Three policies of education at Okayama University
- Fundamental Educational Goals
- Exemplary Students
- Three policies (Degree Policy・Curriculum Policy・Admission Policy)
Fundamental Educational Goals
Okayama University's most important mission is to provide an enriching education for our students. Our commitment to each and every student is to help them to cultivate the abilities required to play an active role in “creating knowledge and wisdom,” based on the results of high-level research activities conducted thus far, and to form a well-rounded character through meaningful dialogues and discussions with other students as well as the university faculty and staff. In this way, we support students in the development of a high level of competence and a rich humanity, both of which are necessary qualities to play a central role in a wide range of areas in Japan and abroad.
Exemplary Students
We define “the ability required to play active roles in ‘creating knowledge and wisdom,’” as set forth in the Fundamental Educational Goals, as specialized and inquiry skills; “meaningful dialogues and discussions with other students as well as the university faculty and staff” as communication skills; “a rich sense of humanity” as liberal arts skills; “playing a key role in a wide range of areas in Japan and abroad” as implementation skills. In the period for the 4th Mid-Term Goals and Mid-Term Plans, we will nurture students as “pioneers of proactive and transformative change” who contribute to creating new values and bringing innovation to the world, in accordance with Okayama University’s Mission and Purpose.
Students who will pursue knowledge and learning to take action on their own initiative
We will foster individuals to develop the following five abilities:
○ The implementation ability required to solve problems on their own initiative
○ The inquiry ability required to ask questions and identify issues to be tackled
○ The communication ability required to learn from differences through close interaction
○ Basic and systematic specialized abilities
○ The ability to take an interest in nature and society while developing autonomous learning skills (Liberal arts ability)
Master's Courses
Students who utilize their expertise to be internationally active
We will foster individuals to develop the following five abilities:
○ The implementation ability required to connect to the world, respect different values, and solve issues
○ The inquiry ability required to approach issues logically from multiple perspectives
○ The communication ability required to collaborate and cooperate extensively
○ The specialized ability required to understand and synthesize information
○ The ability to deepen one’s own knowledge through a wide range of studies (Liberal arts ability)
Doctoral Courses *(Integrated five-year doctoral programs)
Students who collaborate to create new values to build a sustainable society
We will foster individuals to develop the following five abilities:
○ The implementation ability required for identifying issues and celebrating differences in order to present new knowledge and insight to society
○ The inquiry ability required to identify the essence of a matter and reveal it in a creative manner
○ The communication ability required to demonstrate leadership
○ The specialized ability required to create
○ The ability to develop their wisdom from a variety of value systems (Liberal arts ability)
* Integrated five-year doctoral programs will be closed due to the reorganization of Doctoral Courses in AY2023.
Professional Degree Courses
Professionals who identify new goals and make use of their specialized skills to do pioneering work in society
We will foster individuals to develop the following five abilities:
○ The implementation ability required to engage other people in a common cause and contribute to society
○ The inquiry ability required to set new goals
○ The communication ability to work together to achieve specific goals
○ The specialized ability required to direct others towards their goal
○ The ability to make ethical and accurate decisions (Liberal arts ability)
Three policies
Okayama University awards degrees to students who have studied for the prescribed period of time, acquired the following competences and earned the credits required for graduation in order to develop exemplary students.
Abilities acquired: implementation, inquiry, communication, specialized, and liberal arts skills
Bachelor's Degree Courses
Implementation ability
The implementation ability required to solve problems on their own initiative
The ability to face familiar challenges and take action to solve them
Inquiry ability
The inquiry ability required to identify the issues to be tackled on their own initiative
The ability to ask questions and clarify issues by examining the subject from multiple aspects
Communication ability
The communication ability required to learn from differences through close interaction
The ability to understand differences through close interaction to improve oneself
Specialized ability
Basic and systematic specialized ability
The ability to make use of the knowledge and skills underpinning their respective areas of expertise
Liberal arts ability
The ability to take an interest in nature and society and become an autonomous learner
The ability to maintain a curiosity about events in one’s surroundings and continue to learn
Master's Courses
Implementation ability
The implementation ability to connect with the world, recognize different values and solve problems
The ability to understand the differences in significant issues to take the lead in finding solutions
Inquiry ability
The inquiry ability required to approach issues logically from multiple perspectives
The ability to use specialized skills from a variety of perspectives to get to the essence of an issue that has been identified through consideration from various angles. The ability to explain the essence of an issue in a way that can be understood by people from other areas of expertise.
