Graduate School
In 2012, the Graduate School of Tokyo Kasei University was reorganized to form the Graduate School of Humanities and Life Sciences through the integration of the graduate-level School of Home Economics and the School of Humanities.
The integration of the Graduate School of Home Economics and the Graduate School of Humanities has enabled interdisciplinary study within the Graduate School of Humanities and Life Sciences with a broad coverage of multifaceted fields. The Graduate School of Humanities and Life Sciences offers six master’s programs— Master’s Program in Child Care, Education and Science; Master’s Program in Health and Nutrition; Master’s Program in Clothing & Art; Master’s Program in English Language and Culture; Master’s Program in Clinical Psychology; and Master’s Program in Education and Social Welfare—as well as a doctoral program in Human Life Sciences. The names of the master’s programs correspond to the names of the undergraduate schools that form their foundation. In addition to clarifying the continuity between the undergraduate and graduate school of the university, this structure allows participants in the program to tackle the unique challenges of today’s world.
Furthermore, the Graduate School of Tokyo Kasei University does not conduct research solely for the sake of research, but also to cultivate individuals capable of becoming effective leaders in the real world—individuals equipped with both research skills and problem-solving abilities, in line with our basic principle of “learning in the field while conducting research together with peers, and then applying the fruits of research in the field!”
Master's Program in Child Care, Education and Science
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In this program, students work to precisely assess the growth and development of children in the context of our dramatically changing contemporary society, as well as to acquire deep knowledge and specialized expertise in relation to environments and methods for the wholesome, healthy nurturing of children. In addition, the program equips professionals with the ability to conduct research and make effective practical use of technology.
The program trains researchers to explore the problems of infants and children in today’s society. In addition, the program develops deeply sensitive research-oriented practitioners who are capable of supporting the development of children in day care centers, kindergartens, and elementary schools, in close collaboration with families, based on a foundation of family-based education.
In order to facilitate deeper learning and research that aligns with contemporary issues and challenges in childrearing and the nurturing of children, the program covers five distinct fields of study: early childhood care study, early childhood care practice, family support, educational practice, and school education.
Graduate students in this program have a variety of undergraduate backgrounds and include individuals with experience teaching in kindergartens. By learning together, students are able to contemplate and appreciate the importance of child care, education, and science—in terms of both practice and theory.
Master's Program in Health and Nutrition
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In recent years, advances in food-processing technology have led to a remarkable diversification of available food choices, intensifying the pleasure we obtain from eating and preparing food. However, eating too much and consuming nutritionally imbalanced meals have undermined human health and become major factors in the promotion of disease.
The Master’s Program in Health and Nutrition provides students with sophisticated knowledge and skills relating to food, nutrition, and health in order to provide specialist professionals, educators, and researchers with the research and practical skills and specialist technical expertise required to solve a broad range of problems.
The program covers three main fields of study—the science of food, nutrition, and food preparation; life sciences; and practical research for registered dietitians—and includes practical training exercises for developing advanced specialist expertise.
The program’s goal is to produce individuals who have developed the research skills and mastered the practical techniques necessary to work professionally and effectively in real-world settings.
Master's Program in Clothing and Art
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The Master’s Program in Clothing & Art will help students understand the development of human lifestyles by taking a broad approach to art and design including the rich culture of clothing and decorative arts. Specifically, the program’s goal is to equip professionals with advanced and broad-ranging specialist knowledge as well as the ability to perform research and put the results of this research into practice. Therefore, the program spans two key fields—costume and clothing science and art & design—to provide a system of education that blends human lifestyle and culture, with a structure that enables an interplay of these two elements to address specific research challenges.
In the field of Clothing & Art, the program comprises lectures, practical exercises, and project experience under the three areas of clothing science, fashion art, and fashion design. In the field of artistic expression, students work within five disciplines—media expression, art history, industrial art, two-dimensional expression, and spatial expression—and engage their own research skills and creativity to address specific tasks. In addition, they tackle more comprehensive research projects.
Students pursue research under the guidance of an academic supervisor who is assigned according to the theme the student has chosen, but they can also attend intimate lectures by teachers in related disciplines. In this way, they can experience a fulfilling graduate school experience.
