About the College

Responding to the needs of society
by establishing the College of Policy Science

College Overview

The College of Policy Science was established at Ritsumeikan University in 1994 and is now one of the leading centers in the study of policy in Japan.

The end of the 20th Century brought with it problems involving environmental issues, urban issues, and economic gap, signaling the limits of industrialized society. Subsequently, demand for the innovation of various social sciences in order to solve these new problems increased. This led to the creation of the College of Policy Science, which created courses involving both general and interdisciplinary social sciences, to lead the way in solving the social problems of the 20th Century.

English-based Undergraduate Degree Program :
Community and Regional Policy Studies Major

The College of Policy Science has offered the English-based Community and Regional Policy Studies Major since it was launched in 2013, marking the College's 20th anniversary. There are three programs in the major:

  • Sustainable Urban Policy Program

    This program focuses on urban planning, environmental and housing policies, community development, and disaster prevention in communities, and aims to achieve sustainable urban development and solve environmental issues.

  • Regional Economy and Development Program

    This program focuses on regional development, international trade and finance, development economics, public economics, and economic systems as a framework to develop regional economies.

  • Multi-level Governance Program

    This program focuses on multi-level governance, international public policy, national and local government cooperation, constitutional law, public administration, and social welfare policy.

Recent Developments at
the College of Policy Science

Unique collaboration with various institutions

The College of Policy Science has signed agreements with many local government, NPOs, and private enterprises to work together systematically. Through this, the organizations share their challenges with our students, and the students do practical work to solve these challenges. The success of such programs has been recognized by the Japanese government, with the college having been commended for “Good Practice” by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, twice at the graduate level and once at the undergraduate level.

Challenges to solve practical and important issues for people all over the world

The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 destroyed many regional foundations in East Japan. There is a great need to think about how to plan the restoration efforts of Japanese society. We at the College of Policy Science have organized joint research to investigate the restoration process. We explore questions such as: How were our communities resilient after the crisis? How has policy process allowed us to construct a safe and secure social system? These are important issues we should deal with and will continue to be an important theme for people all over the world.

Message

YOSHIDA Tomohiko

YOSHIDA TomohikoDean of the College of Policy Science

The College of Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University was established in 1994 to meet the new challenges of our era. The emergence of platformers, new conflicts between countries and regions, an aging population, declining birthrates, and environmental pollution are just a few examples of these challenges. Policy Science is a field of science that clarifies the causes of these social problems. It explores solutions that satisfy the maximum number of members or stakeholders in society.

Our college is one of the earliest of any policy-related college in Japan. When the college was first established, the faculty often debated what a common theoretical framework should be, while setting a lofty ideal of aiming for a singular "policy science" rather than a collection of multiple specialized fields. With these discussions, the faculty concluded that the policy science should pursue universal human values such as peace, democracy, human rights, and a sustainable global environment. We concluded that discussing a civil society with high policy-making capabilities is also important.

Our Community and Regional Policy Studies (CRPS) Major was established as an English-based teaching course in 2013 at the College of Policy Science. The main purpose of the CRPS Major is to produce graduates who can propose policies that solve these social problems in communities and/or regions through local and global perspectives.

Students at the CRPS Major will be provided with appropriate subjects in various academic fields to acquire solid skills and knowledge for solving social problems through three academic disciplines―Multi-level Governance, Regional Economy and Development, and Sustainable Urban Policy.

I hope ambitious students worldwide will join our Community and Regional Policy Studies (CRPS) Major at the College of Policy Science. Our graduates will apply the knowledge and skills acquired to create a better and more sustainable society in the future.