(1) History
International Christian University (ICU) was founded in 1949 with the cooperation of both Japanese and North American educators. The first students entered in 1953 when the College of Liberal Arts was opened. The Graduate School opened in 1957 with a program in education and has since added three more divisions: Public Administration (1963), Comparative Culture (1976), and Natural Sciences (1987). Finally, in April 2010, four graduate divisions aiming at interdisciplinary education were united and regenerated as the “Graduate School of Arts and Sciences”. The master’s level programs introduced a more liberal approach to graduate education and support studies in innovative fields spanning multiple disciplines.

(2) Location
ICU is set in a picturesque, serene, wooded campus in suburban Tokyo. Our campus provides a perfect setting for those pursuing graduate studies in the social sciences as one can focus on research in a quiet environment but also readily access downtown Tokyo – Japan’s business center and government seat. It offers easy access to many of the government offices, world leading research institutions, UN agencies, and NGO/NPOs, as well as opportunities to develop a network among leading scholars and people working in the same field.

(3) University Data (*as of October 2019)
Number of Undergraduate Students: 3,023
Number of Graduate Students: 210 (Master’s course: 146, Doctoral course: 59, One-Year-Regular: 5)
Number of faculty and full-time educational staff: 155 (Japanese: 99/ Non-Japanese: 56)

(4) Basic Policy
Founded on the principles of Christianity and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ICU aims to cultivate ‘responsible global citizens’ who contribute to world peace. Explicit in its name, ICU has been a pioneer in liberal arts education in Japan since its founding in 1953, pursuing international, Christian and academic ideals. The Graduate School, in accordance with the ideals and purposes of ICU, aims to enable students to master advanced levels of learning in specific fields. The Graduate School’s programs continue to attract the brightest students from around the world. This may be due to various reasons, including the relatively small size of our graduate programs, where every student has the advantage of enjoying the full attention of many faculty members and not just one academic advisor. Additionally, bilingual liberal arts instruction in English and Japanese enables ICU students from all over the world to think about and discuss ideas using a common language. Furthermore, graduate students can select from a wide range of research areas, from major classical disciplines in social sciences, arts and humanities, and natural sciences to interdisciplinary studies and new emerging fields.

(1) Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
ICU’s reformed Graduate School of Arts and Sciences started offering its programs from April 2010. The master’s level programs, enriched with new courses, 1) introduce a more liberal approach to graduate education by promoting transferable skills, 2) offer school-wide interdisciplinary courses, and 3) support studies in innovative fields spanning multiple disciplines.
ICU’s graduate school and faculty are devoted to cultivating professionals: superlative minds in their fields with deep insight into real policy issues. The graduate program provides a highly competitive, theoretical, empirical, policy-oriented international education, which contributes to solving real policy issues in developing countries and the world at large.

(2) Basic Policy for Accepting JDS Fellows
All faculty and staff are happy to provide learning opportunities for JDS Fellows who work to acquire specialized knowledge in solving social and economic development issues, which their own countries might confront. We expect very high quality and promising students who are strongly motivated to achieve academically and return to their home country with the skills necessary to contribute. Furthermore, to effectively manage admission of JDS Fellows to the program, ICU has organized a ‘JDS Committee,’ which has discussed how to meet JDS Fellows’ academic needs in the admissions process. To accomplish this goal, the JDS committee is devoted to developing and initiating new designs of courses and special seminars, and inviting renowned guest professors and speakers for JDS Fellows.

< Faculty Expertise >
To contribute to the international environment at ICU, the faculty comes from diverse countries and has global work experience, including in developing countries. Many faculty members have work experience in international organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, JICA and various United Nations (UN) programs and agencies and can supplement their teaching with practical experiences. They have a deep understanding of the social and economic development issues of ASEAN, and can offer individual guidance based on students’ interests and needs.

< Guiding Principles >
School-wide interdisciplinary courses, such as ‘Writing for Researchers’, and ‘Data Analysis for Researchers’ provide all graduate school students necessary skills for research at the graduate school level. Students are also able to take courses of ICU’s undergraduate program to deepen and expand their understanding and basic knowledge of their field if necessary.

