Greetings from the Dean
Fostering doctoral Human Resources who can play a central role in solving various issues in Japan and abroad
The Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences provides doctoral education to cultivate human resources with (1) a high level of expertise in agricultural science and related fields and a bird's eye view and international perspective, and (2) the ability to set and solve problems based on a wealth of academic knowledge and a sense of ethics. We guarantee that graduates of this program will become researchers and advanced professionals who possess solid research skills based on a high level of internationality and interdisciplinarity, and who can play a leading role not only in academia but also in society as a whole, including industry.
Today, the world around us is facing increasingly serious environmental, food, energy, and other problems, and solving these problems is an urgent task toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Under these circumstances, it is necessary to nurture “doctoral human resources” who will lead the way to “the right path” without steering the ship in the wrong direction. We are convinced that the Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences is a doctoral program that can meet this demand. In Japan, the number of doctoral degree holders per capita is relatively low compared to other developed countries, and doctoral candidates are not active in various fields in society, which is pointed out to be the cause of Japan's stagnation. Therefore, in order to maintain and improve our country's position as a technological powerhouse, efforts are being made to focus on doctoral education as a national policy.
The “doctoral degree” is an international license granted to those who can provide solutions to complex issues beyond their field of specialization, and is the starting point when taking on the challenge of discovering and solving society's problems. Currently, our Graduate School is working to develop doctoral students who can lead society by: (1) expanding the number of collaborating institutions; (2) introducing a five-year integrated doctoral education system; (3) establishing a web-based conference, entrance examination, class, and degree review system and disseminating information; (4) supporting cross-university research projects; and (5) developing a global network of alumni (Global Alumni Network-RENDAI: GAN-RENDAI). We aim to further strengthen the functions and efficiency of the research and education system, and are actively working on reforms that will benefit all of our students, faculty members, and the organization. We invite all students and professionals from Japan and abroad who are interested in doctoral studies and research activities to join us in our graduate school and aim for higher goals. We sincerely hope that universities, national, public, and private research institutions, companies, and various organizations will continue to support our Graduate School and provide opportunities for our graduates to play an active role.
Dean of the UGSAS
Tsuyoshi KAWANO