Koichi Suga
Dean of the
Graduate School of
Economics
Graduate School of
Economics
Each day, we become more interconnected. Our mutual dependence extends beyond individual ties to include different regions and nations, ensuring that the social and economic issues we face can no longer be solved by any single person, region, or country. Our interdependence grows stronger with the progress of globalization and technological innovation, even as these advances radically alter the structures that make up the world in which we live. Market economies are spreading across the globe—and as they do, countries, regions, and citizens are relying more heavily on one another in terms of their political, social, cultural, and technological dimensions. At the heart of these changes lie the numerous innovations brought about by our advancing information technology, which create an interdependent world of citizens no longer limited by national borders—making it impossible for any one country to solve problems on its own. At the same time, we cannot forget the threats posed by our natural environment. No matter how advanced our science and technology, we have no choice but to respect the uncontrollable power of nature. We cannot forget that ecological issues, natural disasters, and other environmental concerns are gaining strength even as our civilizations become more advanced and refined.
There is a great need for academic insight as a means of resolving these difficult issues. Scholarship has developed and progressed on numerous fronts, bringing increasing specialization and sophistication while propelling further innovation. In recent years, we have also seen the growing importance of interdisciplinary studies, which integrate many different academic fields. Globalization, for example, is not merely an economic phenomenon, but a political, social, and cultural one as well—meaning that it cannot be fully understood without an interdisciplinary approach to research. As contemporary society develops, we see academics also developing and progressing in a multitude of ways, allowing us to find solutions to the many problems that social development brings. The study of economics is no exception, where interdisciplinary research is rapidly proliferating as our traditional economic theories are expanded and refined, for a rich and flourishing academic landscape.
Our graduate school has worked tirelessly to put together an education environment that promotes insightful research in line with recent advances in the academic world. In addition to cutting-edge research in each of our specialty fields, our school has served as the hub for the Global COE Program adopted by Japan's Ministry of Education, a follow-up project to the 21st Century Center Of Excellence (COE) Program, since 2008. As part of the Global COE Program, we have been working with the Graduate School of Political Science to promote groundbreaking interdisciplinary activities under the name Political Economy of Institutional Construction. These activities have been met with much enthusiasm within Waseda University and beyond. In terms of education, we have been actively working to develop exchange activities with several graduate schools both at home and abroad. In Japan, we've set up a system of credit transfers with the Graduate School of Economics at Keio University and the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Internationally, we've set up a faculty exchange program for intensive courses with Renmin University of China and a collaborative student advisory program with City University of Hong Kong. In addition to these initiatives, we have been providing a variety of services benefitting doctoral students, such as subsidies for joint research guidance, research bulletins, and reports on academic conferences. Thanks to these efforts, we have seen a drastic increase in the number of students completing their PhD in economics in recent years.
At the same time, to keep pace with current global changes, we have been working to bring in a large number of diverse students both from within Japan and abroad. Beginning with the 2009 academic year, we set up a variety of different pathways for students to enter our school, including greatly expanding our admissions system and setting up a September-to-September academic calendar to make it easier for foreign students to attend. And in order to make consistent English instruction possible, we now offer English-only master's level and doctorate degrees. At the Graduate School of Economics, we believe it is our mission to further enhance our programs in a way that allows us to become not only a Japanese graduate school, but a global graduate school. Another priority issue is training our students to become highly specialized personnel in the workforce, which an increasing number of our PhD students are entering upon graduation. We also continue to investigate the kinds of programs and curriculum that will respond to today's diverse global needs. For the Global Political Economy Course which we initiated with the Graduate School of Political Science, we are looking to offer a new program with further enhancements. Today's world demands more sophisticated education in several areas, and we believe that offering learning opportunities that address the diverse needs of our modern society is an urgent priority.
Keeping up with increasingly specialized and sophisticated academic programs is no easy task, and becoming involved in interdisciplinary studies is even more difficult. Still, this trend also represents an exciting intellectual journey with the opportunity to reap both tangible and intangible rewards. Success in today's society hinges on knowledge and good judgment, and it is our sincere hope that more people will boldly take up the challenge that graduate school offers with a strong sense of purpose and a clear awareness of the problems our interdependent society must overcome.