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

Diploma Policy

Profile of the person to be developed

The Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies develops the below types of people with the aim of creating a new academic discipline transcending the existing framework of academic fields in all Japanese universities, not just at Kyushu University.

  • Those contributing to the development of academic research in Japan by conducting excellent research in their respective fields of specialty
  • Researchers and high-level professionals with the interdisciplinary perspective of Human-Environment Studies

The diploma policies of each department are as follows.

Department of Urban Design, Planning and Disaster Management

The Master’s Program

Urban Design Course

The following are required to obtain a degree in this program.

  • The ability to resolve urban issues and explain methods of planning and designing comfortable and safe urban spaces from an urban design studies perspective
  • The ability to explain the logic and methods to plan and design a variety of spaces
  • The ability to explain methods of designing sustainable cities, communities and lives
  • The ability to bring together tasks from analysis and planning to planning and design using expertise and technology
  • Knowledge of technology to realize safe and comfortable urban spaces
  • Acquisition of academic thinking and a deep understanding of the details of their field of expertise
  • Having developed the perspective to communicate with the wider world through honing the ability of expression (the ability to clearly express one’s own opinions) and the ability to communicate (the ability to debate and understand other fields, and language study)
  • A sense of ethics as a specialist in urban design studies
  • The ability to independently discover issues, propose solutions through objective analysis and one’s own ideas and exercise leadership toward their realization

Urban Disaster Management Course

The following are required to obtain a degree in this program.

  • The ability to understand and explain phenomena such as earthquakes and typhoons and their destructive power, as well as the mechanisms that cause disasters in terms of the vulnerabilities of cities and buildings
  • The ability to understand the concepts of urban disaster management from multifaceted analysis of disaster information and disaster recovery and mitigation to restoration and recovery
  • The ability to respond to natural disaster related issues, based upon engineering ideas and make appropriate proposals concerning disaster forecasting, crisis management and the structure of urban basic safety systems
  • The ability to comprehensively understand training, insight, knowledge and technology regarding a variety of fields related to urban disaster management
  • The basic ability in the information sciences and sufficient abilities of expression and communication to communicate with the world from a broad perspective
  • The drive to solve problems and cooperativeness with others toward resolution
  • The ability to imagine and create the new cities and buildings demanded by society
  • The ability to think of developments in urban disaster management
  • The capacity for continuous self-study

International Master’s Course in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Systems

  • Wide knowledge related to sustainable buildings and cities and the ability to explain one’s own area of specialty from the viewpoint of the relationship with other areas
  • The ability to explain methods and technology to realize sustainable buildings and cities
  • Wide knowledge related to sustainable buildings and cities
  • Expert theory and methods to plan and design sustainable buildings and cities
  • The ability to propose methods to resolve individual issues based upon a high level of expertise concerning sustainable buildings and cities
  • Having developed the perspective to communicate with other fields through honing the ability of expression (the ability to clearly express one’s own opinions) and the ability to communicate (the ability to debate and understand other fields)
  • The ability to thoroughly scrutinize the details of problems and propose and implement methods for their resolution
  • Independently imagine and create new, sustainable buildings and cities demanded by regional and international societies based upon a high level of training and insight
  • A sense of ethics as a specialist in buildings and cities

The Ph.D. Program

Urban Design, Planning and Disaster Management Course

The following are requisites to obtain a degree in this program:

  • The ability to discover issues within and across the fields of urban symbiotic design studies and comprehensively explain theory and methods for their resolution based upon objective analysis and independent ideas
  • In addition to a high level of training and insight and broad knowledge and technology pertaining to cities and buildings, a high degree of urban symbiotic design expert ability in one’s own field of major and research
  • The ability to use the expert ability in one’s own research to contribute to the development of the field of specialization as an independent researcher
  • A high level of expressive and communicative ability and the perspective to interact on a broad, global level
  • The drive and cooperative nature to resolve problems along with the ability to exercise leadership toward realizing the solutions
  • Possessing a self-awareness and sense of ethics as a high-level expert
  • Able to develop the field of Urban Symbiotic Design Studies and make contributions to society

International Doctoral Course in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Systems

The following are requisites to obtain a degree in this program:

  • The ability to explain not just only one’s own field of specialization but its relationship with other areas through possession of a wide range of knowledge concerning sustainable buildings and cities
  • Having methodology to understand the continuity of buildings and cities and multifaceted knowledge concerning technology to realize this sustainment
  • The ability to recommend actual measures for the sustainment of buildings and cities from a comprehensive social, economic and environmental perspective
  • The ability to propose practical resolution methods to individual problems in fields overseas based upon a high level of expertise concerning sustainable buildings and cities
  • Development of the ability to interact on a broad, global level through honing the ability for expression on an international stage (ability to clearly express one’s own views) and the ability to communicate (ability to debate and understand other fields)
  • The ability to thoroughly scrutinize the details of a problem, present methods for their resolution, execute them from a position of leadership, lead teams and train junior-level people
  • International ability to cooperate with people from other countries on an international stage while at the same time having the ability to manage teams

Department of Clinical Psychology and Community Studies

The Master’s Program

Supervisory Training and Research Course in Clinical Psychology

Our policies in conferring degree are stated as follow:

  • At the time of completion of this program, the student should have already acquired clinical psychology basic knowledge and skills.
    At the time of completion of this program, the student should have acquired the ability in conducting clinical psychological fundamental researches in response to various issues within modern society.