< Guidance and Advisors >
Upon enrollment each student is assigned to an academic advisor who is a full-time professor. The advisor works closely with the student as a mentor to develop an effective research plan. In the first year, students take school-wide interdisciplinary courses, foundation courses and specialization courses in their area of concentration and receive guidance in their research by their academic advisor. Through this guidance students can acquire basic knowledge and skills for the master’s course.
During the second year, students concentrate more on thesis research. Academic advisors give students precise and proper guidance in order to successfully complete their master’s thesis. During the writing of the master’s thesis, second and third advisors are assigned to provide more academic guidance to students from different perspectives.
To promote hands-on mentoring, ICU faculty have a policy of setting aside at least two hours each week as designated office hours, when students can visit faculty for any reason without requiring an appointment. Moreover, each student meets individually with his or her advisor for registration each term. These college-wide policies are in addition to the regular mentoring and academic advising that graduate student receive related to their courses and thesis progress.

< Classmates >
At ICU Graduate School, students from many countries study together. Japanese and non-Japanese peers appreciate this diversity and learn from each other’s differences. A tradition of open-mindedness continues to be a salient feature of campus life at ICU. ICU Graduate School has accepted about 10 students as ‘Rotary Peace Scholars’ every year ,who come from countries all around the world, and, just as JDS Fellows do, they possess working experience and through their graduate studies aim to prepare themselves for future contributions to peace building, conflict resolution and development. Bringing together students with such diverse backgrounds and experiences provides even more opportunities for students to learn from each other.

< Japanese Language Program >
ICU offers a Japanese Language Program (JLP) in which students can take courses depending on each student’s level of Japanese ability. JLP has been recognized for its excellence and prepares students to use Japanese for academic purposes. ICU has also started to offer new JLP course especially for graduate students who wish to achieve primary level Japanese.

ICU Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is well known for its interdisciplinary program. The Public Policy & Social Research Program enables students to learn not only from one area of Public Policy and Public Administration , but also from development studies, international relations, public economics, sociology and anthropology, media and communication studies, and peace studies. This aims to develop a broad view and wide knowledge of students, and it leads to cultivate experts with capacity of problem-solving and plenty of knowledge which are essential to the professional officers in developing countries. The Program offers theoretical as well as methodological courses on qualitative and quantitative analysis, and field research methods, which are necessary for students’ research. The Faculty is highly experienced in various international organizations and serves as a body of skilled educators. Primary advisors and other faculty members eagerly share the common agenda of JDS Fellows and support and guide JDS Fellows in order to aid in their education.

< Other Opportunities >
In addition to coursework and research, there are various enrichment activities and opportunities at ICU for JDS Fellows.

(1) The JDS forum and Workshop for Development Studies
ICU organizes several JDS forums during the year. These forums invite professionals from international organizations, governments, NGOs and others, to discuss diverse issues of developing countries.

(2) Seminars jointly hosted with other universities / organizations
ICU has conducted Joint Seminars with other universities, which offered an opportunity for JDS Fellows to gain experience presenting their research and to receive feedback from faculty on how to develop their ideas. This seminar improves JDS Fellows’ research and presentation skills and also enhances the network between both faculty and JDS fellows at the co-sponsored universities. Additionally, JDS Fellows can participate in the United Nations University Global Seminar that is held as a joint seminar by the UN University and 10 other cooperating universities (including ICU). Participation in this seminar is to deepen awareness and understanding of the roles of the states, the UN, civil society and private sector in global governance.
Students are also encouraged to take advantage of ICU’s location in Tokyo by attending various International Conferences, especially those related to their research.

(3) Skill Training
Skill training such as Project Cycle Management Training and Evaluation Methods are provided when regular classes are not in session. And also, several workshops including library database workshop, research design, mid-term presentation and farewell symposium are systematically provided to enhance students’ capability.

For more details, please refer to: < Appendix_2020-21Course Offerings >

The following describes the structure and outline of the curriculum and the goals of faculty-student advising.

(1) Graduate School-Wide Courses
Through these courses students acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for research in the Graduate School’s master’s program. For example, the course “Writing for Researchers” helps graduate students successfully engage in the research publication requirements of their chosen discipline, including such topics as required content, information ordering and data analysis. Related to it, we also offer “Academic English” and “Academic English for Research” specifically for JDS fellows. Each course is enrolled throughout a year. Students can develop not only their writing skill but also reading as an independent reader, discussion and presentation in English for two years. In “Field Research and Professional Learning” students conduct field research to acquire understanding of research techniques, skills to conduct projects, and negotiation skills; through that experience students conduct self-evaluation and analysis and bring their work together into an academic report.

