Kyushu University - International Programs - Graduate

Kyushu University>International Programs>Graduate>Overview of the Courses>Master’s Course

Master’s Course Students will be awarded the Master of Science (M.Sc) on completion of a satisfactory thesis. Students are also required to complete a four-semester course over a two-year period.

The course consists of lectures, practicals, seminars, and tutorials. Students must obtain 30 credits with a minimum pass grade of 60%. The Master’s course curriculum is presented in Table 1.

Table 1. The Master’s Course Curriculum

Code*	Subject	Credit	Term**
Code*	Subject	Credit	I(A)	II(S)	III(A)	IV(S)
C01	Master’s Thesis Research I	6	6
C02	Master’s Thesis Research II	6			6
C03	Seminar in a Specified Field I	2	2
C04	Seminar in aSpecified Field II	2		2
C05	Seminar in a Specified Field III	2			2
	(Subtotal)	(18)
M01	Fundamentals of Agricultural Sciences	2	2
M02	Biological Resources: Utilization and Conservation	2	2
M03	Soil and Water Environment	2	2
M04	International Rural Development	2	2
M05	Advanced Technology in Agriculture	2			2
M06	Food Science and Food Systems	2			2
M07	Special Lecture on International Development I	1
M08	Special Lecture on International Development II	1
M09	Special Lecture on International Development III	1
M10	Special Lecture on International Development IV	1
M11	Domestic-International Field Training	1
	(Subtotal)	(10)
S01	Agricultural Bioresource Sciences	2		2
S02	Animal & Mairne Bioresource Sciences	2		2
S03	Forest and Forest Products Sciences	2		2
S04	Bioproduction Environmental Sciences	2		2
S05	Agronomy and Environmental Sciences	2		2
S06	Agricultural and Resource Economics	2		2
S07	Molecular Biosciences	2		2
S08	Systems Biology	2		2
S09	Applied Molecular Microbiology and Biomass Chemistry	2		2
S10	Food Science & Biotechnology	2		2
	（Subtotal）	(2)
	Total	30

＊C: compulsory subjects = 5 subjects (18 credit units); M: module subjects = 5 subjects (10 credit units) selected from a total of 8; S: specialized subjects = compulsory and particular to each department (2 credit units).
** A = Autumn term; S = Spring term

An outline of the Master’s course subjects is given in Table2. Compulsory subjects consist of the thesis (12 credits) and laboratory seminars (6 credits); module subjects of 5 subjects from a total of at least 8 (10 credits); and specialized subjects of one specific subject (2 credits) given by the department to which the student belongs.

Table 2. Preponderant features of the Master’s course subjects

	Aim	Lecture methods	Choice	Professors	Required
Compulsory subjects	Research practice	Conventional form	5 subjects	Laboratory Prof.	5 (18 credits)
Module subjects	Improvement of basic academic abilities focusing on agricultural administration and rural development	Block module	9 subjects	Special team	5 (10 credits)
Module subjects	Cross-cutting or interdisciplinary research	Block module	9 subjects	Special team	5 (10 credits)
Specialized subjects	Improvement of expertise	Block module	10 subjects	Your Depts.	1 (2 credits)

Table 3. An Outline of the Module Subjects

Code	Subject?	Specification	Relevant Departments
M01	Fundamentals of Agricultural Sciences	Fundamentals of Agriculture and rural development (Biostatistics, etc.)	All
M02	Biological Resources： Utilization and Conservation	Fundamental sciences necessary for maintaining biodiversity and sustainable utilization of biological resources	Bioresource Sciences, Agro-environmental Sciences,etc.
M03	Soil and Water Environments? in Agriculture	Irrigation, drainage, reclamation engineering, and the control of water resources	Agro-environmental Sciences,etc.
M04	International Rural Development	Fundamentals and practical research on international rural development	Agricultural and Resource Economics,etc.
M05	Advanced Technology in Agriculture	Agricultural life sciences and biotechnology	Bioscience and Biotechnology, Bioresource Sciences,etc
M06	Food Safety and Security	Science, technology and economics related to food safety and security	Bioscience and Biotechnology, etc
M07	Special Lecture on International Development I	Special lecture (Technical communication, etc.)	Adjunct professors
M08	Special Lecture on International Development II	Special lecture (Wide-ranging issues related to international development strategies,etc.)	Adjunct professors
M09	Special Lecture on International Development III	Special lecture (Wide-ranging issues related to international development strategies,etc.)	Adjunct professors
M10	Special Lecture on International Development IV	Special lecture (Wide-ranging issues related to international development strategies,etc.)	Adjunct professors
M11	Domestic-International Field Training	Field Training held either in Japan or another country	Adjunct professors

Lectures are given in a block module format. Each semester comprises three blocks, each of which includes 1 to 2 module subjects. A brief outline of the various module subjects is provided in Table 3.

The topic of the thesis research is specified after discussion with your supervisor. Students must submit their master thesis in English to the appropriate examination board in the department consisting the teaching staff. Students are required to give an oral presentation of the thesis during the spring semester of the second year. A committee will evaluate overall performance based on a report by the department committee. Satisfactory performance will lead to an award of the Master of Science from Kyushu University.

Table 1. The Master’s Course Curriculum

Table 2. Preponderant features of the Master’s course subjects

Table 3. An Outline of the Module Subjects

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