Community Studies Course

The below is expected of students completing the program:

  • A high level of specialized skill in independent thinking, quantitative and qualitative research and theory and practice through distinctive social research and practice of symbiotic sociology
  • Occupying an important position through pursuit of research-related work based upon the study of symbiotic sociology
  • The ability to explain the descriptive methods of broad social phenomena and specific social areas
  • The ability to explain a wide range of research methods and how they have been applied to the social sciences
  • Correct mastery of a wide variety of methods based upon the nature of social research and the ability to give advice from its application to its practice
  • The ability to correctly express one’s own thoughts at an academic conference level both domestically and overseas
  • The ability to make applications to new social phenomena and social practice based upon logical thinking skills in the social sciences
  • The ability to deeply scrutinize the details of problems, and present and execute methods for their resolution as well as the ability to manage teams

The Ph.D. Program

Supervisory Training and Research Course in Clinical Psychology

Our policies in conferring degree are stated as follow:

  • At the time of completion of this program, the students will have acquired high level clinical psychology knowledge and techniques.
  • At the time of completion of this program, the students will have acquired the teaching abilities related to clinical psychology.
    At the time of completion of this program, the students will have acquired the abilities in conducting high level clinical psychology researches in response to various issues in modern society.

Community Studies Course

The below points are expected of students graduating from this program.

  • Specialized skill at a global standard in independent thinking skills, quantitative and qualitative analysis and theory and practice through social analysis characteristic of the social sciences
  • Based upon mastery of symbiotic sociology, pursuing work related to research and fulfilling a leadership role in an important position
  • Able to perform independent research activity as a researcher in a specific field of the social sciences through creative research methods that exceed existing methodology
  • Able to exercise correct command of a variety of methods based upon the nature of social research and also provide suggestions from their application to their practice
  • Ability to apply a foundation of logical thinking in the social sciences to new social phenomena and practice and explain methods of notation in a wide variety of social phenomena and specific social fields
  • Ability to explain a wide variety of research methods and how they have been applied to the social sciences

Department of Behavior and Health Sciences

The Master’s Program

Psychology Course

For the attainment of a corresponding degree in these programs, students are required (or strongly recommended) to acquire the following expertise (knowledge and skills) on:

  • (1) theories of psychology and its related fields (if applicable),
  • (2) specialized techniques of problem-finding, data collection, and basic and the most advanced analysis techniques on human behavior and social issues,
  • (3) research-making of originality creativity, based upon critical, logical, but dynamic, engaging thinking and intuition, and
  • (4) collaborative research for intra- and inter-disciplinary expertise (including knowledge and practical skills), so as to perform such research, which eventually allows creative and intriguing connection between human and social issues and individual research fields, and
  • (5) skills for academic presentation, discussions and writing as a means of communicating and disseminating the findings (or achievements) with/to the scientific and public communities.

Health and Sport Sciences Course

The acquisition of high-level expert skill to enable scientific and practical approaches toward health and sports activity related issues in modern society with a basic knowledge and skill across health science, sports science and physical exercise science

The Ph.D. Program

Psychology Course

The psychology course aims to develop those who have the following four types of knowledge and skill: 1) expert knowledge on the background theory of psychology and its related areas, 2) data collection ability that can extract human behavior and social conditions and expert skill in data analysis, 3) original imagination and critical thinking ability that does not rest on existing knowledge and logic and 4) a wide perspective, logical grounding and the ability to perform joint research that enable connection between human and social issues and individual research fields. With such knowledge and skills in mind, students freely think up and propose original research based on flexible imaginations and thinking and collect and analyze appropriate data. We then develop the skills to develop presentations, discussions and theses as a means of communicating the results. Students will be able to apply the knowledge and skills gained in this degree program in a variety of professional backgrounds and actual living by integrating these processes in chronological order in their own research activities.

Health and Sport Sciences Course

Become capable of independent focus on academic research and training at an institution of higher learning based upon acquiring a higher level of expert knowledge, skill and research methods concerning health science, sports science and physical exercise science

Department of Education

The Master’s Program

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

Students graduating from our Masters programmes are expected to have the following knowledge, skills and attitudes.

  • (1) Familiarity with the main methodologies used to research various aspects of education
  • (2) A comprehensive grounding in the disciplines relevant to the study of human learning and development, and a recognition of the close relationship between educational studies, the various social science and humanities disciplines, and psychology.
  • (3) An enhanced understanding of their professional field, along with sharper analytical skills, which will enable them to make significant contributions to the improvement of educational practice, and help in the development of their careers.

