For Courses

(1) Lectures and Seminars
Specialized Courses,Special Lectures,Workshops

(2) Short-term intensive seminars for acquiring broad knowledge
General Topics,New Fields,Basic Common Subjects

(3) Doctoral Dissertation
Independent Research

Standard Academic Program for Degree Completion

Year Courses Taken
1 – Specialized courses
– Short-term intensive seminars in new fields, basic common subjects (management, ethics, etc.)
2 – Specialized courses
– Workshops and special lectures to identify leading trends in research and technology developments
– Short-term intensive seminars on basic common subjects (science and technology paper compilation methods, etc.)
3 – Short-term intensive seminars on general topics to gain a comprehensive understanding of one’s specialized field
– Doctoral dissertation by independent research

Course Descriptions

(1) Specialized Courses

Students must prepare and review the material covered to gain a thorough understanding of the course content. Students may only take one of these courses each year.

(2) Short-Term Intensive Seminars

Students will primarily take short-term intensive seminars in topics related to their major, but they can also take several seminars outside of their major to expand their knowledge of related fields and their general breadth of knowledge.

Short-term intensive seminars are divided into three types, based on the topics covered: general topics, new fields, and basic common subjects. These three categories are outlined below.

«General Topics»

By focusing on the essential components of the specialized courses, these seminars cover basic knowledge necessary for understanding the research fields covered by each major, and offer students exposure to a broader range of research fields than might be strictly included within their majors.

«New Fields»

Students acquire knowledge of areas that are closely connected to their field of study or are expected to produce important developments in the future. This offers students a greater breadth of knowledge of their research fields. The professors at both Hamamatsu Campus and Shizuoka Campus cooperate with one another to offer lectures in new fields for students in different fields and majors.

«Basic Common Subjects»

With international competition and conflict over ownership of intellectual property in the field of science and technology expected to grow even more fierce in the 21st century, contemporary researchers and engineers need to have a fundamental respect for global environmental preservation and human welfare. To produce people who can deal with these types of issues, the graduate school offers courses on such basic common subjects as intellectual property, management, ethics, and science and technology paper compilation methods.

Short-Term Intensive Seminars: Basic Common Subject

Lecture Offered by
Intellectual Property Hisakazu Nozue (Attorney)
Management Shigeki Aoyama (Professor, Faculty of Humanities)
Natural Environment Kenji Kato
Science and Technology Paper Compilation Methods Minoru Okada (Professor, Waseda University)

(3) Special Lectures

Students are encouraged to attend guest lectures conducted by prominent researchers both inside and outside of Japan and other specially arranged lectures. These opportunities enable students to obtain advanced knowledge and cutting-edge information in their fields of specialization.

(4) Internships

In order for Japanese industry to achieve growth in an increasingly competitive international environment, the industrial sector must be open to input from highly skilled and qualified engineers. It is vital that engineers form close ties with the industrial sector from as early as their graduate school years, and ensure the importance and value of their own research by being familiar with the technological development issues being faced by industry.

To do this, students can take advantage of internships that give them opportunities to work at companies for a specific period of time as part of their independent research. Their experiences are likely not only to increase their level of interest in their academic research and education, but also to offer some advantages in their job search after graduation.

Organizational Structure

The professors who are part of this graduate school are formally affiliated with the Science and Technology Research Department, comprised of the Hamamatsu Research Center on the Hamamatsu Campus and the Shizuoka Research Center on the Shizuoka Campus.

Associate Advisor System

This graduate school uses an associate advisor system to ensure that students’ educational and research activities proceed smoothly. Each student has two additional advisors to their senior advisor: the first is a professor in the student’s major who provides guidance regarding the selection of a research topic, research activities, and dissertation writing, reflecting a different perspective from the senior advisor, and provides a broader level of support for the student’s education, while the second advisor provides guidance and advice to help ensure that all of the student’s educational and research activities other than his/her dissertation proceed smoothly.