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Admission Policy

Objectives of Education, Research and Human Resources Development of Graduate School/Faculty of Agriculture

.Objectives of Education and Research

     Since its establishment, Kyoto University has been deeply committed to the principles of liberal education and academic freedom. In line with these principles, the Graduate School and Faculty of Agriculture pursue education and research with the aim of contributing to the global community’s harmonious coexistence, by addressing various challenges facing humankind, including the continuity of life from generation to generation, a stable supply of safe, high quality food, reduced environmental degradation and restoration of a degraded environment.

.Objectives of Human Resources Development

     Under the above objectives, the Graduate School and Faculty of Agriculture aim to nurture capable human resources as described below:

  1.Undergraduate Program

     Full-fledged members of society who possess academic knowledge of agricultural sciences and related disciplines, and a high sense of ethics as well as the following capabilities:

(1) Able to think from a broad perspective about solutions for problems facing humankind

(2) Able to understand the significance and importance of agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries as well as food and life science-related industries, and to contribute to the development of those industries

(3) Able to understand world-class research in natural and social sciences relating to life, food and environment.

 

  1. Graduate Program

     Educators, researchers, professional engineers working in corporations, public institutions and administrative officials/policy makers who have acquired highly specialized knowledge and research skills by deepening their knowledge and sense of ethics they cultivated through undergraduate studies, and have a strong sense of mission to achieve the following goals:

(1) Playing a leading role in creative scientific research for clarification of life phenomena, production and use of living organisms, and environmental conservation at local and global levels

(2) Achieving technological innovation that will contribute to development of agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, as well as to food and life science-related industries

(3) Approaching diverse problems the modern society faces from various angles, and proposing an ideal state of society as well as measures to attain sustainable development of the society while minimizing impact on the environment.

 

Policy for Admission to the Graduate School of Agriculture
(Admission Policy)

 

      Agricultural science is a field of study that concerns the most important and fundamental issue on how humankind can conduct productive and sustainable activities to live on the earth, and builds a “foundation of knowledge” for the next generation by leading-edge basic research. With “Life, Food, and Environment” as keywords, the Graduate School of Agriculture is engaged in efforts to address a variety of issues relating to resources, energy, local communities, information, lifestyle, health, and culture, which are important global-level matters in the 21st century. The Graduate School of Agriculture is made up of seven Divisions, with each Division taking a different approach to tackling these issues, which are related to the survival of humankind, and carries out agricultural research and human resources development with the aim of contributing to improving the welfare and sustainable prosperity of humankind. Accordingly, the Graduate School of Agriculture seeks students who possess the abilities and qualifications described below to study in highly specialized fields.

  1. Individuals with a broad perspective and adequate basic academic skills, in addition to a high sense of ethics and a strong sense of responsibility
  2. Individuals highly committed to developing society through research in agricultural sciences
  3. Individuals who can set out research themes on their own and have a strong desire to pursue such topics, as well as the ability to conduct their research
  4. Individuals with great communication skills as well as an international perspective

 

Master’s Course, Graduate School of Agriculture

     To implement the above policy, the Master’s program at the Graduate School of Agriculture administers an entrance examination to regular students and working adults that is a combination of a written test to evaluate English proficiency and field-specific knowledge for each Division and an interview. For privately financed international students, an entrance examination comprising a written test in field-specific subjects and an interview is administered. In either case, details on the evaluation method are clearly described in the Guidelines for Applicants.

  With regard to the written test of field-specific knowledge for each Division and the interview, they are conducted based on the student profile for each Division described below.

 

[Division of Agronomy and Horticultural Science]

     The Division of Agronomy and Horticultural Science carries out education and research in a wide range of agricultural sciences, ranging from the molecular and cellular level with regard to the production and use of crops to the individual, community, and regional ecosystem level. It aims to develop human resources possessing highly specialized knowledge and the ability to integrate interdisciplinary studies, as well as create new technologies, with the goal of resolving food and environmental problems facing humankind and region-specific agricultural problems.

     The Division of Agronomy and Horticultural Science aims to develop specialists with high levels of expertise who have specialized fundamental knowledge essential for resolving problems and research techniques, and use such knowledge and techniques in the preparation of research theses. The profile of individuals the Division seeks is described below.