(2) Foundation Courses
These courses provide a foundation in “Microeconomics” “Macroeconomics” “Advanced Econometrics” and “Econometric Analysis,” as well as survey and research methods and other areas necessary for addressing economic issues of the country where the students come from.

(3) Specialization Courses
While furthering the study of various theories, these courses aim to improve students’ problem solving abilities. They prepare students to be able to understand and analyze the development issues faced by students’ own countries from various perspectives.

(4) Research Guidance
Time for seminars is periodically taken and opportunities are provided for debate and detailed advising with faculty advisors in order to respond to the needs of each student. These opportunities are used to advise students on their research they are conducting on their individual research topics. In writing their master’s theses, students are advised on areas in which they may lack understanding and other individual advising is given in such areas as the determination of necessary themes and central ideas, an early review of source material, and selecting research methods.

Please see the course list. 30 credits are required as follows.

• 2 credits (1 course) from Graduate School-Wide Courses
• 4 credits (2 courses) from Program Foundation Courses
• 8 credits (4 courses) from Specialization Courses for each area of concentration
• 6 credits of Research Guidance
• 6 credits (3 courses) from any Foundation, Specialization Course in Related Field or Research Guidance
• 4 credits (2 courses) from any Graduate School courses

ICU has agreements on educational exchange and credit transfer with United Nations University and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. JDS Fellows can take courses in these universities and get credits up to 10 credits.

See the following list of faculty members most likely to advise JDS Scholars especially in Economics. Upon enrollment each student is assigned to an academic advisor for the purpose of general guidance based on each student’s research proposal. By a prescribed date in the third term of the first year, students submit to the dean a tentative title of the thesis with the signature of their desired thesis advisor. At the beginning of the second year, the dean officially announces the appointments.

2020-2021 Academic Schedules (Reference)

< Dormitories >
ICU has several dormitories for Graduate Students in the Student Life Zone on campus and new dormitories opened in April of 2017. There are some floors which mainly have single rooms to accommodate graduate students and students with diverse needs.
For more details: http://www.icu.ac.jp/en/campuslife/dormitories/features.html

< Library >
Since its opening in 1960, the Library has always been at the center of the university's academic information services. Its collection of more than 790 thousand volumes in Japanese, English and other languages covers a multitude of subjects in response to the needs the College of Liberal Arts and Graduate School. In 2000, the new Mildred Topp Othmer Library was opened. This was the first library in Japan which introduced an automated book storage and retrieval system.
On the ground floor, there are multimedia room and the study area where PCs are available (rental service possible). The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is located on the first floor, accommodating Learning Support Office, Educational Support Office, group learning area and group study rooms.
The ICU Archives and Special Collections and the Special Needs Support Office are located in the main Library.

< Sports Facilities >
There are two gymnasiums on campus. Physical Education Center A, which was completed in 2018, houses the main court , a studio , and seminar rooms in which physical education lectures can be conducted. Physical Education Center B, which was completed in 1972, houses rooms for ball games, martial arts, and weight training. Other physical education facilities include a swimming pool, which was completed at the same time as Physical Education Center A, and the Central Locker Building, which was completed in 2001 and houses locker rooms , shower rooms , offices for faculty in the Physical Education Program, etc. In addition, there are also roofed tennis courts , a baseball field, a soccer/rugby field, an archery range, etc.

< Club Activities >
ICU has many excellent and international club activities, which are open to ALL students. For example, there are activities for UNESCO, UN, English debate circle, etc. Also, there are numerous cultural club activities, such as modern jazz, classical music, Japanese tea ceremony, Japanese traditional dance, and others.

< Counseling >
At the Counseling Center, counselors are available to discuss psychological issues with students in English and help them deal with other personal concerns at the university.

< Health Services >
Consisting of the university physician and nurses who can speak English, the Health Care Office (HCO) is equipped for the health of students, faculty and staff, as well as for campus environmental health conditions and health education programs.

