Ph.D./Doctoral Programs (3-Year Doctoral Programs)
Policy Professional Program
*This program currently accepts students who can study in Japanese.
The central focus of this Program, based on GRIPS' aim of training policy practitioners with a high level of both practical knowledge and policy analysis skills based on academic learning, is the execution of doctoral dissertations based on case study research. The Program specifically targets practitioners with substantial professional experience who also have basic policy analysis skills.
First-year students, in principle, attend an intensive series of lectures and seminars, and create a thesis outline. After their second year, they return to their workplaces and their professional duties while continuing dissertation in order to complete their research and earn a doctorate within three years.
The Program seeks to make maximum use of students' experience and awareness of policy issues, combining this efficiently with academic training at GRIPS to generate outstanding case study research and, in the process, hone students' skills as top-class policy practitioners. To this end, the curriculum focuses on development of analytical skills in the necessary academic disciplines, broadening of students' perspectives, and teaching of research skills through such endeavors as thesis writing. In addition to the disciplines of politics and public administration, the program draws widely on areas such as economics, international relations, law, and engineering.
Entry is, in principle, limited to policy practitioners who hold master's degrees and have the necessary practical experience and/or research skills to undertake case study research at the doctoral level. They should have at least 10 years' experience working in organizations such as government departments, journalism, or non-profit organizations.
| Category | Elective or Core |
Course Name | Instructor |
| I Core Subjects | Optional Core | Special Seminar for Policy Process | Iio |
| Special Seminar for Japanese Politics | Takenaka | ||
| Advanced International Relations | Yamamoto | ||
| Special Seminar for Administrative History | TBA | ||
| Scope and Methods of Case Studies | Iio | ||
| Social Science Methodology for Qualitative Analysis | Iio | ||
| Social Science Methodology for Quantitative Analysis | Masuyama | ||
| Policy Process | Iio | ||
| Theories of Public Administration | TBA | ||
| II Policy Analysis Subjects | Optional Core | Advanced Topics in National Development Policy and Infrastructure Investment | Morichi |
| Advanced Topics in Transportation System and Planning | Hibino | ||
| Advanced National Development and Institution for Transportation Infrastructure | Morichi | ||
| Government and Market | Hosoe | ||
| Econometrics | Kurosawa | ||
| Cost-Benefit Analysis | Kidokoro | ||
| Public Economics | Okamoto Ryosuke | ||
| Economic Simulation Analysis | Hosoe | ||
| Agricultural Economics | Hara | ||
| Advanced International Political Economy | Chey | ||
| Advanced Security Studies | Michishita | ||
| International Relations in East Asia | Shiraishi | ||
| Politics and Diplomacy in Postwar Japan | TBA | ||
| Diplomatic History of Modern Japan | TBA | ||
| Comparative Politics | Takenaka | ||
| Advanced Political Economy of Modern Japan | Tsunekawa | ||
| Advanced International Political Economy of Money and Finance | Chey | ||
| Comparative Legislative Systems | Masuyama | ||
| Advanced Political Economy of East Asia | Tsunekawa | ||
| Advanced International Relations in Europe | TBA | ||
| Introduction to Quantitative Analysis | Oyama, Morohosi | ||
| Quantitative Data Analysis | Oyama, Morohosi, Tsuchiya | ||
| Innovation and Social Change | Sumikura | ||
| Policy Design and Implementation in Developing Countries | Ohno Kenichi, Ohno Izumi, Shimamura |
||
| III General Subjects | Elective | Courses not listed in this table, admitted by the Program Committee. | |
| IV Paper Writing | Core | Seminar for Policy Case Studies | Various |
Policy Professionals Program in brief
Trains government officials, journalists, and other practitioners to develop skills for policy analysis through a case study approach
Program Director
Professor Jun Iio
Associate Director
Professor Masako Kurosawa
Professor Mikitaka Masuyama
Degree Offered
Doctor of Policy Studies
Language of Instruction
Japanese
Time Schedule
Program duration...3 years
Enrollment...April, August, October, February
Graduation...as occasion arises
Application Deadline
August - June
Result Notification
November, March, July
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