  1. Individuals who, regardless of their major at the undergraduate level, have a strong interest in global food and environmental problems, as well as regional-specific agricultural problems, and have a desire to take on the challenge of resolving these problems
  2. Individuals who have sufficient knowledge of various areas of science related to agriculture and possess language proficiency making them capable of functioning at the international level
  3. Individuals who have a strong desire to absorb new knowledge and are highly conscious about linking such knowledge with scientific discoveries, the creation of new technologies, and problem resolution

 

[Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science]

     The Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science aims to maintain and advance a healthy and comfortable living environment for humankind by living in a symbiotic relationship with many living organisms, mainly forests. The scope of subject matters of such research is extremely broad, ranging from a relatively narrow residential environment used by humans on a daily basis (including energy, clothing, furniture, dwellings, and streets), to a regional environment with the fresh air, water, and scenery which is formed by adequate coordination between cities, farmland, and outlying undeveloped areas, and the prevention of global warming through the preservation of the environment on a global scale and the use of biomass resources. Therefore, as academic areas that form the background of education and research, it is important to have perspectives of not only advanced natural sciences, but also humanities and social sciences. There is also great diversity in research techniques, including overseas field research, exhaustive laboratory research, and information processing.

     The Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science seeks individuals, regardless of the university, faculty, or department from which they graduated, who have a high sense of commitment and the academic skills to set their own research themes, with this broad range of academic areas and research techniques as a reference.

[Division of Applied Life Sciences]

     The Division of Applied Life Sciences carries out education and research pertaining to a wide range of living organisms, ranging from microorganisms to plants and humans, from the perspectives described below.

  1. Understand and develop life phenomena based on physical chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology.
  2. Understand and develop the commonality and diversity of biofunctions of microorganisms, plants, and animals.
  3. By doing research, learn how to approach the research and acquire logical thinking skills, in addition to nurturing originality.
  4. Put new discoveries and inventions to use in applied research, and give back research results to society.

     The Division of Applied Life Sciences places value on proactive self-study and self-instruction, and nurtures researchers and engineers who understand the principles of life phenomena, work to resolve various problems based on the principles that arise in areas such as fermentation, foodstuffs, the chemical industry, food production, preservation of the environment, and healthcare, and are capable of using such results to make advances in new biotechnologies and biosciences.

     The Division of Applied Life Sciences seeks individuals from a broad range of fields, who have clear and strong motivation, possess the English language skills needed to receive this type of education, and have academic skills in such fields as physical chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, and plant science.

 

[Division of Applied Biosciences]

     The Division of Applied Biosciences consists of a diverse range of research areas, integrating forest biology, fisheries science, livestock science, and tropical agriculture. The mission of the Division of Applied Biosciences is to become an education and research hub to provide interdisciplinary and global responses to a variety of new problems related to biosources, food, health, and the environment that are expected to arise in the 21st century. The Division treats a variety of living organisms ranging from microorganisms to plants and animals that inhabit the land and sea, and the environment that surrounds them. The aim of the Division is to engage in education and research on the use, creation, conservation, and preservation of those living organisms and the environment from a broad perspective covering from molecules to individuals and up to the ecosystem level, and to develop human resources that are capable of engaging in interdisciplinary initiatives that are not constrained by the conventional boundaries.

      In order to realize this objective, the Division seeks a wide range of students who have a willingness to take on challenges in new academic areas of the rapidly advancing biosciences in the Master’s program. The Division looks forward to welcoming individuals who wish to become scientists capable of creating big dreams and those who wish to become advanced engineers who will realize such dreams.

 

[Division of Environmental Science and Technology]

     Humans have always lived their lives while dealing with the natural environment that is particular to the respective regions on the earth in which they live. The Division of Environmental Science and Technology aspires to conduct research that will enable people to continue to develop both production and daily life activities in their most desirable forms while coexisting with the components that shape the natural environment. To achieve this, the groups doing research on living organisms and ecosystems and the groups doing research on regional environmental engineering cooperate with each other and carry out interdisciplinary and international research that takes into consideration both the production of food and the preservation of the environment in the Division. The Division of Environmental Science and Technology is made up of various research fields (including newly established four fields) following a reorganization in 1995 of the eleven laboratories, one research division, and one office that had made up the Division.

     The Division requires students to take and complete lectures and seminars that are outside the field to which they belong. This requirement is imposed with the hope that they will not only strive to acquire specialized knowledge and techniques in their own fields, and carry out research that will become the foundation for the future, but also acquire a broad spectrum of knowledge and take on active roles in society. The research subjects of the Division include many different regions on the earth, as well as various living organisms and environments, and the Division looks forward to welcoming individuals who desire to establish broad horizons that are not constrained by the academic areas in which they have studied up to that point.

