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Program Details

Program Details

Welcome from the Dean

Professor TOKUMOTO Minoru
Dean, Graduate School of Law
Kyushu University

In our increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world, young professionals are confronted with many new challenges. The Comparative Study of Politics and Administration in Asia (CSPA) program offered by the Faculty of Law at Kyushu University is a pioneering step towards resolving pressing contemporary issues in Asia.
We are proud to offer students of political science and public policy the opportunity of participating in our CSPA program. The graduate level programs offered by the Faculty of Law at Kyushu University are designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the challenges of a global world, and we are firmly committed to developing an outstanding group of future leaders.
As Dean of the Faculty of Law, I have been fortunate to oversee remarkable progress in the fields of comparative politics and administration. I look forward to welcoming many new generations of international students to our faculty and university.

The Program:

The CSPA program consists of two years of study, beginning in October. Our first year students are expected to undertake coursework and become exposed to academic writing and discussions. The second year students will focus on their MA thesis through monthly thesis workshops as well as Joint Workshops with foreign universities. By the end of the two-year course, all the students will acquire the knowledge and strong analytical and presentation skills necessary for policy formation. A student with outstanding performance may finish the course in 1 year.

The CSPA program will confer upon those who successfully complete all course requirements a degree of Master of Laws. Requirements include the submission of coursework, and the program culminates in the submission of a master’s thesis reflecting a deep understanding of the issues involved in the comparative study of politics and administration in Asia.
Please see subjects provided by the CSPA program from 2020:

Research Literacy Political Studies Public Policy International
Relations
Introductory Academic Literacy Introduction to
Politics
Introduction to
Public Policy
Introduction to
International
Relations
Foundational Research
Methodology
National
Governance
Development and
Good Governance
Global
Governance
Local Governance Governance and
Public Philosophy
Regional
Governance
Developmental Thesis Workshop Japanese Politics Energy and
Environmental
Policy
International
Relations and
Human Rights
International Joint
Workshop
Japanese
Diplomacy
Security Policy International
Relations in East
Asia
(other courses) (other courses) (other courses) (other courses)

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Please see the ACADEMIC CALENDAR
See the rich and diverse work our students have conducted in their FINAL THESES

The Faculty of Law:

The Faculty of Law was founded in 1924 as a department within the Faculty of Law and Humanities and achieved full independent status in 1949. A distinctive feature of law faculties in Japan is that they were initially established with the aim of educating civil servants. They thus contributed to socio-economic development by educating successive generations of public servants as well as providing law graduates to other sectors of society. One consequence of this has been the inclusion of political scientists and students of public administration/policy within law faculties.

The Faculty of Law at Kyushu University has also been the forefront of the growth of education for international students in Japan. In 1994, an LL.M. program was established in the Graduate School of Law, the first program of its kind to be taught entirely in English offered by a Japanese university. The CSPA program was established five years later.

The University:

The history of Kyushu University dates back to 1903, when Fukuoka Medical College was founded. In 1911, Kyushu Imperial University was established as the fourth imperial university of Japan. The university was renamed as Kyushu University in 1947, when the new educational system was introduced after World War II.

The total number of students is around 18,000, with around 2000 faculty members. International exchange programs are key to Kyushu University’s future. With this in mind, the university accepts many overseas students each year. At present, there are more than 2,000 international students from about 100 countries studying with us.

ALUMNI VOICES

Carlo KREUGER (CSPA 2012-2014, The Netherlands)

Senior Associate, State Street Trust and Banking Co., Ltd.

Carlo KREUGER

I first heard about the CSPA in 2010 when I was an exchange student at Kyushu University. Having already fallen in love with Fukuoka and Kyushu University, I was eager to come back for my master’s degree. During my bachelor’s degree in Japan Studies, I specialized in International Relations, so being able to come back to Kyushu University when I joined the CSPA in 2012 was like a dream come true.

Since day one, the CSPA faculty and associated staff have been fantastic. They have welcomed us warmly, and have been tremendously helpful in overcoming whatever obstacles we were facing with our studies or privately. During this two-year period I have come to know them to be more than just my professors, I have come to see them as my friends.

As for the program, the CSPA provides a large variety of subjects, giving students many opportunities to develop themselves broadly and find a subject closest to their liking. Moreover, with students coming from all over the world, the CSPA is incredibly diverse. This stimulates academic discussions in the classroom, exposing you to many points of view. As a result, I feel that I have left the CSPA more open-minded and with a deeper understanding of the world.

I also tremendously enjoyed the workshops that the CSPA held abroad with other universities. These were great opportunities for us to experience not only an entirely different culture and living circumstances compared to Japan, but also provided us with a unique view into the academic workings of these countries.

The CSPA provides a challenging and stimulating environment, allowing you to challenge yourself both academically as well as personally. Moreover, it enables you to develop a solid foundation for life after graduation. I have greatly enjoyed my time at the CSPA, leaving me with many great memories and new friends. It has greatly benefited me, as it is thanks to the CSPA that I had the freedom and capability to start a career at a large Japanese company.

Hinako INOUE (CSPA 2017-2020, Japan)

Kyodo News

Hinako INOUE

The two years in which I studied as part of the CSPA program was one of the most precious periods of my life. I was always keen on studying regionalism in East Asia in order to understand how it could bepromoted within politics as well as for economic imperatives. As I did not have an opportunity to learn the political dynamics of regionalism in my undergraduate days, it was very exciting to join the CSPA Program. Great professors provided every course, and they inspired me to acquire a deep understanding of what is going on in East Asia.

In the rich diversity of the CSPA students, I feel that not only my academic skills but also my personality as a global citizen have developed. Sharing our thoughts and ideas with students from all over the world allowed me to open my eyes a little wider. It has taught me that there are tons of things I should know about the world. When you come face-to-face with something you do not understand, making the effort to learn new things is a much better response than choosing to remain ignorant. I think it was those experiences that made me able to work as a journalist for Kyodo News in Japan.

Kyushu University, where I spent my seven years, is now filled with memories of my youth. Fukuoka is now my second hometown. As a Japanese student, I was very grateful that the CSPA program provided me with an English-speaking environment in which to study and develop. Not everyone can go abroad to study for many reasons, but the CSPA meant that I did not have to.

Wenyun LIU (CSPA 2018-2020, China)

Japan Reporter, All Now, Beijing

Wenyun LIU

The best time that I had as a student was when I was studying in the CSPA Program at Kyushu University. The beautiful scenery of Ito campus created a fantastic environment for doing research. For two years, I’ve learnt a tremendous amount through the lectures of our Professors, the joint workshops held with other universities, and the discussions between students. Also I experienced plenty of adventures both on Campus, in Fukuoka and even oversea with my friends.

While life in Fukuoka gave me a wonderful memories of my time in Japan, then studying in the CSPA program contributed to a wider understanding of where we are in the world right now, and what we are going to do in the future.

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