Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies Public Administration (Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies : Major in International Cooperation Policy)
2-year Master’s program
May 23rd, 2006
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
1．Features1-1. APU Graduate Schools
We live in exciting times. Trends suggest that the most dramatic changes of the 21st Century will focus on the Asia Pacific region, as it undergoes rapid socioeconomic developments
and redefines itself as a global player. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University created two new graduate schools in April 2003 to train and educate creative leaders for this century: the
Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies and the Graduate School of Management (MBA Program). Our schools equip students with the practical knowledge and skills necessary
for meeting head-on the unique challenges presented by this region. APU graduates have the means to find employment in a wide range of fields involving international coordination.
They possess the skills essential for the region’s development and industrial growth.
Our new schools are committed not only to providing top-quality education for this new Asia Pacific Era, but to creating an entirely new field of interdisciplinary research focused
specifically on the Asia Pacific region. We are developing it in cooperation with the Ritsumeikan Center for Asia Pacific Studies (RCAPS), an organization that promotes research
at APU and fosters connections with other research institutions within Japan and around the world. We are also working to broaden our global network of industries and governments
to help us realize this goal.
APU is located in Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost major island. Its proximity to the Asian mainland and island nations to the south has for centuries made the island a crossroads for
cultural and economic exchange. Now, with our new graduate programs, Kyushu is destined to become a crossroads for higher education as well.
1-2. Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies (Public Administration Program)1-2-1. Creating a Bright Future for the Asia Pacific
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University’s Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies was inaugurated in 2003. In its new programs, students have the unique opportunity to break new
ground and become a part of the university’s history. The programs are certain to become widely recognized and highly ranked within a few years, thanks to its world class inter-
national faculty, unique Asia Pacific focus and backing by the Ritsumeikan Trust, one of the oldest and most respected educational institutions in Japan.
For the first time in history, technological advances have made possible the socioeconomic unification of the Asia Pacific into a definable entity. The world will be eagerly watching
the region in this century, and graduates from the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies have the chance to be at the front lines of change.
An investment in a Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University graduate degree will open your mind and change the way you view the Asia Pacific region. It is a program designed for people
who want to challenge their beliefs and transcend cultural barriers–people who, more than anything else, want to make a positive difference in the world.
1-2-2. Why the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies?
Despite recent economic troubles, the Asia Pacific region remains vibrant, with the Asian “tigers” such as Korea, Singapore and Taiwan continuing to invest heavily in the high-
tech sector, and Japan holding steady as the region’s economic hub. Just look at Asian cities for proof of continued growth: China, Malaysia and others are pouring money into
urban development projects. Sprawling, modern metropolises, once confined to Tokyo and Hong Kong, have recently begun emerging across the Asia-Pacific.
The entire region is undergoing massive changes as it comes to terms with the impact of globalization and Internet technology.
These massive upheavals are having a profound effect on the people of the region, as governments and businesses struggle to deal with issues relating to rapid economic growth
and its impact on tourism and the environment. Yet, while leading countries thrive, other Asia Pacific nations are just starting their ascent into the global arena.
The graduate programs at APU equip students with the tools necessary to confront these issues head-on using a strategic, policy-oriented approach. Students research practical
solutions to current problems, always placing economic independence and sustainable development at the fore, with all elements of the curriculum working toward the ultimate
objective of fostering mutual understanding and lasting peace in the region.
1-2-3. Master’s in International Cooperation Policy (ICP)
Providing support to developing nations in the Asia Pacific is a prerequisite to ensuring sustainable development in the region. Development of a living enroeinment, creation
and development of new industries and market economy reforms are just some of the major issues which need to be addressed. The Master’s in International Cooperation
Policy provides students with the practical skills necessary for contributing to organizations that work closely with developing nations. As an interdisciplinary study, the program
draws upon diverse fields to train creative professionals who can consider issues from multiple perspectives and formulate pragmatic solutions appropriate for the region. The
program recognizes the urgency of the current Asia Pacific situation and seeks to tackle current problems head-on with a policy-oriented approach. Students can opt to specialize
in any one of the following four areas:
1. Development Economics
2. International Public Administration
3. Toursim Policy and Administration
4. Environmental Policy and Administration
A graduate of this program will be well equipped to make informed decisions with wide reaching effects in the Asia Pacific region and the world.
1-3. Others1-3-1. Network
APU’s extensive global network of distinguished advisors and academic institutions ensures that the program is kept up to date and forms a resource for developing valuable
connections.
