Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences

The use of computer technologies and information is dramatically increasing in politics, economics, education, and medical welfare. Network-based information technologies (IT) in particular are bringing major changes to various fields, such as international distribution and economic systems. There is thus a great need for specialized engineers able to work in the industries being created in this new social structure and for individuals capable of promoting today’s advanced information-driven society. In this graduate school, which is based on computer science and digital media studies, students are taught how to identify problems, devise solutions, and be creative in today’s information society.

“Seeking a new framework for the computer and information sciences, leaving a mark on the IT field”

The Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences is relatively new. It was established in 2002, and graduated its first students in 2006. Thus far, the school has awarded five doctoral degrees and about 70 master’s degrees, and the graduates who earned those degrees are now starting their careers in business and academia. Although this graduate school does not have a long legacy, it seeks to cultivate individuals capable of building the new age we are now entering, often referred to as the information, or knowledge, society.
The information society does not represent a continuation of the industrial society that preceded it. As Peter Ferdinand Drucker predicted, the present age is a break from the past. The greatest changes can be seen in globalization, which has occurred as a result of the spread of the Internet. Sovereign states were the basic framework for industrial society, but many phenomena that go beyond this framework can now be seen. Even researchers and engineers in the computer and information sciences, for example, are no longer controlled by their physical location.
To adapt to these kinds of changes, we need concepts and organizations that are unlike those of the past, and the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences is able to meet that need.

1. New curriculum: The Information Processing Society of Japan in 2007 announced the body of knowledge of information science (J07), and a new curriculum was adopted in the 2010 academic year that heavily incorporates important fields proposed in J07.
2. Four attractive fields: The new curriculum is comprised of the four attractive fields of (1) parallel computing and architecture, (2) software system science, (3) virtual reality and multimedia, and (4) cyberworlds and intelligent computing.
3. Internationalization: The field of computer and information sciences is the one in which internationalization has most progressed. We actively accept international students and conduct required courses in English. We also encourage students to present papers at international conferences. To do this, the graduate school provides its own unique support to students.
4. Well-equipped environment: We loan laptops to students and equip our separated research laboratories with desktop computers.

1. Diploma policy: We have designed the Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences and the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences based on the goal of “shifting from creating products to creating ideas.” Now that we are in the 21st century and the information society has really taken hold, this goal has become an important concept for demonstrating leadership in science and technology, as is evident in the development of cyberworlds and the social penetration of the Internet. Thus, the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences aims to cultivate researchers and advanced, specialized engineers capable of carrying out this mission.
2. Admissions policy: Researchers and engineers in computer and information science are facing fierce competition both in Japan and abroad, with information science and technology being the field most impacted by globalization. It has been pointed out that Japan has fewer master’s and doctoral degree holders than other countries. To improve Japan’s competitiveness in information science and technology, we are broadly recruiting applicants to the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences, including international students.
3. Academic policy: We are striving to improve our educational and research content by offering a curriculum that meets international standards, promoting faculty development, producing international level research results, and accepting diverse applicants.