Communication ability
The ability required for extensive collaboration and cooperation
The ability to recognize differences through close interaction and build a mutually enhancing relationship beyond borders
Specialized ability
The specialized ability required to understand and synthesize information
The ability to synthesize the underpinning knowledge and skills of each area of specialization
Liberal arts ability
The ability to deepen one’s own knowledge from a wide range of studies
The ability to develop oneself through broader and deeper learning
Doctoral Courses*(Integrated five-year doctoral programs)
Implementation ability
The implementation ability required to identify issues, make use of differences, and demonstrate new knowledge or insight to society
The ability to convey significant findings to society by identifying and facing potentially new values in these issues while taking advantage of their differences
Inquiry ability
The inquiry ability required to identify the essence of a matter and reveal it in an original way
The ability to uncover the essence and universality of issues from a unique perspective rooted in outstanding specialized expertise. The ability to explain the essence and universality of an issue in plain language to society at large
Communication ability
The communication ability required to play a leadership role
The ability to build mutually beneficial relationships and work collaboratively towards a new society
Specialized ability
The specialized ability required to create
The ability to synthesize the knowledge and skills underpinning one's area of specialization and thereby bring about creativity
Liberal arts ability
The ability to increase one's knowledge and wisdom through diverse values
The ability to learn from a wide range of values and promote one’s own development
* Integrated five-year doctoral programs will be closed due to the reorganization of Doctoral Courses in AY2023.
Professional Degree Courses
Implementation ability
The implementation ability required to involve other people in a common cause and contribute to society
The ability to contribute to society by collaborating with specialists in other fields to solve the issues.
Inquiry ability
The inquiry ability required to set new goals
The ability to set goals to solve the problems identified through multifaceted studies and to establish the process to achieve these goals
Communication ability
The communication ability to work together to achieve specific goals
The ability to build good relationships with various stakeholders in order to creatively solve problems
Specialized ability
The specialized ability required to control the field in a targeted manner
The ability to utilize the knowledge and skills underpinning the specialist jobs to move the field and pioneer society
Liberal arts ability
The ability to make ethical and accurate decisions
The ability to be aware of the issues involved in society and continue to learn in order to improve their ability to make workable ethical decisions and judgements
In order to develop individuals who have mastered the abilities set out in the Policy for Graduation Certification and Degree Awarding (Degree Policy), Okayama University as a whole, organizes and implements curricula based on the following educational policies and principles.
Education implementation policy: to provide education that helps students develop the ability to continue to learn independently in order to implement sustainable societies.
Education principles: the following educational content is provided, from the perspective of proactive and interactive deep learning, with emphasis on what students have become able to do, rather than what has been taught.
- Bachelor's Degree Courses
- Master's Courses
- Doctoral Courses
- Professional Degree Courses
- Educational methods. etc
Bachelor's Degree Courses
General Education
General education aims to develop general knowledge and skills, and provides practical activities for learning with other students, while maturing and creating together.
The curriculum provides the knowledge and skills necessary to enable interaction and collaboration with people whose ideas differ from their own.
Specialized Education
Specialized education provides students with opportunities to deepen their understanding of specialization by offering systematically designed curricula and helping students to integrate and create knowledge from different fields of expertise.
The curriculum provides students with knowledge and skills in different fields that enrich their thinking, as well as systematic and basic specialized knowledge and skills that build their own expertise, while learning from one another.
Language Education
Language education is provided to enable students to develop their English language competence required to live in a globalized world.
The university provides students with opportunities to study English and develop the integrated language skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing, as well as learn a second foreign language (international students have opportunities to learn Japanese) through subjects designed to promote cross-cultural understanding. In addition, it creates opportunities to learn languages not only in the regular curriculum but also as extracurricular education.
Master's Courses
General Education
General education aims to develop general knowledge and skills, and provides practical activities for learning with other students, while maturing and creating together.
