Kyushu UniversityGraduate School of Human-Environment Studies　
Faculty of Human-Environment Studies

Human-Environment Studies is designed on a basis of the aforementioned vision, and focuses on what the ideal student we wish to develop is. Our program is comprised of two aims; first of all, we aim to master existing academic fields. Secondly, we aim to create and develop the discipline called Human-Environment Studies.

In order to achieve these two aims, the Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies is designed to include five departments, comprising of eleven courses, as well as one professional graduate school. The common goal for the all departments and courses is to provide a broad and comprehensive education ranging from engineering technology to the humanities.

The fundamental vision of the educational program of the Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies in the Master’s, Ph.D., and Professional Graduate School programs is as follows:

The Master’s Program

In order to create and develop the Human-Environment Studies discipline, which is the second aim of our educational program, we have implemented two measures. Firstly, a core curriculum, “Human-Environment Studies”, was set up as a semi-mandatory subject, allowing all students in every department to participate. Secondly, students are offered to take up other subjects from different courses. As a result, students are now able to master interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. That is to say, students who wish to concentrate on a single academic area are able to choose subjects offered in their course, while students who wish to learn various disciplines and gain interdisciplinary knowledge are able to choose various subjects from different courses.

The Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program offers the opportunity to master advanced professional knowledge as well as cultivate skills to expand conventional research methodologies. An instruction system to nurture advanced researchers who will engage in education and research in higher education institutions is also provided.

Professional Graduate School of Applied Clinical Psychology

A characteristic of the Professional Graduate School is that we offer more opportunities for students to experience clinical practice; practical application is the focus of the curriculum. The Faculty members of practitioners are in charge of specialties in clinical areas (such as education, welfare, and medical health) so that students are able to acquire a wide range of clinical practical skills. In addition, dissertations are case-based in order to improve students’ clinical practice skills.

The Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies aims to provide high quality guidance to students with the system of multi-supervisors in the Master’s and Ph.D. programs and Professional Graduate School. We conduct education focused on fieldwork, practical studies and experiments, since human-environment studies is a practical and empirical science. Needless to add, this does not mean that we do not value the importance of theoretical and basic research. It is of course necessary to conduct basic research to form new theories and paradigms, and to avoid the “band-aid solution” that can result in a solely applied-study approach.

The curriculum policies of each department are as follows.

• Department of Urban Design, Planning and Disaster Management
• Department of Clinical Psychology and Community Studies
• Department of Behavior and Health Sciences
• Department of Education
• Department of Architecture
• Department of Clinical Psychology Practice (Professional Graduate School)

Urban Design Course

The curriculum in the Masters’ program is designed to be comprehensive in scope, offering subjects from theory to planning and designing. With a combination of lectures and seminars, students deepen expertise and knowledge through experiments, practical fieldwork and workshops inside or outside of the university. Also, a studio is available to cultivate the skills to plan and design cities or architectures while applying the creative works with acquired knowledge. Finally, a special research project taken under the direction of two supervisors is also offered.

Urban Disaster Management Course

The curriculum in the Masters’ program is designed to be comprehensive in scope, offering subjects from theory to planning and designing. With a combination of lectures and seminars, students deepen expertise and knowledge through experiments, practical fieldwork and workshops inside or outside of the university. Also, a studio is available to cultivate the skills to plan and design cities or architectures while applying the creative works with acquired knowledge. Finally, a special research project taken under the direction of two supervisors is also offered.

International Master’s Course in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Systems

The aim of this program is to obtain the skills required to be an expert pursuing sustainable cities and buildings. Concretely speaking, the issues are gaining the ability to understand a variety of fields related to sustainment (a bird’s eye view), not just the specialized fields of cities and buildings; cooperating while communicating actively on an international level (international ability), and the ability to propose practical methods to resolve individual issues in each field based on a high level of expertise (practical skills). Training in the methods and technology to realize sustainable cities and buildings achieves this through expert lectures by instructors working in the field of cities and buildings and related areas and experiencing practical onsite fieldwork and workshops related to urban issues in Asia and improvement of living environments as well as studios and seminars where practitioners interact.

Urban Design, Planning and Disaster Management Course

Students will acquire advanced specialized knowledge of their research field during the Ph.D. program. We provide opportunities for students to do research with three supervisors who are experts in their respective field, in order to help the student’s ability to devise and solve a problem by themselves.