 

[Division of Natural Resource Economics]

     The desired development of humans greatly relies upon mutual cooperation between nations of the world and among people, as well as mechanisms of social and economic coordination. In today’s society, amidst truly remarkable advances in science and technology, the affluence and surplus of food in developed countries coexist with the poverty of developing countries. And there are countries like Japan, which, in spite of being a developed country, have a food self-sufficiency rate that is declining to near-crisis levels. It is under these circumstances that environmental problems, regional social problems, and food safety problems have been arising. The circumstances we are facing now are the results of 20th century developments in the economic ideology that determine how science, technology, and resources should be deployed, international rules related to trade and other similar interactions, and the social, economic, and management structures and systems inside and outside Japan that are based on that ideology and those rules. At present, there are demands for a fundamental reexamination of the factors behind these circumstances. A major goal of the Division of Natural Resource Economics is to resolve the problems faced by these structures and systems and to develop new systems and policies. This can be achieved based on economics and by making use of management, social science, historical science, and political science theories.

     The aim of the Division of Natural Resource Economics is to nurture individuals capable of boldly taking on the problems facing today’s society and opening up new horizons. While students will be developed primarily to be researchers through the Division’s Master’s and Doctoral degree programs, they will also be nurtured as persons who will have analytical and creative abilities based on the humanities and social science to engage in highly specialized work in the government, agriculture-related organizations, corporations, and elsewhere.

     With regard to applicants, the Division of Natural Resource Economics seeks individuals who have thoroughly mastered existing theories but are not constrained by them. They should have the intention to deeply absorb a broad range of research results in related areas, persistently pursue problems faced by today’s society, and formulate new theories that will solve such problems. Alternatively, the Division seeks individuals who have a strong desire to contribute to society through policy recommendations that have such theories as a backdrop or highly specialized work.

 

[Division of Food Science and Biotechnology]

     The field of research related to food is becoming increasingly broader and more interdisciplinary. In addition to the immense expansion of the scale of industries involved in food, problems inherent in food are also becoming greatly varied. While there are societies that face starvation, there are also societies in which diseases caused by gluttony are widespread. In Japan, traditional eating habits are on the brink of collapse, and the food self-sufficiency rate and food safety are urgent issues. Together with medical and pharmaceutical sciences, food science should make important contributions with the aim of improving the public wellbeing.

     It is necessary to build a new foundation for food research in order to resolve the issues mentioned above. In other words, it is not only food that is the object of research. The Division seeks to have a deep understanding of the interaction between humans, the environment, and food. The Division of Food Science and Biotechnology was established in April 2001 with the aims of developing individuals capable of grasping the roots of the broad range of problems related to food and dealing with such problems, and engaging in research and development to be the foundation of such activity. The Division established a specialized educational system and an advanced research system for food science and biotechnology, and has been carrying out education and research in such systems. The Division also systematized the research areas of life science, biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, genetic biology, food chemistry, chemical engineering, enzyme chemistry, physical properties science, nutrition science, health science, kinesiology, immunology, physiology, microbiology, zymology, taste sensory science, experimental psychology, and ethology, and has been trying to create new studies that involve food, and putting priority on becoming the leader in such research in the future. In order to achieve these objectives, the Division has three basic chairs, “Food Life Sciences”, “Food and Health Science”, and “Food Production Technology”, each of which has its own distinctive characteristics.

     The Division seeks students who will take on the challenges of the food science and biotechnology with sufficient motivation regardless of the faculty or department from which they graduated. The Division looks forward to welcoming individuals who want to become scientists capable of creating big dreams or cutting-edge engineers capable of realizing such dreams, or persons who have an interest in handing down science, technologies, and dreams related to food to future generations.

Doctoral Course, Graduate School of Agriculture

     In addition to the student profile of individuals for the Master’s program, the Doctoral program seeks individuals who aim to engage in research or specialized work in agriculture-related fields, and who are also able to play leading roles in research. In order to implement this admission policy, an entrance examination is administered to regular students who are not coming up from within the Graduate School of Agriculture and working adults. The entrance examination is a combination of a written test to evaluate English proficiency and field-specific knowledge for each Division, an evaluation of the applicant’s Master’s thesis, and an oral examination related to the thesis. For privately financed international students, an entrance examination comprising a written test in field-specific subjects and an oral examination is administered. In either case, details regarding the evaluation method, including the weighting, are clearly described in the Guidelines for Applicants.

     With regard to the written test of field-specific knowledge and the oral examination for each Division, they are conducted based on the student profile for each Division described below.

