minds, and a drug-discovery mindset; and who independently pose and resolve problems, seeing pharmaceutical and life sciences from a higher perspective, and can demonstrate leadership capabilities in cutting-edge research and drug discovery settings
Doctoral Course	Clinical Pharmacy	To produce highly specialized medical professionals with a highly research-oriented mindset and problem-solving skills, and researchers and educators with international research expertise in their professional field, both of whom possess a wide range of pharmaceutical and life-science knowledge and profound critical thinking skills