International Doctoral Course in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Systems

The purpose of this program is to acquire the abilities necessary to become a high-level expert pursuing the sustainment of cities and buildings. Concretely speaking, this means gaining the ability to understand a variety of fields related to sustainment, not just one’s own cities and buildings specialization, along with the ability to explain sustainment issues (bird’s eye view), cooperating while communicating actively on an international stage (international ability), and the ability to propose practical methods to resolve individual issues in each field based on a high level of expertise and execute them from a position of leadership (practical skills). To achieve these goals, this course is composed of specialized lectures from speakers with rich interdisciplinary backgrounds. There is also emphasis on a wide range of fieldwork and practical research and experimentation, and individual research instruction offers careful guidance to students through a system of multiple advising faculty.

Supervisory Training and Research Course in Clinical Psychology

Our program has set curriculum to fulfill the requirement in obtaining Clinical Psychologist qualification (certified by the Foundation of the Japanese Certification Board for Clinical Psychologists). The curriculum construct of lectures for clinical psychology basic knowledge and intervention skills; and practicum to acquire practical abilities in psychotherapy and psychological assessment. The practicum are available as external practicum attaching to professional institutions in the fields of medical, social welfare and education; and internal practicum within program facility (Center for Clinical Psychology and Human Development of Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies).

Community Studies Course

Students enrolled in this program will receive the following training:

• Gaining the ability to explain social phenomena in the area of theory and practice or social research with a focus on either cultural anthropology, religion, folklore, sociometrics, regional welfare sociology, family sociology or research that cuts across these fields
• Gaining the ability to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze data obtained from participants, observation, interviews, questionnaires and surveys
• Gaining the skill to comprehensively understand high-level expert knowledge
• Gaining methodology and reasoning ability in the social sciences
• Acquire high-level understanding of the details of their field of expertise as well as academic thinking
• Development of the perspective for exchange with other fields through honing the ability for expression (ability to clearly express one’s views) and communication (the ability to debate and understand other fields, the study of language)
• Gaining the ability to understand issues related to globalism and regional society through learning in a specialized field

Our program has set the curriculum to enable the study on high level professional knowledge and high level research abilities in clinical psychology. On top of that, this curriculum is constructed to enable learning of necessary teaching abilities on clinical psychology professional education for engaging to work in higher education institutions.

Community Studies Course

Students enrolled in this program will receive the below training.

• Gaining the ability to explain from a deep level of knowledge social phenomena in the area of theory and practice or social research with a focus on either cultural anthropology, religion, folklore, sociometrics, regional welfare sociology, family sociology or research that cuts across these fields
• Gaining the ability to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze data obtained from participants, observation, interviews, questionnaires and surveys and create research results
• Gaining methods and theoretical and critical thinking ability in the social sciences
• Acquire a prominent understanding of the details of the field of specialization as well as academic thinking
• Development of the perspective for exchange with other fields through honing the ability for expression (ability to clearly express one’s views) and communication (the ability to debate and understand other fields, the study of language)
• The ability to express one’s thoughts through English-language presentations and Q&A sessions in international conferences

Psychology Course

To meet the goals stated in our diploma policy, students enrolled in the psychology programs are required 1) to acquire knowledge and skills in psychology and/or its related fields and 2) to participate actively in the provided interdisciplinary research and related educational courses for this discipline, which is a newly and uniquely developed in our School of Human-Environment Studies.

In the Master’s Program, we strongly encourage all students in the School to take interdisciplinary courses (especially ones related to Human-Environment Studies) so as to facilitate their acquisition and emergent co-making of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, by providing a wide variety of courses and research opportunities, not only in psychology but in other fields in the School.

In the Doctoral Program, we continue to provide more researcher/professional-focused training for psychological expertise to be an independent researcher/professional who research and teach as an expert researcher and educator at the high-level institutions.

Health and Sport Sciences Course

While offering a varied curriculum across the humanities and the social and natural sciences (exercise and sport psychology, sport cultural studies and sociology, exercise physiology and biochemistry and exercise epidemiology and medical prescriptions) toward developing the ability to independently and aggressively read and resolve issues concerning health and sports activities from a wide interdisciplinary perspective; based on this our system promotes high-level research in the students’ chosen area of specialization.

