As Japan is now integrated into the global economy, the combination of expertise in economics and international experience will expand students’ career potential. We, therefore, provide special international programs for students at both undergraduate and master’s levels. These programs aim to prepare students for international careers by developing their specialized and interdisciplinary knowledge as well as their English ability.
International Five-year Economics Education Program at Kobe (IFEEK)
The Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University, started the IFEEK program in the spring of 2013. This program aims at training students to be able to work in research and business fields internationally. To attain this goal, we have designed a highly demanding program which combines our bachelor and master degree courses with a study-abroad period so that the students in the program can complete both degrees in five years and polish their communication skills in English at the same time.
We select the program students from our undergraduate students at the end of their freshman year, based on their grades and plans for the future. We then start offering them special courses, separated from the ordinary ones. These courses include: special seminars, economics and related-field courses in English, and English training courses. At the end of the second year, they will choose where to study abroad, based on their research interests and based on the recommendations of the faculty members who are in charge of the special seminars.
In the spring semester of the third year, the students start participating in seminars on undergraduate thesis writing together with other ordinary students and based on their research interests. These seminars are run by faculty members in the appropriate fields and the students will continue to receive instructions throughout their bachelor and master thesis writing time. Thus, while the students go abroad to study, they can consult with faculty members through e-mails and other communication means.
In the fall semester of the third year, the program students go abroad to study for one or two semesters at one of the institutions with which the Graduate School of Economics has exchange programs. Upon their return to Kobe, they will complete the undergraduate theses and go on to study in master-level courses. They are expected to complete their master theses in one or one and a half years, depending on the length of their study-abroad periods. This is a very demanding program; thus, the students who complete it will be well-trained and highly competitive. We expect them to be among one of our best graduates, and to be successful in international businesses and/or research activities.
Kobe University Interdisciplinary Master Program (KIMAP)
In KIMAP (Kobe University Interdisciplinary Master Program) in Economics, Japanese and international students are expected to collaborate. All students are required to study economics in English and write their Master’s Thesis in English. By bridging cultural differences and fostering collaboration in economic studies, the program aims to educate students into being economists or business professionals capable of making significant contributions in a global context.