Kyoto University curriculum policy

Undergraduate degree programs

1. We will cultivate individuals capable of taking leading roles in various areas of society, through the implementation of liberal arts education that fosters rich intellect and human character, followed incrementally by specialized education that leads to the creation of new knowledge.
2. We will implement a diverse and balanced curriculum of liberal arts education, cultivating students with a rich educational background, humanistic attitude, a strong sense of responsibility, and a highly developed sense of ethics.
3. We will implement basic education with a view to continuity with the education students have received at senior high school level. Building on these foundations we will equip students with specialized knowledge, and reliably foster the intellectual capabilities on which capacity for integrated judgment is founded. At the same time, we will enhance specialized knowledge through numerous activities undertaken at cutting-edge research sites.
4. We will foster cosmopolitan outlooks, intercultural understanding, and communicative competence that will form the basis for leadership roles in both local societies and global environments.
5. In order to equip students with a capacity to respond autonomously and pro-actively to changes in society, we will effectively instill approaches to independent and interactive learning.

Graduate school programs

1. In doctoral programs, we will equip students with fundamental and cutting-edge specialist knowledge and skills informed by the diversity of academic research undertaken at Kyoto University, producing fully-fledged researchers capable of taking active roles internationally. We will also produce leaders with the knowledge and skills required for professional success in various fields of specialization and the capacity to integrate different knowledge and skills.
2. In master's programs, we will build on the outcomes of education at undergraduate level, cultivating broad-ranging and profound scholarly knowledge, equipping students with fundamental and cutting-edge specialist knowledge and skills informed by the diversity of academic research undertaken at Kyoto University, and fostering the abilities required to pursue vocations that demand research skills and high levels of expertise in specialist fields.
3. We will nurture students' ability to locate their own research accurately within their field of specialization, engage in high-level discussion of the significance and outputs of that research, and build collaborative networks as needed.
4. In order to enable students to build a "knowledge system" by situating their own research from a broad perspective without falling into over-specialization in any one field, we will formulate and implement interdisciplinary curricula unfettered by existing disciplinary boundaries, and encourage students to practice research directed to "knowledge creation" that tackles unexplored areas with a pioneering spirit.
5. We will foster students' capacity to extend their research by exploring the fundamental nature of their subject matter, to reflect on their research with a strong sense of responsibility and a highly developed sense of ethics, and to critically and constantly assess whether or not their research is aligned with the principles of harmonious coexistence within the human and ecological communities on this planet.

Professional graduate school programs

1. In line with the university's Mission Statement, we will cultivate individuals capable of making practical contributions to society using the sense of responsibility and ethics expected of high-level professionals.
2. We will nurture students' ability to apply specialized knowledge informed by the diverse academic research undertaken at Kyoto University in order to develop multi-faceted understandings of social problems and the capacity to address those problems in practice.
3. In collaboration with related organizations outside the university, we will offer hands-on education that connects theory with practice, fostering individuals with both specialist knowledge informed by diverse academic research and the practical expertise to contribute to society.

Our students come from a diverse range of backgrounds, and include graduates of bachelor's degree programs in many different fields, and adults with experience in the working world. In order to provide these students with structured specialist knowledge and full readiness for society, keeping in mind the purpose of professional graduate schools, we will implement flexible, practice-based education, including small class sizes, two-way and interactive classes, case studies, and fieldwork.