The curriculum provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to examine their own issues from a variety of perspectives and to collaborate with people whose views may differ to solve those issues.
Specialized Education
Specialized education provides students with opportunities to deepen their understanding of specialization by offering systematically designed curricula and helping students to integrate and create knowledge from different fields of expertise.
In addition to the systematic knowledge and skills students have developed in their specialization, the curriculum also provides knowledge and skills gained by connecting and integrating the knowledge and skills of related fields.
Language Education
Language education is provided to enable students to develop their English language competence required to live in a globalized world.
In anticipation of multilingual research activities and activities in their field of practice, students are encouraged to make use of opportunities to present and interact, not only in Japanese but also in a variety of languages at academic conferences.
Doctoral Courses*(Integrated five-year doctoral programs)
General Education
General education aims to develop general knowledge and skills, and provides practical activities for learning with other students, while maturing and creating together.
The curriculum provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to examine their own issues from various perspectives, apply those issues to the real world in collaboration with people who have different ideas, and lead to finding creative solutions to problems. Students also develop the skills necessary to explain solutions to problems in plain language.
Specialized Education
Specialized education provides students with opportunities to deepen their understanding of specialization by offering systematically designed curricula and helping students to integrate and create knowledge from different fields of expertise.
The curriculum provides students with the ability to create solutions to global issues by using the systematic knowledge and skills of their own specialization, along with the additional knowledge and skills they have developed
Language Education
Language education is provided to enable students to develop their English language competence required to live in a globalized world.
In anticipation of multilingual research activities and activities in their field of practice, students are encouraged to make use of opportunities to present and interact, not only in Japanese but also in a variety of languages at academic conferences.
*Integrated five-year doctoral programs will be closed due to the reorganization of Doctoral Courses in AY2023.
Professional Degree Courses
General Education
General education aims to develop general knowledge and skills, and provides practical activities for learning with other students, while maturing and creating together.
The curriculum provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to examine issues rooted in the main specialized fields from a variety of perspectives and to collaborate with people whose views may differ to help them solve problems.
Specialized Education
Specialized education provides students with opportunities to deepen their understanding of specialization by offering systematically designed curricula and helping students to integrate and create knowledge from different fields of expertise.
The curriculum is designed to deepen and integrate students' systematic knowledge and skills acquired in their fields of specialization.
Language Education
Language education is provided to enable students to develop their English language competence required to live in a globalized world.
In anticipation of multilingual research activities and activities in their field of practice, students are encouraged to make use of opportunities to present and interact, not only in Japanese but also in a variety of languages at academic conferences.
○Educational methods: the aforementioned educational content is provided in the following ways.
(1) Educational methods are used to help students proactively expand their potential.
General education, specialized education, and language education are provided in ways that enable students to expand their potential by understanding others and learning from one another.
(2) An educational system is offered that takes full advantage of the unique features of the university.
For all courses, an educational system is provided that enables students to, while respecting their own specialties, collaborate with others in different specialized fields to think, take action, and create something new, while learning from each other.
(3) Practical educational programs which are tailored to the development of the students are provided.
From undergraduate to postgraduate, students are offered study abroad programs, internships, and practicums in real-world settings connected to their region and the world.
○Academic performance evaluation policy: the academic performance of each student is strictly evaluated.
Students’ learning outcomes and performance are evaluated based on clearly specified criteria and methods for each class subject. For graduate courses (excluding professional degree courses), criteria and methods for the examination of dissertations and tasks are clearly specified in advance, and the final review and examination of research outcomes are conducted based on those criteria and methods. With regard to doctoral dissertations, students are required to pass the final review and examination after receiving an interim evaluation. For the final review and examination of a doctoral dissertation, an examination committee, consisting of at least three members, is organized. (The committee members may include outside researchers if budgetary arrangements are made within the program.) When deemed necessary by the graduate school to which a student belongs, the student’s supervisor may be included as a member of the examination committee. The examination committee chair (chief referee) shall be selected from among the committee members. (If the student’s supervisor is included in the committee, the chair shall be selected from members other than the supervisor.)
○ Extracurricular education policy:
Students are provided with extracurricular activities to enable them to understand their personal development beyond classroom learning.
Okayama University seeks students equipped with the following abilities: