Department of Business Administration
Master's Program
A new global era has arrived, with Japanese firms developing increasingly close links with the economies and companies of East and South-East Asia. There is growing demand for professionals who are able to accommodate diverse business cultures and enhance a firm's international competitiveness. In addition to imparting an understanding of the global standards of business administration and fostering an underlying competence in problem solving, the Program aims to train pragmatic international-minded graduates who are capable of effectively utilizing specialized knowledge in business administration.
The rigorous curriculum is designed to instill in students cutting-edge knowledge in business administration, accounting, and management systems. Committed to providing students with an education that emphasizes a global perspective, the program offers such courses as International Management Theory, that specifically addresses global business issues, and Comparative Management Theory, that explores similarities and differences between Japanese and Asian business practices. In addition to each specialty, students may choose a derivative business administration subject for their Master's research topic, such as strategic theory based on computer simulations, accounting for derivatives, financial marketing, and other interdisciplinary business administration subjects.
Doctoral Program
The Department of Business Administration's Ph.D. Program is an integration of the Department of Business Management Systems and the Department of International Development Studies. In response to growing demand from society, the Program analyses globalized contemporary firms and the environmental problems that surround them by using business administrative methods and the methods of related social sciences. The Program seeks to develop human resources who are capable of contributing to the academic world of business administration, accounting, and management systems. The Program also emphasizes the training of professionals who wish to put applied research into practice.
The curriculum seamlessly extends education from the Master's Program, which enables students to efficiently continue and advance their research. The integrated course work contributes to each student producing a strong doctoral dissertation, which is supervised by three professors. It also supports students who desire to continue their research after the completion of a Master's degree, including an MBA course. The Program offers Global Business Doctor EP (Education Program) for Master's degree graduates who wish to acquire the ability to make creative and feasible business strategies. In addition, responding to the growing demand from overseas applicants, particularly from East and South-East Asia, the International Ph.D. Program in Business Administration in All-English Graduate Program has been established to allow students to complete a Ph.D. degree entirely in English.
Message from Chair
OTAKA Satoru
Studying Corporate Management and Business Environments from an International Perspective
The Department of Business Administration in the Graduate School of International Social Sciences is a social sciences graduate program comprising both Master’s and Doctoral programs. It conducts education and research primarily focused on international corporate management and business environments. The department was established in 2013. It builds upon a rich history, including the Master’s Program in Business Administration (founded in 1972), the independent doctoral program of the Graduate School of International Development (established in 1994), and their progressive integration into the Graduate School of International Social Sciences in 1999.
The role of the department is to investigate and analyze phenomena surrounding corporate management and business environments from an international perspective, clarify their underlying principles and structures, and generate both academic and practical knowledge that contributes to solving organizational and societal challenges.
The department has developed a distinctive educational system as follows:
Our graduate school has introduced an internal selection system called "Comprehensive Examination" for students entering the doctoral program.
For working professionals, the Master’s program offers a specialized track (Yokohama Business School, or YBS), while the Doctoral program provides the Global Business Doctor Education Program (EP). Working professionals enrolled in the Doctoral program may also utilize a long-term study system.
In both the YBS track and the Doctoral program, students can take practice-oriented courses taught by industry professionals, as well as various international programs.
The Doctoral program offers an English Program (International Ph.D. Program in Business Administration), allowing students to complete their studies and research entirely in English.
An interdisciplinary program—the International Public Policy EP—enables students to take courses across three departments: Economics, Business Administration, and International Economic Law.
In today’s society, there is a strong demand for individuals who can adapt to increasingly globalized and complex business environments and contribute to enhancing the international competitiveness of companies. In response to these societal needs, the department aims to develop individuals equipped with advanced academic skills as well as practical abilities in identifying and solving problems, grounded in systematic and cutting-edge research in business administration.
Graduates of the department are active both in Japan and internationally as specialists and experts in the business sector, as well as professionals in universities and research institutions. The department remains committed to further enhancing its education and research so that it can continue to develop individuals capable of contributing to the resolution of organizational and societal challenges by integrating academic and practical knowledge from an international perspective.
OTAKA Satoru
Chair, Department of Business Administration