The Ph.D. Program

Educational Studies Course

Students graduating from our doctoral programme are expected to have the following knowledge, skills and attitudes.

  • (1) A comprehensive grasp of the main educational research methodologies, and an assured command of those methods relevant to their chosen field.
  • (2) Not only a deeper understanding of their own specialist field, but the ability to communicate that understanding effectively to other scholars, and to a wider, non-specialist audience
  • (3) Related to the above, the capacity and willingness to play a leading role in both scholarly and public debate on educational issues.

Department of Architecture

The Master’s Program

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

In this program, students aim to acquire the below abilities concerning buildings and cities.

  • The ability to explain the theory and methods of the expertise they have acquired to plan, design and build from the below perspectives in a variety of spaces
    – Easy to use, attractive and cherished by people for a long time
    – Comfortable, healthy and resource and energy efficient
    – Mechanically rational and safe in times of disaster
    -Selection of materials and construction methods appropriate for the purpose
  • Being an expert in areas from analysis and planning to design to perform construction encompassing all of these fields and continuously preserve, manage and conduct repairs amidst budgetary and legal limitations
  • Interacting on a broad, global level through honing abilities of expression and communication while using information technology
  • Possessing the self-awareness and sense of ethics as an expert while maintaining a high ambition to learn
  • Comprehensive understanding not just of expertise in the various fields but also of knowledge in the natural and human and social sciences such as history, art and engineering
  • The ability to independently discover problems, conceive methods of resolution through objective analysis and logical thinking and exercise leadership for their execution

International Master’s Course in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Systems

  • Wide knowledge related to sustainable buildings and cities and the ability to explain one’s own area of specialty from the viewpoint of the relationship with other areas
  • The ability to explain methods and technology to realize sustainable buildings and cities
  • Wide knowledge related to sustainable buildings and cities
  • Expert theory and methods to plan and design sustainable buildings and cities
  • The ability to propose methods to resolve individual issues based upon a high level of expertise concerning sustainable buildings and cities
  • Having developed the perspective to communicate with other fields through honing the ability of expression (the ability to clearly express one’s own opinions) and the ability to communicate (the ability to debate and understand other fields)
  • The ability to thoroughly scrutinize the details of problems and propose and implement methods for their resolution
  • Independently imagine and create new, sustainable buildings and cities demanded by regional and international societies based upon a high level of training and insight
  • A sense of ethics as a specialist in buildings and cities

The Ph.D. Program

Architecture Course

In this program, students aim to acquire the below abilities concerning buildings and cities.

  • The ability to explain the theory and methods of the expertise they have acquired to plan, design and build from the below perspectives in a variety of spaces
    – Easy to use, attractive and cherished by people for a long time
    – Comfortable, healthy and resource and energy efficient
    – Mechanically rational and safe in times of disaster
    -Selection of materials and construction methods appropriate for the purpose
  • Being an expert in areas from analysis and planning to design to perform construction encompassing all of these fields and continuously preserve, manage and conduct repairs amidst budgetary and legal limitations
  • Interacting on a broad, global level through honing abilities of expression and communication while using information technology
  • Possessing the self-awareness and sense of ethics as an expert while maintaining a high ambition to learn
  • Comprehensive understanding not just of expertise in the various fields but also of knowledge in the natural and human and social sciences such as history, art and engineering
  • The ability to independently discover problems, conceive methods of resolution through objective analysis and logical thinking and exercise leadership for their execution
  • The ability to contribute to development of one’s area of expertise as an independent researcher by using expert architectural abilities in performing research

International Doctoral Course in Sustainable Architecture and Urban Systems

The following are requisites to obtain a degree in this program:

  • The ability to explain not just only one’s own field of specialization but its relationship with other areas through possession of a wide range of knowledge concerning sustainable buildings and cities
  • Having methodology to understand the continuity of buildings and cities and multifaceted knowledge concerning technology to realize this sustainment
  • The ability to recommend actual measures for the sustainment of buildings and cities from a comprehensive social, economic and environmental perspective
  • The ability to propose practical resolution methods to individual problems in fields overseas based upon a high level of expertise concerning sustainable buildings and cities
  • Development of the ability to interact on a broad, global level through honing the ability for expression on an international stage (ability to clearly express one’s own views) and the ability to communicate (ability to debate and understand other fields)
  • The ability to thoroughly scrutinize the details of a problem, present methods for their resolution, execute them from a position of leadership, lead teams and train junior-level people
  • International ability to cooperate with people from other countries on an international stage while at the same time having the ability to manage teams

Department of Clinical Psychology Practice (Professional Graduate School)

Professional Graduate School of Applied Clinical Psychology

Gaining practical ability in the field of clinical psychology to adapt to a wide range of clinical psychology venues such as health care, education, social welfare and law as well as the ability to handle a variety of levels of psychological support work in lifespan development, work in intervention level psychological support such as individual, group and network system levels and conduct collaboration on a regional level and with other fields