Graduate School of Arts and Letters
Dean's message
Unique Curriculum with Eight Master’s Degrees
NAGAOKA, Akira
The Graduate School of Arts and Letters, founded in 1952, is based on the founding principles of Meiji University: rights and liberty and independence and self-government. The school explores several academic fields with the questions of how the history and culture of mankind has developed, what its heritage means today, and what the existence itself of man is. Each academic field has a long history and tradition, has recorded enormous achievements and employs unique survey methods.
The purpose of the school is to contribute to the 21st century in the fields of the humanities that are the foundation of a wealthy and stable society using science, technology, and rational political and economical structures as its means. The school has eight Master’s degrees, namely, Japanese Literature, English Literature, French Literature, German Literature, Drama and Theatre Arts, History, Geography and Clinical Anthropology. The History Master’s is comprised of four courses, namely, Japanese History, Asian History, Western History and Archeology. The Clinical Anthropology Master’s, established in 2005, employs psychological and sociological investigations of man and modern society in this rapidly changing world of today. The establisment of the Clinical Anthropology Master’s has widened the range of research fields of the school.
Each Master’s and course has devised a unique curriculum to deepen specialized knowledge in their respective fields, and offers small class sizes taught by a faculty of about 70 professors and other members. Also, students can take classes of other courses and other graduate schools through the agreement of the credit exchanging system. The school also has several international exchange programs and encourages students to study abroad.
In the school, there is a Doctoral course for each subject. The Clinical Anthropology Doctoral course was established in 2007.
The school tackles various reforms, one example being the opening of Analysis on Cultural Inheritance in the Doctoral course which aims to explore a new area in interdisciplinary research of teachers and students from various fields. Many research projects and programs are supported by public organizations or private funds. In the English Master’s course, it is possible to take the Sensyu English teacher license during the first year. Also, the school offers specialized courses for newly hired individuals.
The school opens the doors wide to all who have a passion for learning.