1-3-2. Diversity
APU boasts one of the most diverse student bodies in Asia. Of its 4,700 students, nearly half are international students hailing from seventy-four different countries and regions around
the globe (As of April 2006). Students at APU must deal with cultural differences on a daily basis, forcing them to rethink their own values and consider issues from diverse perspectives.
Upon graduation, students can expect to have developed lasting networks with colleagues from all corners of the globe.
1-3-3. Dormitory (AP House) Information
Brief Description of Rooms in AP House (AP House 1 & AP House 2)
･ A mixed residential facility for both males and females.
･ Five-story steel-framed reinforced concrete facilities.
〈AP House 1〉
Meeting room (4), common bath (1), lobby, mail room, telephone booth, Internet room (3), vending machines, AP House Administrator’s Room, 4 rooms for faculty and staff,
Study room (4)
〈AP House 2〉
Meeting room (2), common bath (1), lobby, mail room, telephone booth, Internet room (1), vending machines, AP House Administrator’s Room, 2 rooms for faculty and staff,
refresh room (1), Study room (1), 12 rooms for seminar attendees (8 people per room)
1-4. Academic Yearly Schedule
The program at the APU Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies commences in Fall Semester. APU operates on a two semester per year system. Each semester is broken into
2 two-month quarters, and a vacation session. All subjects in the programs will be conducted on a quarterly basis, except for research seminars on a semester basis. Several electives will
be offered as intensive one-week or two-weeks programs during the summer and winter vacation sessions.
2-5．SubjectsPublic Administration Program
Common subjects
Advanced Research Methods(2)
Advanced Data Analysis and Statistics(2)
Political Trends in the Asia Pacific(2)
Regionalism and Globalization(2)
Contemporary Societies in the Asia Pacific(2)
Introduction to the Asia Pacific Region 1(2)
Introduction to the Asia Pacific Region 2(2)
The Environment and Natural Resourses in Monsoon Asia(2)
International Political Economy(2)
Management in Asia and Japan(2)
Special Lecture(GSA Common)(2)
International Cooperation Policy common
International Cooperation Policy(2)
Theories of Sustainable Development(2)
Human Resources Management(2)
Special Lecture（International Cooperation Policy common）(2)
International Public Administration
International Public Administration(2)
International Relations in the Asia Pacific(2)
International Organizations(2)
Regional Organizations of the Asia Pacific(2)
Japanese Experiences in International Cooperation(2)
International Financial Organizations(2)
Public Administration of Environmental Issues(2)
Special Lecture(International Public Administration)(2)
Research Projects
Research Project 1(Seminar)(4)
Research Project 2(Seminar)(4)
Research Project 3(Master’s Thesis）(6)
Research Project 4( Report）(4)
( ):number of credits
The above courses are tentative only and subject to change.
APU Graduate School Subjects in other fields
Development Economics
Development Economics(2)
Managerial Economics(2)
International Development Policy(2)
Project Planning(2)
Project Management(2)
Project Evaluation(2)
Development Finance(2)
Technological Development(2)
Comparative Economic Development in the Asia Pacific(2)
Special Lecture(Development Economics)(2)
Environmental Policy and Administration
Theories of Environmental Policy and Administration(2)
Urban Environmental Management(2)
Environmental Economics(2)
Development and Conservation(2)
Fundamentals of Environmental Science(2)
Environmental History of the Asia Pacific(2)
The Asia Pacific and Global Environment Issues(2)
Special Lecture(Environmental Policy and Administration)(2)
Tourism Policy and Administration
Theories of Tourism Policy and Administration(2)
Asia Pacific Tourism(2)
Tourism Development in the Asia Pacific(2)
Culture and Tourism in the Asia Pacific(2)
Ecotourism in the Asia Pacific(2)
Special Lecture(Tourism Policy and Administration)(2)
Major in Asia Pacific Studies subjects
Changing Social Landscape in the Asia Pacific(2)
Media and Communication in the Asia Pacific(2)
Transnational Migration in the Asia Pacific(2)
International Relations and Regionalism in the Asia Pacific(2)
The Sociology of Everyday Life in the Asia Pacific(2)
Governance in the Asia Pacific(2)
Asia Pacific Studies 1(2)
Asia Pacific Studies 2 (2)
*For detailed course descriptions and
faculty profiles, see the website:
http://www.apu.ac.jp/graduate
Please note that the website is designed for general
use, and does not contain information specific to the
programs described herein.
