Economics is the broad study of how society as a whole works. It analyzes how people, goods, services, and money move and considers how to create a happy and prosperous life. It elucidates how people and companies make decisions, how they influence each other through transactions, and how a country’s economy and the global economy operate. Economics is the discipline with the deepest connection to the real world.
We face a variety of challenges within our modern world due to rapid changes across the Japanese and global economy. Studying economics will give you the tools to not only survive but also thrive within this ever-changing world by broadening your perspectives, developing your ability to find and ask interesting questions, and by giving you the measures to solve these questions on your own.
Kobe University’s Faculty of Economics and Graduate School of Economics is one of the most traditional centers of economics education and research in Japan. The Faculty of Economics, housed within the Kobe Higher Commercial School, has a 120-year history and has produced a great number of outstanding graduates who have gone on to work in business, politics, and government under the spirit of “sincerity, freedom, and cooperation”. It also has an extensive social network, including the Ryosokai, which is an organization of alumni and alumnae.
Currently, the Graduate School of Economics is one of the largest economics departments in Japan with approximately 50 members. The school has a broad and diverse education and research system with eight major sections covering various fields of economics, including traditional core fields (Theoretical Analysis, Historical Analysis, Statistics and Econometric Analysis), applied fields dealing with contemporary issues (Technological and Environmental Analysis, Industrial and Social Policy, Monetary and Public Policy), as well as fields analyzing the global economy and economic issues within the United States, China, Europe, Asia, and other countries (International Economic Policy, Comparative Economic Policy). The undergraduate curriculum is based on a systematic educational system that allows students to effectively learn step-by-step from the basics to application. In 2018, the school introduced a new entrance examination system to select and nurture individuals who excel in mathematics and English, which are essential qualities for students interested in studying economics.
Another major characteristic of the school is that students are actively engaged in international exchange. The International Five-year Economics Education Program at Kobe (IFEEK), launched in 2013, allows students to study abroad at partner universities, providing students the ability to gain specialized knowledge in both economics and English. IFEEK is a five-year program that begins in the second year of undergraduate study and ends with a master’s degree in economics. The Global Master Program (GMAP) – where all lectures are taught in English – is currently accepting students but will evolve into a new program starting in 2023. This new program will have stronger connections with the Graduate School of Business Administration and the Graduate School of Law. In addition, the Econo-Legal Studies (ELS) program continues to provide students the ability to study in-depth topics at the nexus of economics and law.
We look forward to studying together with you in this blessed educational and research environment.
Dean of the Graduate School of Economics and Faculty of Economics
Ryuzo Miyao