Study Tour

By its basic philosophy, the department conducts "study tours" as a form of field research and learning to deepen practical knowledge about the various issues facing society and the technologies and social systems needed to solve them. In this program, students go to "field sites" such as production plants, development bases, intellectual property departments, management departments, public and private research institutes, local governments, and universities to observe and discuss, to acquire practical knowledge, skills, and experience that will expand and develop the knowledge gained through research and classroom studies.

The most distinctive feature of the study tour is that the research tour itself is planned and conducted by the students themselves. Specifically, students will take the initiative in all of the following processes.

1. Planning and proposing the research tour
2. Planning the destination, research content, and itinerary, and obtaining appointments
3. Preparation for the tour, including information gathering
4. Field survey in the "field"
5. Report on the survey

Faculty members provide advice, but the students are the main focus. For this reason, the program is open only to first-year master's and doctoral students who wish to participate (students who have proposed a project).

Usually, the applicants are divided into several groups based on the proposed plan, and each group proceeds as a unit from the project onward. A credit will be given as an elective required course if the learning objectives are achieved through planning, preparation, research, and reporting. All necessary expenses (transportation, accommodation, facility tours, etc.) will be covered by the department.