Waseda is about to change ...Let's take an MBA degree at Waseda!

Starting next academic year you will be able to get MBA in four graduate schools at Waseda!

Due to the "Professional Graduate Schools system" which the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) is developing, many universities are now establishing graduate schools that enable their students to get MBA (Master of Business Administration) degrees. At present, you can earn an MBA at the following three schools:

• The Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies: Business School
• The Graduate School of Finance, Accounting and Law: Finance School
• The Graduate School of Commerce: Professional Course

(Note: The Graduate School of Commerce is not a Professional School, but one of its programs is designed to be open to working adults.)

In addition to these three schools, in 2005, the Accounting School will be opened. Then there will be four ways to get an MBA degree at Waseda.

All the degrees that you can get in these schools are called "MBA" in English, but they differ from each other in Japanese. Each school runs its own programs based on its own educational ideas. Here are some special features of the MBA programs at Waseda.

The Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies: Business School

The MBA(Master of Business Administration for Professionals) program at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Business School consists of two courses.

1. Strategic Management
The course covers the fields of financial management and economics, organizational behavior and human resources management, strategic management and business policy. This course aims at educating professionals who will take a lead in planning and execution of strategic management and strategic organization.

2. Entrepreneurship Management
In this course, you can study entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting and corporate finance. The purpose of this course is the education of future leaders to attain mastery of entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting and corporate finance. Lectures are offered during the day and there are four terms. If you take a 2-year program, you can start in September, too. If you take a 1-year program, it is basically required that you have worked for more than 5 years, but the 2-year program does not require working experience, though it is welcomed. On Fridays and Saturdays, you can take Management of Technology Program (MOT) called a "science-oriented MBA".

The Graduate School of Finance, Finance School

The MBA (Master of Finance for Professionals) program specializes in "finance" and is offered to future career businesspersons. The course is not limited to finance in a narrow sense--such as financial institutions. You can study finance in a broader sense, for example the establishment and use of funds by families, companies, and the public sector. To conform to the rapid transition to market finance, the school produces graduates who have extensive knowledge of the theories of finance, accounting, financial analysis and laws, and who have a wide-ranging knowledge of the entire filed of finance. The campus is located in the Mecca of Japanese finance, Nihonbashi (5F of KOREDO Nihonbashi). Making good use of a location where you can get the latest financial information, a student can be completely in touch with the trends of the monetary system and the capital market. Lectures are offered in the evening on weekdays (18:15~21:30) and on Saturdays. It is a 2-year course and there are two terms. You can enter in April or September. It is preferred that you have working experience, but it is not required. There is also a recommendation system for Waseda students.

The Graduate School of Commerce: Professional Course

The purpose of this MBA program is to impart general knowledge of management, essential to an MBA-holder, and special skills for future executives.
One of the features of the course is that you choose your major out of several modules (groups of specialized subjects) which are offered every year, before you enter the school. You take some core subjects and get the general knowledge of management, and at the same time you take some subjects in a module and acquire specialized knowledge. The contents of the modules change every year to meet the needs of the society. Here are five modules which will be offered in 2005.

• Strategic Management in Credit Business
• Competitive Strategy and Information Technology
• Brand Communication Strategy
• International Business -Developing Global Leadership-
• Pension Management with Mathematical Perspective

Lectures are offered at night (19:00~22:05) on weekdays and on Saturdays. It is a 2-year course and there are two terms. You can enter only in April. It is required to have working experience of more than three years.

Advantage of taking an MBA program

Although each program differs from the others, all the MBA programs have common advantages. Curricula are solid so that you can study management effectively. The schools use educational methods by which you can acquire the ability to solve problems. Professors and students with various backgrounds form a stimulating human network and new business chances can be found. Now, about 500 students are enrolled in Waseda MBA programs. Most of them are businesspeople who attend school while they work. Many students are fascinated with the more fruitful study environment which is significantly different from what they remember from their undergraduate days. Many take the course to systematize and place on a theoretical foundation what they have learned through practical experience. The world is changing rapidly. Some people may feel that they need to study again after they get out into the world. Waseda is waiting for such people.