Message from the Dean

Addressing Humanity and Human Society Issues

History of the Graduate School of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies

We have entered the 21st Century and are already approaching the quarter of a century.
The world has become more affluent than ever before, and while more people are enjoying that wealth, they are also facing new challenges.
As symbolized by global warming, we are forced to be more and more aware of the finite nature of the earth, and are under pressure to consider the natural environment on a global scale.
Society, an environment created by humans, is also fraught with myriad problems, and we need a wider perspective to understand and solve these problems not only at the economic, political, legal, and institutional levels, but also at the individual, family, regional, municipal, national, and global levels.
In addition to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, heavy rains and droughts, we also face man-made disasters, such as nuclear power plant accidents, environmental pollution, repeated accidents and incidents, war and conflict, hunger and poverty, injustice and discrimination, and many other issues that must be resolved.
It’s not just about social issues.
Over the course of our long history, human beings have looked at themselves and created their own cultures through relationships with others.
People have faced various problems in their daily lives, but even in the modern age of highly developed science and technology, there are still a large number of problems and questions concerning human relationships, mental issues, values and life that are not easily answered.
In addition to taking on the challenge of solving the problems facing human society, we are required to reconsider the various problems that arise in human life in modern society.
In order to do so, we must specialize in further studying issues in the fields of the humanities, human sciences, and social sciences, and in some cases, apply cutting-edge technology or use the latest information available to us, and collaborate with natural sciences, engineering, and medicine and other fields from a free, interdisciplinary perspective.
The Kanazawa University Graduate School of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies was established in April 2006 by merging the previous three master’s programs (Graduate School of Literature, Graduate School of Law, and Graduate School of Economics) into a master’s program, and by establishing the Graduate School of Social and Environmental Sciences (established in April 1993), as a doctoral program.
The Graduate School of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies is a new faculty that aims to solve problems and investigate issues in human society in the new era.
It is my sincere hope that students will boldly tackle human and social issues, and make new academic discoveries and achievements.

Four Majors Leading to Bachelor Education－Master’s Course－

The master’s program offers four division of humanities, economics, regional development studies, and international studies.
These programs are designed to further the education provided in the six undergraduate departments in the College of Human and Social Sciences: Humanities, Economics, Regional Development Studies, and International Studies.
In addition, the Educational Support Development Course established in the Regional Development Studies Major is closely linked to the School of Teacher Education in the Bachelor’s program.
The degrees that can be obtained include a Master of Arts, Economics, Business Administration, Regional Development studies, International Studies, and Philosophy.
Division of Economics and Division of Regional Development Studies also have a short-term (one-year) enrollment-type system that allows students to obtain their degree in one year while continuing to work.
In addition to continuing on to the doctoral program upon completion of the course, we also see students gain employment as civil servants and in general companies every year.

Professional and interdisciplinary research－Doctoral course－

The doctoral program is one of the Division of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies, and consists of three courses: Humanities Course, Law and Politics Course and Economics and Social Studies Course.
These courses serve as the basis for doctoral dissertations, and serve as measures to provide research guidance suitable for diverse research fields and diverse themes under the broad research field of human and socio-environmental studies.
The goal of the doctoral program is to nurture specialists involved in research and education at universities, national and public research institutes, and private think tanks, as well as “highly skilled professionals” with specialized knowledge and research skills for employment in organizations and in local government.
In the doctoral program, in addition to students who have advanced from a master’s course, there are a wide variety of students, including working adults, such as civil servants and company employees, and international students, who have been increasing in recent years.
Degrees that can be obtained include Ph.D. (Socio Environmental Studies), Ph.D. (Literature), Ph.D. (Law), Ph.D. (Politics), Ph.D. (Economics), and Ph.D. (Philosophy).
After obtaining their degree, students can choose from a variety of career paths, including research and education, civil servants, and general companies.