To achieve the mission of responding to social needs by practically integrating various disciplines by serving as a hub for the creation of knowledge and the development of human resources that promotes the discovery and solution of policy issues in contemporary society, the master’s program in the Graduate School of Policy Science aims to cultivate students’ research capacity and strengthen their practical skills, which are both indispensable for accurately understanding the policy issues facing contemporary society and for devising appropriate solutions thereto. The goal of this program is to produce highly qualified individuals who can address a variety of social issues through the lens of policy science research.

To achieve the mission of responding to social needs by practically integrating various disciplines by serving as a hub for the creation of knowledge and the development of human resources that promotes the discovery and solution of policy issues in contemporary society, the doctoral program in the Graduate School of Policy Science aims to cultivate students’ research capacity in relation to the policy issues facing contemporary society and devising appropriate solutions thereto. The goal of this program is to produce highly qualified researchers who can address a variety of social issues through the lens of policy science research.

Aiming to develop human resources equipped with the research capacity and enhanced practical skills that are indispensable for accurately understanding the policy issues facing contemporary society and for devising appropriate solutions thereto, the master’s program in the Graduate School of Policy Science will deem students who have been enrolled for at least two years, have earned the prescribed credits by taking regular curriculum classes, have undergone the necessary research supervision, and have passed the screening and final examination of their master's thesis, etc. as having achieved the human resources development goal of the master's program and will award them a master's degree.

In screening master's degrees, the following knowledge, skills, and abilities will be examined in light of the educational objective and human resources development goal of the Graduate School.

1. Expertise required to discover and solve the policy issues of our modern society
2. Skills to decipher both domestic and foreign existing research and references related to policy science
3. Ability to conduct the appropriate approach for the set research theme and put together original research logically

The specific screening criteria comprise the eight points described below, and a master's degree will be awarded if these criteria are met.
Enrollment of at least one year in the Graduate School shall be sufficient for students with excellent research achievements.
In addition, students must deliver oral reports in the Policy Science Workshops in the second and fourth semesters.

Number of required credits

1. Must complete a total of at least 30 credits.
2. Must complete at least six credits (three courses) from among the following courses, including Research Project IV-A: Research Project I-A, Research Project II-A, Research Project III-A, and Research Project IV-A.

Screening criteria for theses and reports

Master's theses are generally evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. The appropriateness of the research theme: Is there clear recognition of the issue, and is the theme appropriate for the field of policy science?
2. Comprehension of the essential nature of the theme: Did the author understand the nature of the theme correctly?
3. Correlation with existing research: Was the research appropriately based on existing research?
4. The appropriateness of the information and references used: Were sufficient fact-finding studies, searches and evaluations conducted?
5. The consistency of the logic in the thesis: Was the logic developed consistently?
6. The rigorous quality and accuracy of the statements in the essay: Was the analysis conducted correctly and accurately?
7. Originality: Did the content of the research show originality?
8. Can the research be substantiated?: Was the research verified sufficiently?

Aiming to develop the human resources indicated in the educational objective and human resources development goal, the doctoral program in the Graduate School of Policy Science will deem students who have been enrolled for at least three years, have earned the prescribed credits by taking regular curriculum classes, have undergone the necessary research supervision, and have submitted a doctoral dissertation and passed the screening and final examination thereof as having achieved the human resources development goal of the doctoral program and will award them a doctoral degree.

In screening doctoral degrees, the following knowledge, skills, and abilities will be examined in light of the educational objective and human resources development goal of the Graduate School.

1. High-expertise required to discover and solve the policy issues of our modern society
2. Skills to decipher both domestic and foreign existing research and references related to policy science and the ability to put forth new issues
3. Ability to conduct appropriate approach for the set research theme, put together original research logically, and compile the results in an academic article to be published in an academic journal or similar publications.

The specific screening criteria comprise the eight points described below, and a doctoral degree will be awarded if these criteria are met. In addition, prior to submitting their doctoral dissertation, students must deliver a report on their research outcomes in the Policy Science Workshops organized by the Graduate School.

Number of required credits

Must complete at least 12 credits from among the following courses: Research Seminar 1, Research Seminar 2, Advanced Research Seminar 1, and Advanced Research Seminar 2. The required 12 credits must include at least six credits from Advanced Research Seminar 1 and Advanced Research Seminar 2.

Screening criteria for dissertations and reports

Doctoral dissertations are generally evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. The appropriateness of the research theme: Is there clear recognition of the issue, and is the theme appropriate for the field of policy science?
2. Comprehension of the essential nature of the theme: Did the author understand the nature of the theme correctly?
3. Correlation with existing research: Does the research appropriately explain the academic significance of the research theme based on existing researches.
4. The appropriateness of the information and references used: Were sufficient fact-finding studies, searches and evaluations conducted? Also has it been comprehensively or critically considered?
5. The consistency of the logic in the thesis: Is the structure of the paper consistent? Also was the logic developed consistently?
6. The rigorous quality and accuracy of the statements in the essay: Was the analysis conducted correctly and accurately?
7. Originality: Did the content of the research show originality? And did it make an academic contribution to related academic fields?
8. Can the research be substantiated?: Was the research verified sufficiently?

To achieve the human resources development goal of cultivating students’ research capacity and strengthening their practical skills, which are both indispensable for accurately understanding the policy issues facing contemporary society and for devising appropriate solutions thereto, the curriculum in the master’s program in the Graduate School of Policy Science is divided into the following categories.

Policy Science Research Courses: Policy science research demands the ability to synthesize academic knowledge, which is necessary to understand and solve real policy issues, and courses are offered by dividing the individually segmented knowledge elements that students are expected to synthesize into the following categories.

1. Public Policy Courses
2. Environment and Development Courses
3. Social Management Courses
4. Common Courses
5. Foreign Language Courses
6. Regional Co-creation Research Program

To achieve the human resources development goal of cultivating students’ research capacity in relation to the policy issues facing contemporary society and devising appropriate solutions thereto, the curriculum in the doctoral program in the Graduate School of Policy Science is divided into the following categories. In the doctoral program, as in the master's program, students will receive systematic supervision by participating in joint research projects throughout their period of enrollment, not only to improve their research capacity, but also to develop the research process planning and management skills that are indispensable for independent policy science researchers. In addition, students are required to continuously summarize the outcomes of their research activities in papers and report on these outcomes at the Policy Science Workshops organized by the Graduate School.

Because the master’s program in the Graduate School of Policy Science states the educational objective and human resources development goal of cultivating students’ research capacity and strengthening their practical skills, which are both indispensable for accurately understanding the policy issues facing contemporary society and for devising appropriate solutions thereto, it seeks to admit students equipped with the following:

1. A broad interest in social issues
2. The desire to pursue solutions to these issues
3. Flexible thinking skills and a broad perspective that can innovate existing disciplines through a multifaceted approach
4. Excellent logical thinking skills

Because the doctoral program in the Graduate School of Policy Science states the educational objective and human resources development goal of cultivating students’ research capacity in relation to the policy issues facing contemporary society and devising appropriate solutions thereto, it seeks to admit students equipped with the following:

1. A broad interest in social issues
2. The desire to pursue solutions to these issues
3. Flexible thinking skills and a broad perspective that can innovate existing disciplines through a multifaceted approach
4. Excellent logical thinking skills