At IDEC, we believe it is important to develop international professionals capable of writing academic articles and reports, communicating and conversing in English. Therefore, most lectures and seminars are provided in English, and our well-organized curricula enable students to receive degrees through courses in English.

IDEC offers a systematic and interdisciplinary curriculum to produce specialists who can contribute to international development and cooperation in ways that cut across established academic disciplines. IDEC offers integrated education and research programs in economic development, international affairs, cultural dynamics, engineering, biology, peace studies, educational development, regional studies, Asian cultures and interdisciplinary programs to develop global perspectives.

Degree programs can be shortened—obtaining a master’s degree in one year or doctoral degree in two years is possible for students with outstanding academic achievements. People aged 60 years or older are encouraged to apply under the provisions for “special selection for senior citizens.”

IDEC offers three special education programs designed to improve the qualifications and skills of students who plan to work in the field of international cooperation. The main features of these programs are as follows.

One of our aims is to establish a center for training environmental leaders capable of identifying problems and formulating strategic solutions at national or local levels through interdisciplinary and international perspectives. The global issue of reducing carbon emissions is an example of such a problem and the need for solutions. Another aim is to provide a platform for collaboration between industry, government and academia to promote cutting-edge environmental research and create coherent practical solutions for environmental issues on a global scale that is not limited to developing countries. We seek to provide value-added knowledge to those engaged in international cooperation.
Achieving this requires addressing five areas: urban system design to prevent global warming, wise use of biomass resources, environmental impact assessment, policy and institutional design and environmental education. Our intention is for developing countries to work hand in hand with Japan to develop international environmental leaders, a task that we will undertake in an effective and practical manner.

For more details, go to here or visit to the original website http://hicec.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/

In recent years, we have been required to deal urgently, and from a global perspective, with such issues as poverty reduction, global environmental issues, peace building and infectious diseases. Among the many types of personnel who tackle these issues, international civil servants have become more and more important in terms of their mission and responsibility. The Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation (IDEC) has been conducting the development of human resources to solve problems in the international society since its establishment in 1994. In 2011, IDEC proudly introduced a new education program for master’s students, “A Special Education Program for Young Professionals Preparing for Careers in International Organizations”, to support students who envision their future career in international organizations.
The objective of the Special Education Program for Young Professionals Preparing for Careers in International Organizations is to support and nurture students who will pursue careers in international organizations; through the international double degree master’s program with the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin (LBJ-UT/A) in the United States.

For more details, go to
Special Education Program for Young Professionals Preparing for Careers in International Organizations

The IDEC/JICA Collaborative Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Zambia Education Program has been conducted in cooperation  with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) since 2002. The aim of this program is to fuse practice with research—participants teach mathematics or science in Zambian schools at either junior or senior secondary level as JOCV, and at the same time conduct research as graduate students of IDEC. The program seeks to foster professional growth through international cooperation. So far, the program has developed human resources for schools, international cooperation agencies, research institutions and private companies.
Students who enroll in IDEC spend the first six or 12 months studying the theory of international cooperation at IDEC. They then go to Zambia for two years. While the students are in the field, their supervisors instruct them by email. Upon returning from Zambia, students spend six to 12 months writing a master’s thesis based on their research. Thirteen students have completed the program since its inception in 2002, and seven are currently working in Zambia.

For more details, go to http://home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/zamproba/

Hiroshima University is currently promoting the “Formation of a Strategic Center for Global Internship” (commonly known as the “G.ecbo program”) following the 2007 adoption of the Support Program for Improvement of Graduate School Education. G.ecbo is a practical education program that includes pre- and post-internship training designed to achieve viable outcomes from student internships. The following types of internships are available:
(1)    overseas internships, in which students go to an university or organization outside Japan.
(2)    domestic internships, in which foreign students go to a Japanese company or organization.
(3)    third-country internships, in which students from developing countries go to institutions in other developing countries.
(4)    follow-up research internships, in which students in doctoral programs go back to countries where they have previously worked

For more details, go to http://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/en-gecbo/

With the aim of developing excellence among those entering the international arena, IDEC established the Special Program for International Development and Cooperation in 2008. The program is for the school’s third-year students. This program is unique in its aim of deepening students’ understanding of the real conditions in developing countries, particularly from the viewpoint of international cooperation. They learn through authentic experience in these countries and develop their understanding from lectures.

IDEC conducts in-the-field training in the Philippines and Indonesia under this program every year. During the past two years, 23 students have participated. Participants training in the Philippines visited educational organizations, poverty-affected areas, international donor organizations and historical heritage sites in Manila. In Indonesia, participants visited the self-governing special territory of Aceh, the site of a conflict over secession from Indonesia. While in Aceh, participants visited an Islamic boarding school for children affected by the Aceh conflict and 2004 tsunami, and undertook peace studies with students from elementary through to high school.

This practical class aims to equip students with the necessary knowledge to conduct field surveys and analyze data in the fields of intercultural communication, rural economics and regional and cultural studies. These studies enable students to grasp the dynamism of culture in Asia, including Japan.