Master's Program in English Language and Culture
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The goal of this program is to produce broad-minded individuals with a comprehensive set of capabilities, including a strong intellect, the ability to think logically and flexibly, and excellent judgment—professionals who have both advanced, practical English-language skills and the ability to adapt to different cultures, in order to work proactively and effectively in a wide variety of international settings. To achieve this goal, the program focuses on Teaching English to Speak of Others Languages (TESOL) as well as English Literature and Linguistics. As students perform specialized studies in each of these fields, they can also engage in research from a broader perspective by selecting subjects (for credit) in other fields. Research subjects relate to the culture, literature, and language of English, as well as English language education. The program focuses on helping students cultivate practical language capabilities that enable fluent engagement in today’s highly internationalized world.
In addition to cultivating the advanced-level capabilities needed to fully participate in real-world Englishlanguage-related research and education, students will also develop research skills. Because English-language education at elementary schools is now compulsory in Japan, the program strives to train a professional that possesses not only specialist knowledge of English but also the ability to grasp foreign-language education from a pedagogical perspective.
Graduates of this program typically go on to work in the international divisions of companies in the private sector, as high school teachers after passing a teacher employment examination, or as university lecturers.
Master’s Program in Clinical Psychology
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The Master’s Program in Clinical Psychology helps students develop a comprehensive ability to address the various problems arising in the sphere of interpersonal relations in our increasingly complex society and fosters professionals with advanced specialist knowledge and skills in this area. The program produces clinical psychologists capable of flexibly tackling challenges in a wide variety of social arenas, such as healthcare, education, industry, and the legal system, through appropriate support, intervention, and research.
The program consists of the fundamentals required for professional work as a clinical psychologist along with elective fields of specialization in clinical psychology, with the aim of equipping clinicians with effective theoretical and practical abilities. An outstanding staff with expertise in various fields of clinical practice teaches numerous practical subjects within a balanced and comprehensive curriculum. In addition, the program boasts ample practical facilities and the collaboration of affiliated hospitals. In 2002, the predecessor of this program, the Clinical Psychology Course in the Master’s Program in Psychology and Education in the School of Humanities, was designated as a Category 1 graduate school for clinical psychologists by the Foundation of the Japanese Certification Board for Clinical Psychologists. So far more than 117 students of our program have gone on to work as qualified clinical psychologists after graduation.
Master's Program in Education and Social Welfare
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This program provides individuals with the advanced, professional, and creative problem-solving abilities needed to address the various problems of interpersonal relations in our dramatically changing society, as well as the problems facing local communities, through mediating in personal relations, effectively using social resources, and utilizing networks and teamwork.
The focus of the Master’s Program in Education and Social Welfare is to teach advanced and specialized theory and practice in relation to the fields of psychology, education, and social welfare in order to cultivate scholarship and research skills from a broad range of viewpoints and to serve as a course of education for fostering sophisticated professional competency.
Notably, through a special admission examination for mature-age students, the program is opening doors to the broader community.
Doctoral Program in Human Life Science
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This doctoral program builds on the foundations of the master’s degree programs of the Graduate School of Humanities and Life Sciences (Master’s Program in Child Care, Education and Science; Master’s Program in Health and Nutrition; Master’s Program in Clothing & Art; Master’s Program in Clinical Psychology, etc.) to form an academically expanded union of these disciplines. In addition to addressing advanced technological innovation and a diversity of social conditions, the program provides opportunities for comprehensive research, analysis, and elucidation of human life and lifestyles. The program is built on the pillars of clinical psychology, human development studies, human environment studies, living materials studies, and life management studies. In all of these fields, the educational and research content of the program is broad and flexible, in accordance with the makeup of the academic teaching staff guiding students.
In order to earn a PhD (Arts) in three years, students must accumulate knowledge and experience in a wide range of fields through a close collaboration with supervising academics. This program is the highest academic degree offered by the university, so the entire academic staff is fully dedicated to its improvement and development.
Therefore, we hope to attract students who are highly motivated. As of 2013, a total of 33 individuals have graduated from the program with a PhD.
