Graduate School of Economics

Introduction and Overview

The Graduate School of Economics at Osaka University demonstrates their academic excellence by publishing the latest findings to the world. The Institute of Social and Economic Research, which plays an important part in the Graduate School of Economics, edits one of the world’s most authoritative economic journals, the "International Economic Review", in collaboration with University of Pennsylvania, Papers are screened by anonymous referees who maintain stringent standards, which result in its academic significance. In the discipline of Economics, Osaka University is the only university in Japan that edits such an internationally recognized academic journal.

Furthermore, many of the faculty members in the Graduate School of Economics serve on the editorial board of leading journals around the world. They are also actively engaged in joint-research with foreign-based economists and hosting international economic conferences. More than 20 world-known scholars and researchers are invited to attend a conference sponsored by the School of Economics at Osaka University every year.

Osaka University also boasts number one status as the leading Japanese university for papers and notes accepted in "Japanese Economic Review", a journal issued by the Japan Economic Association, the largest economics organization in Japan. The screening of this journal, as with the "International Economic Review", is done by third-party evaluators, and the papers accepted are considered to have world-class quality.

In western countries, graduate-level education is often offered at prestigious universities, or so-called “Research Universities.” Osaka University claims to be one of the best “Research Universities” in Japan and offers an idea academic environment, in which student can interact with top-level researchers who undertake significant, often groundbreaking, research.

The Graduate School of Economics at Osaka University feature a systematic curriculum that allows students to choose from two disciplines of economics and business administration. Following the tradition practical leaning, emphasis is placed on quantitative methods such as statistical analysis and information processing to promote empirical education and research. Course subjects are offered in suitably small classes, one of the school’s most attractive features.

The Graduate School of Economics offers three major programs; Economics, Applied Economics and Policy Studies, Management Science and Business Administration. The Economics Program features the study of modern economics in which creativity and logic have an important place. The Applied Economics and Policy Studies Program aims at scholarly research in applied economics and related disciplines with the goal of enhancing policy practice, and disseminating these findings to academics, policy-makers and practitioners. The Management Science and Business Administration Program emphasize corporate management through a scientific approach and develop essential business knowledge and practice. The Management Science and Business Administration Program also engage in the education of MOT course which is a joint program of the Graduate School of Engineering.