Educational Policy of Graduate School of Health Sciences (Medical Sonographer Course (Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program))
Fundamental Educational Goals
On the Sonographer Training Course, we strive to fulfill our most important mission, which is to enhance educational activities as demanded by society. Based on the results of advanced research activities, we will foster the ability of students to actively participate in the creation of knowledge, and through close dialogue and discussions with peers and faculty, we support the development of a rich humanity in each individual. Our educational purpose is to develop students with the ability and personality to play a central role in a wide range of fields, especially in medical care both domestically and abroad.
Exemplary Students
Highly specialized professionals who can acquire advanced and practical medical ultrasonography diagnostic techniques in order to solve problems from various perspectives in medical science.
The goal of the Sonographer Training Course is the practice and establishment of health promotion. To achieve this goal, our education philosophy is based on the theory of “Inter-Professional Work” that will encourage educators and researchers to independently research education programs, and develop equipment and technology responding to societal demands related to health, medical care, and welfare.
Specifically, we will foster individuals to develop the following five abilities:
○ Implementation Ability: Able to identify issues in the practice, education, research, and personnel development of medical ultrasonography diagnosis, utilize differences, and present new insights and solutions for the improvement of medical science and health promotion to society.
○ Inquiry Ability: Able to creatively identify and reveal the essence of issues in the practice, education, research, and personnel development of medical ultrasonography diagnosis.
○ Communication Ability: Able to demonstrate leadership in the practice, education, research, and personnel development of medical ultrasonography diagnosis.
○ Specialized Ability: Possessing independent research abilities to discover new insights and develop new equipment and technologies.
○ Liberal Arts Ability: Possessing a multidimensional perspective and flexible thinking toward various values, able to respond promptly to social changes such as globalization, and continually strengthen their wisdom.
Degree Policy
The Sonographer Training Course awards degrees to students who have studied for the prescribed period of time, acquired the following competencies and earned the credits required for graduation.
Abilities acquired: Implementation Ability, Inquiry Ability, Communication Ability, Specialized Ability, Liberal Arts Ability
【Implementation Ability】The ability to identify and tackle issues in the practice, education, research, and personnel development of medical ultrasonography, leveraging differences for the enhancement of medical science and health promotion, and to present new insights and solutions to society.
The ability to articulate the need for improving medical science and promoting health in the field of medical ultrasonography.
To be able to understand the differences between medical ultrasonography and other specialties, and the ability to use these differences mutually beneficially in addressing challenges.
The ability to continuously contribute new insights and solutions to society in the practice, education, research, and personnel development of medical ultrasonography throughout one's career.
【Inquiry Ability】The ability to independently discern and expose the essence of issues in the practice, education, research, and personnel development of medical ultrasonography.
The ability to use specialized knowledge in medical ultrasonography to identify the essence and universality of issues from unique perspectives, and to independently find solutions.
The ability to explain issues in ultrasonography in straightforward language to a broad audience.
【Communication Ability】The ability to demonstrate leadership in the practice, education, research, and personnel development of medical ultrasonography.
The ability to clearly communicate knowledge and techniques to others in the practice, education, research, and personnel development of medical ultrasonography.
The ability to identify and explain medical ultrasonography's role in team medical care.
The ability to engage in discussions with others in order to understand their position, knowledge, and skills in medical contexts.
The ability to build mutually beneficial relationships beyond specialized fields through smooth communication.
【Specialized Ability】The ability to independently research in order to develop new insights, equipment and techniques.
The ability to use knowledge, research methods and techniques as an advanced professional in medical ultrasonography.
The ability to deeply integrate knowledge and skills.
The ability to discover new insights and develop new equipment and techniques.
【Liberal Arts Ability】The ability to maintain multi-perspective views and flexible thinking towards diverse values in order to respond swiftly and wisely to societal changes such as globalization.
The ability to collect and analyze information and utilize it appropriately.
The ability to explain societal changes such as globalization.
The ability to foster personal growth through learning from a wide range of values.
Curriculum Policy
In order to foster students with the abilities set out in the Degree Policy, we will organize and implement the Sonographer Training Course educational curriculum based on the following policies and ideas.
