Special Education Programs

Special Education Programs

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.

【Important Notes】
  • Hiroshima University established new graduate schools (Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences & Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering) opened in April 2020. All admitted applicants of the Entrance Examination conducted by IDEC (after April 2020 Admission) will be enrolled in new graduate schools.
    (For details, please visit https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/idec/admission/admission)
     
  • As for students who enroll after April 2020, details to join these Special Educational Programs such as application requirements, certificate requirements and curriculum, etc. will be announced on our website or at students’ orientation after enrollment.

Global Environmental Leader Education Program for Designing a Low-Carbon Society

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.

Special Education Program for Young Professionals Preparing for Careers in International Organizations

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.

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IDEC/JICA Collaborative JOCV Zambia Education Program

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.

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Formation of a Strategic Center for Global Internship (G.ecbo)

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

Formation of a Strategic Center


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