 

[Division of Agronomy and Horticultural Science]

     The Division of Agronomy and Horticultural Science carries out education and research in a wide range of agricultural sciences, ranging from the molecular and cellular level with regard to the production and use of crops to the individual, community, and regional ecosystem level. It aims to develop human resources possessing highly specialized knowledge and the ability to integrate interdisciplinary studies, as well as create new technologies, with the goal of resolving food and environmental problems facing humankind and region-specific agricultural problems.

     The Division of Agronomy and Horticultural Science, through highly pioneering research, aims to create new knowledge, develop new technology, and develop researchers, engineers, and educators with a high level of expertise who are capable of opening up new paths for agriculture for future generations. The profile of individuals sought by the Division to become such specialists is described below.

  1. Individuals who have solid basic knowledge in various fields of science that are related to agricultural sciences and have a strong desire to contribute to the welfare of human society by consolidating such knowledge to create knowledge and develop new technology related to the production and use of crops.
  2. Individuals who have a strong desire to boldly take on challenges in research in new interdisciplinary fields that arise in various areas of science related to agriculture, which are advancing day by day.
  3. Individuals who have a global perspective as well as a strong interest in food and environmental problems in developing countries and aspire to make international contributions through research and education.

 

[Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science]

     The Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science aims to maintain and advance a healthy and comfortable living environment for humankind by living in a symbiotic relationship with many living organisms, mainly forests. The scope of subject matters of such research is extremely broad, ranging from a relatively narrow residential environment used by humans on a daily basis (including energy, clothing, furniture, dwellings, and streets), to a regional environment with the fresh air, water, and scenery which is formed by adequate coordination between cities, farmland, and outlying undeveloped areas, and the prevention of global warming through the preservation of the environment on a global scale and the use of biomass resources. Therefore, as academic areas that form the background of education and research, it is important to have perspectives of not only advanced natural sciences, but also humanities and social sciences. There is also great diversity in research techniques, including overseas field research, exhaustive laboratory research, and information processing.
     It is hoped that individuals who wish to progress to or transfer to the Doctoral program will engage in the creative and interdisciplinary development of research. They are also expected to acquire the broad perspectives and academic skills needed to objectively evaluate their own research, the academic knowledge and leadership qualities needed to guide future generations, and the communication skills needed for actively participating at the international level.

 

[Division of Applied Life Sciences]

     The Division of Applied Life Sciences carries out education and research pertaining to a wide range of living organisms, ranging from microorganisms to plants and humans, from the perspectives described below.

  1. Understand and develop life phenomena based on physical chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology.
  2. Understand and develop the commonality and diversity of biofunctions of microorganisms, plants, and animals.
  3. By doing research, learn how to approach the research and acquire logical thinking skills, in addition to nurturing originality.
  4. Put new discoveries and inventions to use in applied research, and give back research results to society.

      The Division of Applied Life Sciences places value on proactive self-study and self-instruction, and nurtures researchers and engineers who understand the principles of life phenomena, work to resolve various problems based on the principles that arise in areas such as fermentation, foodstuffs, the chemical industry, food production, preservation of the environment, and healthcare, and are capable of using such results to make advances in new biotechnologies and biosciences.

     In addition to the individuals described in the student profile for the Master’s program, the Doctoral program aims to develop researchers capable of taking on leadership internationally through research that has originality, as well as highly skilled engineers capable of demonstrating leadership for starting up new projects at the frontlines of production. The Doctoral program seeks individuals who have academic skills equivalent to those of a graduate who has completed a master’s program, and also have clear and strong motivation and willingness to engage in research.

 

[Division of Applied Biosciences]

     The Division of Applied Biosciences consists of a diverse range of research areas, integrating forest biology, fisheries science, livestock science, and tropical agriculture. The mission of the Division of Applied Biosciences is to become an education and research hub to provide interdisciplinary and global responses to a variety of new problems related to biosources, food, health, and the environment that are expected to arise in the 21st century. The Division treats a variety of living organisms ranging from microorganisms to plants and animals that inhabit the land and sea, and the environment that surrounds them. The aim of the Division is to engage in education and research on the use, creation, conservation, and preservation of those living organisms and the environment from a broad perspective covering from molecules to individuals and up to the ecosystem level, and to develop human resources that are capable of engaging in interdisciplinary initiatives that are not constrained by the conventional boundaries.

     Individuals who wish to progress to or transfer to the doctoral program need to make every effort in order to achieve the objectives described below.

