Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Course)

Admission Policy

The Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Program) seeks individuals who possess the following abilities:

Profile of Prospective Students

Under the admission policy of Okayama University, the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences seeks applicants who aspire to become highly skilled professionals and researchers with advanced knowledge, abilities, techniques, and decision-making skills in the fields of literature, law, and economics. Since the school considers the diversity of applicants as an important factor, both Japanese and international students, and working professionals are welcome to apply.
In the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Program), we seek individuals who possess "Implementation Ability" to face challenges and solve issues in the fields of literature, law, and economics. We also look for candidates with "Inquiry Ability" to identify and explore problems, "Communication Ability" to understand differences and learn from diverse interactions, and "Liberal Arts Ability", where they show interest in everyday phenomena and engage in self-directed learning. Additionally, we seek candidates with foundational and systematic “Expertise” in the fields of humanities and social sciences, which they have developed during their undergraduate education, from both within and outside the university.
The "Professional Researcher Type" are students who aim to acquire advanced knowledge, abilities, skills, and judgment in their specialized fields, as well as those who wish to enter the doctoral program. The "Advanced Career Type" are practitioners with advanced skills who aim to acquire knowledge that can be applied in society, from the local community to the global arena.
This graduate school stands for the perspective of "coexistence", seeking to integrate various academic disciplines, and the systematization of new values. In the Master's Program， our school is striving to develop an education and research system in which basic professional education in the undergraduate program and education in the subsequent doctoral program each have their own functions and roles, and these organically interact with each other.

Profile of Prospective Students

After admission, students are expected to acquire the following: "Implementation Ability" to face and act towards resolving issues related to the academic fields of humanities and social sciences; "Inquiry Ability" to question targets, add multifaceted reviews, and clarify issues; "Communication Ability" to understand differences and improve oneself in encounters with others; and "Liberal Arts Ability" to maintain curiosity about phenomena around oneself and continue to learn broadly. In addition, for each degree program, we require students to acquire “Expertise” that can utilize fundamental knowledge in each specialized field of the humanities and social sciences.

The “Expertise” required by each degree program are as follows:　　　　
(1)　【Humanities Program】- High linguistic proficiency in English, German, and French, or “Expertise” that shows a deep understanding of the structure of languages, literature, culture, and thought in Japan and the Asian region, or “Expertise” that challenges the resolution of various problems based on a deep knowledge of philosophy, aesthetics, history, archaeology, and comparative socio-cultural studies.

(2)　【Psychology Program】- “Expertise” to explore and create new knowledge based on psychological perspectives and knowledge and skills in psychology concerning various issues in modern society, and provide effective support based on knowledge and skills in psychology for those who need psychological assistance.

(3)　【Comparative Law and Politics Program】- “Expertise” such as the ability to logically solve legal problems using knowledge of positive jurisprudence, basic jurisprudence, international jurisprudence, and political science, the ability to discover and solve issues in society on one's own, and the ability to actively perform internationally with a global perspective.

(4)　【Legal and Political Studies for Community Program】- “Expertise” to discover and solve issues in regional societies using specialized knowledge and legal thinking ability in positive jurisprudence, basic jurisprudence, and political science necessary to develop policies in line with regional realities, and to contribute to the development of regions.

(5)　【Regional Business Program】- “Expertise” to analyze the nature of corporate organizations and strategies within the political and economic environment based on the knowledge and skills of business administration, accounting, and economics, or “Expertise” to compare and understand the market and its institutional characteristics, which are the foundation of corporate activities, internationally and historically.

(6)　【Economics Program】- “Expertise” that can be used to address various problems of economics and policies from both theoretical and empirical aspects, or “Expertise” to solve various issues facing Japan and the world in the midst of the intertwining of globalization and anti-globalization from the viewpoint of economics and statistics.

(7)　【Sustainable Society Program】- “Expertise” to solve various issues in each field (literature, law, economics) based on a deep professional knowledge in the fields of the humanities and social sciences.

Admission Process for the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master’s Program)

In the Master’s Program, we conduct the General Entrance Examination, Special Entrance Examination for International Students, Special Entrance Examination for Working Individuals, and Special Entrance Examination for Professionals to be able to evaluate a diverse range of students.

(1) In the General Entrance Examination, individuals with the fundamental academic skills required for studying subjects across various fields of the humanities and social sciences are evaluated through document screening and academic tests (written and oral examinations).

(2) In the Special Entrance Examination for International Students, foreign students who have advanced Japanese language proficiency and the necessary specialized abilities in diverse fields of the humanities and social sciences are evaluated through document screening and academic tests (written and oral examinations).

(3) In the Special Entrance Examination for Working Professionals, candidates with at least two years of work experience at the time of application and who possess specialized skills in various fields of the humanities and social sciences, are evaluated through document screening and academic tests (written and oral examinations).

(4) In the Special Entrance Examination for Professionals, candidates who are professionals aiming to conduct research related to their current profession after admission and have skills in various fields of the humanities and social sciences, are evaluated through an oral examination (which includes a review of research plans) and a comprehensive evaluation of their undergraduate academic record.

Prior to Enrollment

Depending on the department and the degree program that is chosen, fundamental academic skills equivalent to a Bachelor's degree are required, which are necessary to learn advanced knowledge in the humanities and social sciences.