Education Implementation Policy
We will encourage students to continue learning proactively towards the practice of a sustainable society.
Education principles, methods, and evaluation
From the perspective of autonomous and dialogic deep learning, we focus on what students have become capable of, rather than what was taught, and provide the following educational content and methods in General Education, Specialized Education, and Language Education.
【General Education】
Aiming for the development of generic skills, we offer practical activities for all students to learn and grow together.
The standard duration of the doctoral program on the Sonographer Training Course is three years, with students requiring the acquisition of the credits specified by this sub-program, receiving necessary research guidance, conducting interim presentations, and undergoing examinations and reviews for the doctoral thesis.
In the first year "Introduction to Degree Program", we will outline the learner-led approach and the type of persona that this sub-program develops, list learning objectives and outcomes, instruct about research ethics, intellectual property rights and information security, and encourage students to learn autonomously. In the "Inter-Professional Work" course, students from different fields and supporting faculty will conduct interdisciplinary collaboration over the long term by debating health, medical, and welfare issues in the community with the aim of exploring and solving multiple issues. Many students are working at educational institutions or local hospitals. Through multiple evaluations during the course and final presentations, we will encourage students to acquire flexible thinking and a multi-faceted perspective, to respond quickly to societal changes such as globalization, to contribute to the practice and establishment of health promotion, to contribute to the improvement of health, medical, and welfare education, and to develop human resources in the health and medical fields.
The standards and methods of grading for each course will be clearly stated in advance, and learning outcomes will be strictly evaluated based on them. For the master's thesis or specific tasks, the evaluation standards and methods will be clearly stated, and the final examination and review of research outcomes will be conducted based on them. For the doctoral thesis, students will be evaluated at an interim meeting and will be required to pass the final examination and review. For the final examination and review of the doctoral thesis, an examination committee consisting of three or more members will be organized. External researchers can also be invited to be committee members if budgetary measures are possible within the same program. The committee chair will be elected by mutual selection of the committee members.
【Specialized Education】
We provide students with a deep understanding of specialized field content and opportunities to integrate and create knowledge across different specializations.
In the first year, students acquire advanced specialized knowledge through interdisciplinary courses and learning activities that are evaluated by reports, presentations, and so on. From the first year onwards, students engage in topics in close association with faculty, and over a span of three years are supported in the process of compiling these topics into a final thesis. Concurrently, students acquire cutting-edge knowledge and techniques in their research areas, and improve their problem-solving and logical thinking skills. At the midpoint, students must participate in interim presentations conducted with other graduate students and faculty, helping them understand the issues and positioning of their research. Through this process, we aim to develop individuals capable of taking leadership roles in the practice, education, and research of health sciences. We also strive to cultivate individuals with independent research abilities who can contribute to health, medical care, and welfare through the development of new devices and techniques.
To help students through an education spanning specialized fields and high levels of expertise, one faculty member will guide and manage the research process, and the university may allow access to a second faculty member to help respond to individual student need.
For students without practical work experience, we mandate participation in "Internship practice (Doctor)," providing opportunities to put the results of learning into action through local practical experience.
Through the above educational program, we aim to develop individuals who can contribute to the development of human resources in the health and medical field in the international society. They will have flexible thinking from multi-faceted perspectives, can swiftly respond to changes and take a leadership role in the practice, education, and research of health science, and contribute to the practice and establishment of medical science and health promotion.
This educational curriculum executes the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle from various perspectives such as faculty development (FD), internal evaluation, external evaluation, and an analysis of class evaluation questionnaires by students. Through this process we can also make regular improvements that lead to achieving SDGs.
We explicitly state the criteria and methods of grade evaluation for class subjects in advance and rigorously evaluate academic achievements based on them.
【Language Education】
We provide educational opportunities to improve English skills required to live in a global society. Over the three years, these will include presenting research results at international conferences in Japan and abroad, undertaking research activities and internships overseas, and writing research papers in English. These activities will improve student presentation skills, communication abilities, and debate skills in English.
Extracurricular Education Policy
We provide opportunities outside the curriculum for students to experience their own growth beyond classroom learning.