“Converting a major into a graduate school”
The graduate program in lifelong learning and career studies was first established in 2005 within the Graduate School of Business Administration to offer a unique major that created a new field of study.
This major focused on building the study of lifelong learning and careers into an interdisciplinary field covering such disciplines as business administration and pedagogy, and on promoting relevant education and research. It has met the social demand for human resources by offering theoretically grounded, practical learning to professionals in the following areas: those in charge of human resources and labor management in private companies; employees of human resource-related businesses; career consultants and counselors dealing with fast-changing labor market situations; specialists in career development support focused on lifelong vocational skills development who work at public employment agencies or public vocational training centers; career education instructors and career-path advisors working at schools and other educational institutions; and those working for NPOs or public cultural facilities who are involved in supporting the lifelong career development of citizens.
Since the establishment of this major, the educational and research needs of working adult graduate students have changed, turning the study of lifelong learning and careers into more than just a new field within the realm of business administration, and ensuring that it encompasses fields that involve research into lifelong career development. To meet this kind of diversification and advancement in social needs, Hosei University decided to divest this major from the Graduate School of Business Administration, in which it is situated up to now, and to create a whole new Graduate School of Career Studies in April 2013.
Major in Career Studies
“The first graduate program in Japan to offer an advanced and systematic approach to lifelong learning and career studies”
This graduate program is the first of its kind in Japan to examine the phenomenon of lifelong learning and careers. Designed for individuals in charge of human resources, education, and career support in private companies, public agencies, NPOs, universities, high schools, and other institutions, as well as for career consultants wanting to develop a more advanced level of professional skills, it allows students to examine and conduct research in the field of lifelong learning and career studies as a theoretically grounded yet practical field of study. The program allows people with backgrounds in such fields as business, education, and psychology to take an interdisciplinary approach to individual career guidance, and is divided into two specific programs to accommodate the professional background and interests of a wide variety of students: (1) the Career Education and Development Program, which focuses on career support and lifelong learning perspectives within schools; and (2) the Business Career Program, which focuses on career development and support within organizations.
The curriculum is comprised of (1) general classes common to both programs, (2) program-specific classes, and (3) workshop classes. Built on foundations in basic theory and survey research methods, it allows students to select courses appropriate to each program. The program-specific classes include career development classes, which focus on individual career development and advancement; career professional classes, for thinking about organizational systems and experts specializing in providing career support; and career policy classes, which examine the social policies and systems that regulate individual organizational behavior. Building on the basic theories and techniques learned, students then receive thesis research guidance in the workshop classes.
Considering the performance achieved thus far and the future development of the field of career education, in April 2013, Hosei University is planning to divest the program in career studies from the Graduate School of Business Administration and set it within an independent Graduate School of Career Studies.