About

Established in 2012, the Graduate Program on Global Society (GSP) is one of the newest innovative graduate programs on the University of Tokyo’s Komaba campus and already one of its most successful, admitting and graduating students from around the world each year. GSP was formed as part of the university’s ongoing effort to develop interdisciplinary platforms capable of training students to respond to the demands and challenges of an increasingly dynamic and interdependent global society. The program is founded on the belief that, in a world that no longer recognizes borders between the political, social, ecological, cultural, and ethical dimensions of human life, the disciplinary boundaries separating the humanities and social sciences need to be reconceived.The program works to undo such disciplinary boundaries by combining the resources of the four principal departments that make up the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Komaba—the Department of Language and Information Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies, Area Studies, and Advanced Social and International Studies—and the Institute for Advanced Global Studies. GSP also works closely with two other cross-departmental programs on campus, the Graduate Program on Human Security (HSP) and the Graduate Program on Global Humanities (GHP), in order to further stimulate scholarly exchange.

Bringing these resources together in one program provides students with access to a wide range of courses and specialists in disciplines ranging from Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, International Relations, Law and Development, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Sociology, and more. Working closely with an academic advisor carefully selected for them from among the entire faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, GSP students have the opportunity to design a curriculum tailored to their individual interests and needs that provides them with a comparative and contextual framework through which to pursue and develop their research.

In order to better address the demands of an increasingly globalized world, the working language of the program is English. Instruction may, however, vary according to individual courses and student interests. Experiential learning programs not offered by the university, such as internships and externships, may also be included in a student’s coursework to encourage further social, cultural, and intellectual exchange. In addition, GSP students have access to courses offered in English or Japanese at other graduate schools in the university system, contingent upon language competency.

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M.A. program
Our M.A. program is tailored for students in the humanities and social sciences interested in the political, social, ecological, cultural, or ethical aspects of human existence in global society. Its curriculum is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the changing situation in Japan, Asia, and global society in general, and to cultivate the skills needed to shape agendas and solve problems. The program is especially suited for those students seeking an M.A. degree before or after entering the business world, government service, the non-governmental sector, or the media as professionals in fields relating to global society. It is also intended as a preparatory step for those wishing to enter our Ph.D. program, described below.

Recent Master’s Thesis Titles [PDF/45.6 KB]

Ph.D. program
Our Ph.D. program is designed to develop highly qualified researchers capable of making original contributions to scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. Students are expected to conduct independent research that focuses on political, social, ecological, cultural, or ethical aspects of human existence in global society. The program is particularly suited for those who wish to pursue careers as researchers or advanced professionals in fields relating to global society.

GSP students will be concurrently enrolled in one of the four departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Language and Information Sciences; Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies; Area Studies; or Advanced Social and International Studies. Students must follow GSP curriculum guidelines, however, in order to meet their degree requirements.