From University:

After two years of study at ICU, JDS Fellows would be able to obtain the degree of Master of Arts in Public Economics. ICU is consistently ranked one of the best liberal arts universities in Japan. We can offer the best curriculum for the learning of development studies, and we take great pride in consistently sending out excellent researchers and professionals to academic institutions, government organizations, and international organizations such as UN, UNESCO, etc. Both our curriculum and faculties’ teaching and advising prepare JDS Fellows for the challenges they will face as future world leaders and policy makers. ICU’s diverse yet close-knit community of students, staffs, and faculties and our tradition of small classes that actively promote open discussion and debate challenge our JDS Fellows while helping them to feel comfortable so they can learn effectively. We are here to facilitate our JDS Fellows in fulfilling their academic, profession and personal goals so they can return to their home countries prepared to fully contribute to the development of the region. In order to maximize the achievement from this program, we would like to advise the students who are applying to our program to choose a topic of research that is close to the specialization – or especially the current research interest - of one of our faculty.

In preparing your application, be sure to clearly state how your research interest is related to your proposed project. Provide details as to how the findings are related to your current responsibilities and what you expect your experience at ICU as a graduate student can do for your career and national development.

We encourage applicants to link their career responsibilities and experiences to their research proposal. At the same time, applicants should understand that an MA is a research project that uses social science tools to investigate a public policy or developmental studies issue which lays the theoretical framework for good policy development.

From JDS Fellow:

Mr. Zaigham Ullah Khosa (Center)
1st batch (2019-)

We set off on a journey for seeking knowledge not merely to get certification and degree. Although getting a degree is the minimum level of accomplishment, our aim of such an endeavor ought to be bigger than that. It should be a pursuit to gain insight into the variety of cultures and the way of life itself. It should be a doorway to inclusiveness whereby one can see as to how scholars and students of other cultures and countries perceive knowledge and the meaning of life. This requires that the place of study should be as diversified as possible so that one could get in touch with people of different cultures, and be able to broaden his or her mental canvas.

Tokyo is one of the most culturally rich cities in the world. People from almost every country visit this magnificent city every year. It is a dream destination for scholars, technologists, and of course, tourists. Living and studying in this beautiful city can be a life-changing experience. Fortunately, the JDS program offers scholarships for studying in one of the best universities of Tokyo i.e. International Christian University – jubilantly nicknamed as ICU.

ICU has a rather peculiar historical background. Once, being a military aircraft factory, it was a place of fueling the conflict and chaos, but later, it went on to become a sacred alma mater for many knowledge seekers. Its foundation was laid on the concept of “expanding potential” and it was intended to hone the capabilities of Japanese and international students in order to work together and bring peace to an interconnected world. It is a “Liberal Arts College” which ardently advocates the upholding of human dignity and rights. It may be one of the only few universities around the world which require their students to sign the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ICU is entirely barrier-free and wheel-chair accessible except for only a couple of buildings.

ICU has a beautiful, vast, woodland campus right in the heart of the skyscraper city of Tokyo. This campus is spread on acres of land containing beautiful plum and sakura trees that bring out the heavenly sight of white, pink, and purple flowers during the spring season. Its location is such that the downtown areas of Tokyo, like Shinjuku and Shibuya, are within minutes reach from the ICU campus. ICU presents a unique opportunity for students to learn in a quiet and serene campus along with their fellow students belonging to Japan as well as about 45 other countries of the world. Library, Honkan (the main academic building), Dining Hall, Dialogue House, and Bakayama (a compilation of beautifully landscaped university grounds in the middle of campus) are the icons of the university. There is even a public bus stop inside the campus from where the nearest train station is accessible.

Living on campus or around ICU is very convenient. Most of the ICU dormitories are well equipped and state of the art. I had the opportunity to live in the newly built Momi House, which seemed no less than a luxurious resort except, of course, it had rules of the dormitories to be followed. Similarly, there are many affordable housing units available around the campus where students can live with their families. I, too, subsequently moved out of the dormitory into a nearby apartment in anticipation of my family joining me in Japan.

All in all, International Christian University offers a unique opportunity to its students to enjoy the peaceful learning of contemporary knowledge and to absorb the goodness of diverse cultures through interaction with a global peer community. I am enjoying this opportunity and will cherish it for the rest of my life.