Graduate School

Graduate School of Medicine

The Graduate School of Medicine was established in 1956 to foster the research capabilities necessary for students to conduct independent research activities as researchers or engage in other highly professional tasks, and to acquire knowledge that forms the basis of such capabilities. Since its establishment, the degree has been given to approximately 2,900 students who are now playing active roles in their respective fields.
In April 2001, the fields of specialization were broadened in order to keep pace with advances in medical science and practice. The initial setup included five specialties (physiology, pathology, social medicine, internal medicine and surgical science) and 39 subjects with an enrollment capacity of 31 students. This has evolved to three specialties consisting of comprehensive research areas in which basic and advanced research results are used in clinical disciplines (community health and comprehensive medicine, molecular and organ regulation, and signal transduction medicine). These three specialties are further subdivided into 11 sub-specialties (58 subjects (currently 62 subjects)) with an enrollment capacity of 50 students.
In the 2008 academic year, five new clinical oncology subjects were added to the Program of Molecular and Organ Regulation and the school now provides two courses of research: the Medical Science Research Course and the Clinical Medicine Research Course. The Cancer Research Course will also be provided from the 2018 academic year. The Medical Science Research Course aims to develop future researchers and educators and its door is widely open to students not only from medical schools but also from different academic disciplines, if they wish to pursue a medical research career. The Cancer Research Course will foster leading medical human resources specializing in cancer (cancer professionals) who can meet new needs in the field of cancer medicine. All courses support students in acquiring scientific, objective and ethical ways of thinking through research while cultivating wide-ranging fundamental knowledge. The Graduate School of Medicine also provides a wide variety of lectures, including seminars by invited external researchers, for students to learn about leading-edge medical studies as well as many e-learning lectures for students living in remote locations.
Moreover, the Medical Science Course (Master’s program), which opened in April 2008, accepts students with different academic backgrounds, regardless of their field of undergraduate study, and fosters professionals with broad-ranging medical knowledge and insights and researchers with deep medical knowledge. The students may go on to the doctoral program.
Research activity

Research activity

Graduate School of Health Sciences

The Graduate School of Health Sciences comprises the Nursing Program and the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Program and each program has a Master’s Program and Doctoral Program.
The Master’s Program was established in April 1998 to provide students with profound knowledge from a broad perspective and cultivate research capabilities for their specialties and the skills necessary for occupations that require high expertise. On the Nursing Course, there are the Master’s Thesis Course, which helps students to improve their research capability in their specialized field, and the Certified Nurse Specialist (CNS) Course, which was established in 2006, to develop high-quality practitioners.
The purpose of the Doctoral Program is to foster research capabilities necessary for the students to conduct independent research activities in their major fields or engage in other highly professional tasks, and to acquire knowledge that forms the basis of such capabilities. The Graduate Program for Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy and the Graduate Program for Nursing were established in April 2000 and April 2006, respectively.
The Graduate School of Health Sciences has research and instruction systems to provide programs which meet diversified needs and to support the development of related academic fields and their activities, and that additionally foster independent and self-directed healthcare professionals who can fulfill the trust placed in them by local communities. The school also offers working adults an entrance exam system, class schedule and extended coursework period.
After completing the graduate program, students are expected not only to become leaders in their specialized field but also specialists who can play an active role in the international community.