  1. Acquire the skills needed to resolve problems, as well as the skills required to establish tasks from a broad perspective and carry out such tasks.
  2. Achieve creative research results, and at the same time, acquire a high level of communication skills and have the confidence to actively take part in international settings.
  3. Make efforts to broadly give back research results to society and significantly contribute to the development of the agriculture, livestock, and fishery industries as well as academic researches that are the foundation of such industries.

 

[Division of Environmental Science and Technology]

     Humans have always lived their lives while dealing with the natural environment that is particular to the respective regions on the earth in which they live. The Division of Environmental Science and Technology aspires to conduct research that will enable people to continue to develop both production and daily life activities in their most desirable forms while coexisting with the components that shape the natural environment. To achieve this, the groups doing research on living organisms and ecosystems and the groups doing research on regional environmental engineering cooperate with each other and carry out interdisciplinary and international research that takes into consideration both the production of food and the preservation of the environment in the Division. The Division of Environmental Science and Technology is made up of numerous research fields (including newly established four fields) following a reorganization in 1995 of the eleven laboratories, one research division, and one office that had made up the Division.

     The Division hopes that students become independent as researchers, engaging in research activities with creativity and passion, and furthermore, have broad knowledge and flexibility to deal with various complex problems. The Division of Environmental Science and Technology is the division with the greatest diversity in the Graduate School of Agriculture. Therefore, the Division very much looks forward to welcoming individuals who will have willingness not only to acquire comprehensive knowledge and techniques, but also to gain an international perspective and communication skills with which they can use such knowledge and techniques in every part of the world as well as in Japan in the future.

 

[Division of Natural Resource Economics]

     The desired development of humans greatly relies upon mutual cooperation between nations of the world and among people, as well as mechanisms of social and economic coordination. In today’s society, amidst truly remarkable advances in science and technology, the affluence and surplus of food in developed countries coexist with the poverty of developing countries. And there are countries like Japan, which, in spite of being a developed country, have a food self-sufficiency rate that is declining to near-crisis levels. It is under these circumstances that environmental problems, regional social problems, and food safety problems have been arising. The circumstances we are facing now are the results of 20th century developments in the economic ideology that determine how science, technology, and resources should be deployed, international rules related to trade and other similar interactions, and the social, economic, and management structures and systems inside and outside Japan that are based on that ideology and those rules. At present, there are demands for a fundamental reexamination of the factors behind these circumstances. A major goal of the Division of Natural Resource Economics is to resolve the problems faced by these structures and systems and to develop new systems and policies. This can be achieved based on economics and by making use of management, social science, historical science, and political science theories.

 

[Division of Food Science and Biotechnology]

     The field of research related to food is becoming increasingly broader and more interdisciplinary. In addition to the immense expansion of the scale of industries involved in food, problems inherent in food are also becoming greatly varied. While there are societies that face starvation, there are also societies in which diseases caused by gluttony are widespread. In Japan, traditional eating habits are on the brink of collapse, and the food self-sufficiency rate and food safety are urgent issues. Together with medical and pharmaceutical sciences, food science should make important contributions with the aim of improving the public wellbeing.

     It is necessary to build a new foundation for food research in order to resolve the issues mentioned above. In other words, it is not only food that is the object of research. The Division seeks to have a deep understanding of the interaction between humans, the environment, and food. The Division of Food Science and Biotechnology was established in April 2001 with the aims of developing individuals capable of grasping the roots of the broad range of problems related to food and dealing with such problems, and engaging in research and development to be the foundation of such activity. The Division established a specialized educational system and an advanced research system for food science and biotechnology, and has been carrying out education and research in such systems. The Division also systematized the research areas of life science, biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, genetic biology, food chemistry, chemical engineering, enzyme chemistry, physical properties science, nutrition science, health science, kinesiology, immunology, physiology, microbiology, zymology, taste sensory science, experimental psychology, and ethology, and has been trying to create new studies that involve food, and putting priority on becoming the leader in such research in the future. In order to achieve these objectives, the Division has three basic chairs, “Food Life Sciences”, “Food and Health Science”, and “Food Production Technology”, each of which has its own distinctive characteristics.

     The Division seeks students who will take on challenges with high ideals and a burning passion for the food science and biotechnology as described below.

  1. Individuals who aim not only to acquire the ability to resolve each separate issue, but also to establish tasks from a very broad perspective and acquire the ability to resolve problems.
  2. Individuals who aim to achieve creative research results, as well as to acquire a high level of communication skills to actively take part in activities in international settings.
  3. Individuals who aspire to give research results back to society, and hope to take on central roles in the development of the food industry from a technical and educational standpoint.
 
576 views
576 views