Graduate School Program
FASID/GRIPS Joint Graduate Program
Curriculum
Coursework / Internship / English Program / Introductory Mathematics and Economics / Applied Development Research
■ Coursework
GRIPS runs on a quarterly system. The Fall Term starts in October and runs for four months, followed by the two-month Winter Term which begins in February, the four-month Spring Term which starts in April, and the two-month Summer Term starting in August.
The FASID/GRIPS joint graduate program is sequenced in such a way that students first study core subjects with a strong focus on development economics necessary to understand development issues. Then they apply the knowledge to real-life situations, identifying problems and analyzing causal factors. The program is of global standard and offers a series of advanced-level lectures.
In Fall Term, students take required courses including Strategies and Conditions for Development, in which students learn the basic theories of development economics. In Microeconomics, students learn how various actors relate to each other at the micro level. Quantitative Methods covers essential data analysis required for all subsequent courses. In Winter Term, students take core courses including Government and Market, where they learn basic theories on the roles of government, market, and community. Macroeconomics covers the performance of the macro economy, and Development Project Analysis explores the tools to evaluate development projects such as cost-benefit analysis. Also, an omnibus course, Japanese Development Cooperation, is offered to discuss the practical aspects of Japanese development assistance, featuring guest-practitioners and experts on Japanese ODA.
In Spring Term, on the basis of the knowledge students have learned in the required courses, various elective courses are offered. Students are free to choose courses following their own interests (Recommended Elective, Elective). In Summer Term, two intensive courses are offered by distinguished professors invited from abroad (Guest Lecturers for Intensive Courses). This provides valuable opportunities for students to interact with leading scholars from around the world and receive state-of-the-art lectures from them.
Apart from these lectures, Applied Development Research is offered over three terms (Fall, Winter, & Spring), in which students choose topics of interest and work on writing an analytical paper. Students conduct several presentations in class and, seeking advice from the professors on paper structure and logic as well as language use, they complete their papers at the end of the Spring Term.
★ Course Contents
★ Curriculum for the Academic Year 2009-2010
■ Internship
Students who have successfully completed the one-year graduate coursework are required to participate in an internship at one of a variety of organizations within Japan from October for a maximum of six months. With assistance from FASID, students choose an organization of their interest which they will be attached to. In the past, international students have been attached to the organizations below.
■ English Program
Intensive English Program (IEP) / Lecturer : Colin Rundle
The Intensive English Program (IEP) is offered to students whose English proficiency does not meet the graduate program requirements (TOEFL 600/CBT 250/iBT 100 or IELTS Band 7) as preparation for the graduate coursework which starts in October. The IEP is scheduled from July to August inclusively and aims to equip students with necessary English Language and basic academic skills. Minimum admission requirements for the IEP are TOEFL 550/CBT 213/iBT 79 or IELTS Band 6.5 .
Academic English Support Program（AESP) / Lecturer : Colin Rundle
The Academic English Support Program aims to provide English language assistance to students during their graduate coursework. In particular, summary writing practice will be conducted for Strategies and Conditions for Development course (Fall term) and Government and Market course (Winter term) to hone exam writing skills and reinforce the lecture content. In addition, writing/editing assistance encompassing both language use and organizational structure will be provided for Applied Development Research series (Fall, Winter, Spring terms).
■ Introductory Mathematics and Economics(IME)
The Introductory Mathematics and Economics Course (IME) aims to provide the core principles of economics and mathematics to students who have either not taken introductory economics or taken it some time ago and thus would benefit from refreshing their knowledge. By the end of the course, the students are expected to be primed to take intermediate courses in economics and quantitative methods that are required in the regular semesters. The economics portion will cover the basics of microeconomics, and the math portion will cover basic mathematical skills frequently used in economics and quantitative methods. The course will be held in September for three weeks. Students who have successfully completed IME will be given 2 credits from GRIPS.
■ Applied Development Research (ADR)
The purposes of this course are to strengthen the analytical skills of students and to develop their ability to prepare and present an academic paper. The seminar will be conducted over three terms: Fall, Winter, and Spring. Students will choose topics based on their own interests, prepare a review of the literature and/or analyze relevant data, conduct several presentations, and finalize their research papers in the Spring Term with support from the professors and English instructor.
★ Research Paper Title List
9th Batch (2009)
8th Batch (2008)
7th Batch (2007)
6th Batch (2006)
5th Batch (2005)
4th Batch (2004)
3rd Batch (2003)
2nd Batch (2002)
