Educational Goal and Three Policies of the Department of Science

Educational Goal

The Educational Goal of the Department of Science is to produce professionals such as engineers, researchers and educators who will make the best use of their knowledge and research experience in mathematics and natural sciences to contribute proactively to the development of local and international communities.

The Department of Science will confer a Master’s Degree on students who have obtained the designated credits at the required GPA, passed the examination on the Master’s Thesis and the final examination, and have acquired the following abilities.

1. the ability to work, in a multifaceted/comprehensive way, on various problems that local and international communities are facing and do so with high standards of ethics and from a global, long-term viewpoint,
2. the ability to examine/analyze information from a scientific viewpoint and the ability to discover challenges,
3. the ability to obtain, proactively based on logical thinking, advanced expertise/skills and knowledge in a wide range of the fields other than of one’s specialization,
4. the ability to think creatively and flexibly, the ability to develop an idea from its seeds (new technology owned by companies) on the basis of the knowledge/expertise in one’s specialization and the knowledge in a wide range of fields other than one’s own, and the ability to solve problems autonomously and practically, and
5. the ability to communicate effectively to play a leading role continuously to contribute to the development of local and international communities.

To produce experts in science and technology who will have a broad perspective and be able to flourish in the global community, the Master’s Course, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University has in place the following high-quality educational subjects in the curricula of the degree programs organized by the respective Departments.

1. Curricula are organized systematically from admission to degree acquisition.
1. the Intellectual Exploration Subjects to help students obtain advanced expertise in mathematics and natural sciences,
2. the Cross-Graduate School Subjects to help students obtain knowledge in a wide range of specialized fields other than mathematics and the natural sciences and to nurture a good sense of ethics,
3. the Practical Skills Subjects and the Intellectual Pursuit Subjects to help students acquire an autonomous and practical problem-solving capabilities, and
4. the Language-related Subjects to help students learn communication skills for working internationally.
2. Educational methods to suit the purposes/goals of each subject

To develop the abilities stated in the diploma policy, each subject will be taught through methods that best serve the purposes/goals of the subject.

3. Rigorous performance evaluation

Each subject explicitly indicates its educational/learning goals and evaluation criteria to be strictly applied to appraisal of students work.

1. Desired qualities

• commit themselves to the Educational Goals of the Department of Science; have underlying academic skills; be strongly motivated; be capable of scientific and rational thinking; and have good communication skills,
• be keenly interested in the unresolved issues of science; be inquisitive; and spare no effort in finding solutions to problems,
• hone their skills in making research plans and in producing logical analyses in scientific and multilateral methods to analyze different phenomena in science, and
• make the best use of what they learn and respect the different values and cultures of the world to make both local and global communities better.
  

2. Capabilities desired in students

Applicants are required to have the knowledge/ability worthy of a bachelor’s degree holder, knowledge/skills in the specialized field of the Department of Science and foreign language ability (English). However, when application for the Special Admissions in Other Fields is made, the student must have the knowledge/ability worthy of a bachelor’s degree holder, the knowledge/skills in their field of specialization and foreign language ability (English).

3. Basic Principle of Candidate Screening

The General Selection (oral examination) tests applicants’ knowledge/ability related to the specialized field of the master’s degree program of the Department of Science and aptitude/motivation through an interview including an oral examination. These abilities are necessary to achieve the status of the sort of human resource outlined in the Educational Goals. Also to be taken into account is the grade achieved at the school the applicant has graduated from and the Statement of Reasons for Applying.

The General Selection (written examination) evaluates applicants’ knowledge/ability related to the specialized field of the preferred master’s degree program, reading comprehension of a foreign language (English) and aptitude/motivation through the examination on the specialized subject (questions from the specialized field of the preferred master’s degree program, i.e., the Department of Science), on the foreign language (English) and an interview. These abilities are necessary to achieve the status of the sort of human resource outlined in the Educational Goals. Also to be taken into account is the grade at the school the applicant has graduated from.

The Special Admissions in Other Fields appraises applicants’ ability, aptitude and motivation all of which are necessary to achieve the status of the sort of human resource outlined in the Educational Goals. The appraisal is conducted through an interview, including an oral examination. Also to be taken into account is the grade achieved at the school the applicant has graduated from and the Statement of Reasons for Applying.

The Special Selection for Those in Employment assesses applicants’ knowledge/ability related to the specialized field of the preferred master’s degree program and aptitude/motivation both of which are necessary to achieve the status of the sort of human resource outlined in the Educational Goals through an oral examination. Also to be taken into account is the grade achieved at the school the applicant has graduated from and the Performance (Operation) Report.

The International Students Special Admissions tests applicants’ knowledge/ability related to the specialized field of the preferred master’s degree program, reading comprehension of a foreign language (either Japanese or English) and aptitude/motivation through the examination on the specialized subject (questions from the specialized field of the preferred master’s degree program, i.e., the Department of Science), on the foreign language (either Japanese or English) and an interview. These abilities are necessary to achieve the status of the sort of human resource outlined in the Educational Goals. Also to be taken into account is the grade achieved at the school the applicant has graduated from.