Psychology Course

After meeting our admission policies that target the type of people we develop, students studying in the training program in the behavioral systems major psychology course aim for 1) the acquisition of an academic field in psychology and 2) the development and creation of the discipline of Human-Environment Studies. We have Master’s Degree and Doctoral programs to realize these goals. In the Master’s Degree Program, we support student study in all majors by providing interdisciplinary courses including Human-Environment Studies. Also, the system enables acquisition of interdisciplinary skills and knowledge through study of a wide variety of classes not just in psychology but also in other courses and majors. In the Doctoral Program, in addition to acquiring a high-level of expertise, the system of instruction cultivates the ability to develop independent research methods to train expert researchers to work in educational research in high-level training institutes.

Health and Sport Sciences Course

We provide a system of multiple faculty advisors to instill a high-level of expert knowledge concerning health science, sports science and physical exercise science and nurture the ability to handle the health issues of modern society and sports issues with independent research and training methods.

Course in Systems of Contemporary Educational Practices /
Course in Systems of Comprehensive Human Formation

As well as offering training in educational research methods, our curriculum enables students to take an interdisciplinary approach to their studies, through taking a range of optional courses from amongst those offered in the Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, and elsewhere in the university. We encourage students to consider a variety of possible approaches to educational research, ranging from the more abstract and theoretical to the more empirically-grounded and practice-oriented. Wherever possible or appropriate, we seek to promote an openness to interdisciplinary approaches.

The Ph.D. Program

Educational Studies Course

As well as offering training in educational research methods, our curriculum enables students to take an interdisciplinary approach to their studies, through taking a range of optional courses from amongst those offered in the Faculty of Human-Environment Studies, and elsewhere in the university. We encourage students to consider a variety of possible approaches to educational research, ranging from the more abstract and theoretical to the more empirically-grounded and practice-oriented. Wherever possible or appropriate, we seek to promote an openness to interdisciplinary approaches.

Course in Architectural Planning and History /
Course in Environmental Design and Control in Architecture /
Architectural Structures and Materials Course

The Master’s program is comprised of an educational program where students can learn about architecture broadly and comprehensively, ranging from theory to practical application. With a combination of lectures and seminars, students deepen expertise and knowledge through experiments, practical fieldwork and workshops inside or outside of the university. Also, a studio is available to cultivate the skills to plan and design architectural space, by applying acquired techniques. Finally, a special research project taken under the direction of two supervisors is also offered.

International Master’s Course in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Systems

The aim of this program is to obtain the skills required to be an expert pursuing sustainable cities and buildings. Concretely speaking, the issues are gaining the ability to understand a variety of fields related to sustainment (a bird’s eye view), not just the specialized fields of cities and buildings; cooperating while communicating actively on an international level (international ability), and the ability to propose practical methods to resolve individual issues in each field based on a high level of expertise (practical skills). Training in the methods and technology to realize sustainable cities and buildings achieves this through expert lectures by instructors working in the field of cities and buildings and related areas and experiencing practical onsite fieldwork and workshops related to urban issues in Asia and improvement of living environments as well as studios and seminars where practitioners interact.

Course in Architectural Planning and History /
Course in Environmental Design and Control in Architecture /
Architectural Structures and Materials Course

The Ph.D. program offers opportunities to acquire advanced expertise knowledge relevant to the students’ research field, as well as master the ability to independently devise and solve a problem. To achieve this, we provide three faculty members from fields relevant to the student’s expertise to instruct and give supervision.

International Doctoral Course in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Systems

The purpose of this program is to acquire the abilities necessary to become a high-level expert pursuing the sustainment of cities and buildings. Concretely speaking, this means gaining the ability to understand a variety of fields related to sustainment, not just one’s own cities and buildings specialization, along with the ability to explain sustainment issues (bird’s eye view), cooperating while communicating actively on an international stage (international ability), and the ability to propose practical methods to resolve individual issues in each field based on a high level of expertise and execute them from a position of leadership (practical skills). To achieve these goals, this course is composed of specialized lectures from speakers with rich interdisciplinary backgrounds. There is also emphasis on a wide range of fieldwork and practical research and experimentation, and individual research instruction offers careful guidance to students through a system of multiple advising faculty.

The Department of Clinical Psychology Practice offers balanced subjects with lectures and exercises centered on theoretical studies, and practical studies centered on practical learning, in order to cultivate advanced professionals in clinical psychology. We offer practical training and practical education at facilities in the university, especially in such three main areas in clinical psychology as medical services, education, and welfare. We also offer a curriculum in which students can fulfill the requirements to take the examination to be an “approved clinical psychologist” held by the Foundation of the Japanese Certification Board for Clinical Psychologists and they are also exempted from the duty of the dissertation exam.