Master’s (Doctoral) Program in Law

Make Legal Discoveries Unique to You

The Master’s (Doctoral) Program in Law also offers research and education in substantive law in various fields of jurisprudence as well as in basic law, international law, political science, and comparative law. The aim of the program is not only to train researchers but also to foster highly skilled professionals with a broad international perspective. The program features small-group education in the form of seminars, and academic advisors provide research and thesis guidance. The department is well equipped with research facilities and has a small enrollment limit, so students can pursue their research in a favorable environment.

For the Master’s Program, we have reorganized the graduate school to make it “easy to enter and easy to learn.” First, we hold entrance examinations twice a year, in September and February, for both the general admission and the entrance examination for working adults. In addition, we have established an exemption system for the written foreign language exam component of the general entrance examination, and have abolished the written foreign language exam component for the entrance examination for working adults. Furthermore, since the 2021 entrance examination, we have introduced an examination system that requires only a document review (including a research plan) and an oral examination. After admission, students can complete the Master’s course in one year if they meet certain requirements, and can obtain a degree by submitting a master’s thesis or research paper.

The main objective of the Doctoral Program is to train researchers. Many graduates of this program are employed as university faculty members.

Curriculum

The Master’s Program aims to deepen the basic knowledge of the law and political science generally acquired at the undergraduate level, to help students transition to research in their major, and to cultivate advanced legal and analytical skills in politics. For working people, there are specialized courses that relate the knowledge and experience acquired in the working world to the major courses and aim to sharpen specialized perspectives and analytical skills.

To meet the diverse needs of students, including not only aspiring researchers but also highly specialized professionals and those who wish to become such, the Master’s Program curriculum allows students to take social science-related courses and practical courses in ten other departments.

Granted Degree

  • Master’s Program: MASTER OF ARTS IN LAW
  • Doctoral Program: DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN LAW

Program Features

Acquire Advanced Legal Skills

The Master’s Program deepens the basic knowledge of the law and political science generally acquired at the undergraduate level and sharpens research skills in the major subjects. The program also opens the door to careers as civil servants, corporate lawyers, or professionals in international organizations by providing advanced specialized knowledge.

Develop Legal Processing Skills

While the main objective of the Doctoral Program is to train researchers, the program focuses not only on further deepening basic theories but also on cultivating the ability to deal with various problems that have arisen beyond the framework of the existing legal order and that are facing us today.

A Strengthed of the System for Training Advanced Professionals

In particular, the Master’s Program has been revised to incorporate a variety of subjects from other majors into the curriculum. The purpose is to develop practical skills to logically reconstruct various issues that arise in society and handle more advanced problems as well, taking into consideration the strong social demand for training professionals with advanced expertise and an international perspective.

Educational Policies

Master’s Program

With an aim to foster and send out to society, researchers of law and politics and professionals with high expertise, as well as lawyers with high respect for humanity, the Doctoral Program in Law sets standards for the skills and knowledge students should acquire before graduation as described below: Those who fulfill the graduation requirements and pass their dissertation defense shall be deemed to have acquired these qualities and will be awarded a diploma

  1. The ability to set up unique themes founded upon deep academic knowledge and analytic abilities associated with one’s major, and to solve and develop such themes
  2. The ability to write a doctoral thesis that can be evaluated as specialized research by demonstrating a high degree of analytical and constructive skills based on a unique perspective, with the goals of academic society regarding the research subject in mind

Doctoral Program

With an aim to foster and send out to society, researchers of law and politics and professionals with high expertise, as well as lawyers with high respect for humanity, the Doctoral Program in Law sets standards for the skills and knowledge students should acquire before graduation as described below: Those who fulfill the graduation requirements and pass their dissertation defense shall be deemed to have acquired these qualities and will be awarded a diploma

  1. The ability to set up unique themes founded upon deep academic knowledge and analytic abilities associated with one’s major, and to solve and develop such theme
  2. The ability to write a doctoral thesis that can be evaluated as specialized research by demonstrating a high degree of analytical and constructive skills based on a unique perspective, with the goals of academic society regarding the research subject in mind

Master’s Program

In accordance with the diploma policy, with an aim to conduct research and education on positive law in various areas of law, basic law, international law, political studies, comparative studies, etc. as well as research and education on globalization and environmental issues, the Master’s Program in Law constructs its curriculum with courses aligned to the following purposes

  1. Offer Specialized Courses with an aim to deepen the fundamental knowledge in jurisprudence and political science acquired by students in their undergraduate studies, facilitate their shift to specialized research in their graduate programs, and foster high legal skills and analytical skills; and for adult students, with an aim for their further development of expert perspectives and analytic skills in association with the knowledge and experience acquired in society.

Doctoral Program

In accordance with the diploma policy, with an aim to conduct research and education on positive law in various areas of law, basic law, international law, political studies, comparative studies, etc. as well as research and education on globalization and environmental issues, the Doctoral Program in Law constructs its curriculum with courses aligned to the following purposes.

  1. Offer Specialized Courses with the primary aim of fostering researchers, but also a focus on developing the skills to deal with the various modern issues that occur transcending existing legal order or political frameworks and nurturing the practical skills to deal with more complex issues.

Master’s Program

The Master’s Program in Law seeks students with the following qualities:

  1. Students who are eager to acquire more specialized research skills and pursue a career as a legal expert in the future, assuming that they have acquired basic skills in law and politics in their undergraduate studies.

Doctoral Program

The Doctoral Program in Law seeks students with the following qualities

  1. Students who are eager to acquire more specialized research skills and pursue a career as a legal expert in the future, assuming that they have acquired basic skills in law and politics in their Master’s studies

Faculty Members

Hidetoshi ITO Professor

Kensuke UEDA Professor

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Mayumi OHASHI Professor

Junichiro OKUDA Professor

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Atsuko KANEHARA Professor

Yoshinobu KITAMURA Professor

Shigeki KUSUNOKI Professor

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Yushin KUWAHARA Professor

Yasuto KOMADA Professor

Shoichi TAGASHIRA Professor

Keiichi CHIKUSHI Professor

Ryousuke TERUNUMA Professor

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Koichi TOMINAGA Professor

Hitomi NAGANO Professor

Takeo HORIGUCHI Professor

Naoko MATSUMOTO Professor

Tetsuo MORISHITA Professor

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Fumihiko AZUMA Associate Professor

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Akio ZENTO Associate Professor

Masaaki MIZOBUCHI Associate Professor

Sophia University

For Others, With Others