15 Best Cultural Heritage Master's Degree Programs in Japan for 2024

Upon successful completion of the study program students receive an international private Master of Arts (MA) in Liberal Studies degree awarded by the school's main campus in Zurich, Switzerland, based on the recommendation of the faculty of the local campuses where credits were earned, and upon the recommendation of the school's Academic Council.

The Master’s program of the Graduate School of Letters is based on a curriculum that packages lectures and seminars, with the aim of providing guidance to graduate students to enable them to study basic specialist knowledge in their particular fields. The School offers an optimal environment for carrying out research, as it provides libraries and seminar rooms for each major, as well as highly individualized guidance for the students.

a本研究科では、東アジア文化、南アジア文化、日本文化を中心としたアジア文化研究を行うことができます。比較文化的視点、多文化共生的視点を基礎として広くアジア及び日本の文化を理解する能力を持ち、社会の要請に応じることのできる人材を育成します。

The Graduate School of International Cultural Studies has established a "mutual understanding of cultural diversity and coexistence and creation of cultures" as an educational philosophy and has established the purpose of education and research to foster a global sense and respect and create local history and culture. it was done. "International Cultural Studies" is an interdisciplinary study of human "culture" from various aspects. Therefore, the staff of this graduate school is faculty members with various specialized fields such as philosophy, history, political science, literature, language, anthropology, sociology, economics, pedagogy, regional studies, design studies, and tourism town planning. I have it. We look forward to working with you to explore the international challenges of culture and the discovery and creation of local culture in the new era, with a global perspective and local awareness of issues.

Focuses on public policy for creative cultural industries, which includes policy support for non-profit groups and for-profit organizations.

Today's world is entering an era of interdependence. Japan is a part of this system of global cooperation. However, it is also an era of wars, political strife, and many economic and environmental problems that cause disruption of societies' well-being. In order to deal with this complex international environment, there is a need for people trained in international affairs. This faculty hopes to equip people with the understanding of other cultures and languages necessary to meet future challenges. In the future, Japan will continue to be deeply involved with both the West and Asia. Knowledge of the languages and cultures of both these areas will become increasingly important. In response to these future needs, the faculty has attempted to structure its curriculum around the study of these two areas.

To train human resources and researchers with diverse communication skills in line with the age of globalization and information technology.

In the Japanese Philosophy field, students approach Japanese language ranging from classical Japanese prior to 8th century to modern Japanese including dialects from multiple points of view. On the other hand, in the Japanese Literature field, students deeply study ‘waka’ and other forms of traditional poems and novels dating back to the ancient times to the late modern period, analyzing and evaluating them.

The Master's Program in Japanese Literature and Calligraphic Culture has a curriculum combining literature, the voice of the spirit, and calligraphy, the graphical expression of the spirit. The program develops practical researchers and research-oriented practitioners who can play a leading role in responding to an era of spirituality, internationalization, and lifelong learning.

Based on the perspectives of mature socialization and multicultural coexistence, we will discover and analyze unique problems related to the area from the perspectives of history and culture inherited by the region and tourism where people interact.

We strive to cultivate students to become high-level professionals with investigative and collaborative skills, and the communication skills necessary in modern society. The Studies in Contemporary Society program is composed of two courses. The information communication specialty deepens theoretical and practical analysis skills regarding various problems related to the information communication that forms the basis of modern society. Also, we support students who are working adults who aim to increase their qualifications by acquiring information education qualifications or IT passport qualifications or becoming information processing experts or fundamental information technology engineers. These career enhancements are becoming increasingly important as IT continues to rapidly progress. Studies in Contemporary SocietyThe clinical sociology program conducts research about clinical sociology related to contemporary life and death and gender. By conducting research to help eliminate violence towards women and children and to support the victims while this violence is being eradicated, by understanding the culture and customs connected to birth and burial of the dead, and by deepening insight into human existence, we aim to train our students to become graduates who have the clinical skills to offer better support and care to others, and the skills to investigate and analyze social structure, consciousness, and conditions. Both courses aim to cultivate students to become higher-level professionals with clinical and communication skills, who strive to work together with the specialized academic and professional fields demanded by modern society.

The Master's program is divided into three courses. Educators working in research and teaching amount to three times the number of students enrolled. The Japanese Literature major mainly researches classical literature, contemporary literature, and Japanese language studies. Graduate students choose specialties from among the following: ancient times (Nara Period), medieval times (Heian Period), the middle ages (Kamakura and Muromachi Periods), early modern times (Edo Period), contemporary times (Meiji Period and thereafter), or Japanese language studies; but it is also possible to study across multiple periods. The English Literature and English Education programs include three fields. The English literature field focuses mainly on English and American literature, Studies in Language and Culture, and the English language field uses connectives and pragmatics as samples of the linguistic culture of various English-speaking countries for research. The English education field cultivates English teachers who can contribute to inter-cultural exchange through the promotion of linguistic education using English. Furthermore, the English education course meets the needs of current teachers (elementary, junior high, and high school teachers) by offering programs with flexible schedules, such as lectures at night, so that teachers can attend while continuing to work. The international culture field mainly focuses on local culture and international culture. Graduate students specialize in set regions of Europe or Asia, or in the systems and relations between certain regions and countries. In addition, the Doctoral programs established for the Japanese Literature, English Literature, and English Education programs enhance specialization even further.

Students explore indigenous cultures of the world, including courses in history, folklore, geography, archeology, art history, cultural assets studies, and others. They engage in fieldwork such as the excavation of Suwahara in Yamanashi, research on the Toshodai-ji documents, and the research and preservation of cultural heritage sites in Vietnam.

The evolution of communication media in the 21st century, in particular the advancement and generalization of contemporary information technology, is causing changes in various fields and even influencing how we think and act. In that sense, the study of intellectual and cultural activities of people today requires a new point of view, that of "information culture" based on the existing framework of cultural studies. This major has a unique educational and research structure that integrates the two approaches of "media culture" and "expressive culture" to address such contemporary issues. Nurturing talented professionals who can contribute to the creative development of contemporary media society Through studies in the areas of media culture and expressive culture, we nurture individuals equipped with advanced expertise in information media who can demonstrate their expressive skills and producer skills using cutting-edge media. We aim to contribute to the progress of today's media culture by nurturing talented professionals who can work actively in various fields including journalism, advertising, information technology, media arts, and information media education.

The former Graduate School of Social and Cultural Sciences was established in April 2002, which offered a three-year independent, interdisciplinary and comprehensive Doctoral Program based on a wide range of fields given in the Faculty of Letters and the Faculty of Law.