Academics
Graduate School of Law
The Graduate School of Law offers a curriculum for students to gain advanced research skills and a deep understanding of the law, political science, and related fields and to be able to perform tasks requiring a high level of expertise.
To gain basic knowledge and abilities in addition to their field of specialization, the Master's Program offers students "Basic Research Courses" and the Doctoral Program offers "Research Theory Courses.” "Basic Research Courses" of the Master's Program offer basic research skills, such as research ethics, research methodology, and academic writing, to help students acquire the basic knowledge and abilities necessary for research. The Doctoral Program "Research Theory Courses" provide students with the research guidance needed to be qualified as independent researchers.
In addition to the courses mentioned above, students are required to write a thesis or dissertation, researching their own topic under the guidance of their supervising professor.
The Graduate School of Law has five areas of specialization: Public Law, Private Law, Criminal Law, International Business Transaction Law, and Political Science.
After completing these Chuo Programs, graduates are prepared to pursue justice and fairness in our society as professional researchers or business/government lawyers.
Chuo University was founded in 1885 by 18 young attorneys as the Igirisu Horitsu Gakko (English Law School) with the founding spirit of “Fostering the Ability to Apply Knowledge to Practice.” To this day, the Chuo University Graduate School of Law still highly values this history and philosophy.
The Graduate School offers four law majors, Public Law, Private Law, Criminal Law, and, International Business Transaction Law, as well as a Political Science major, to cater to a wide range of academic needs among graduate students.
Professors specialize in many fields, including Law, Economics, Finance, Politics, Administration and Sociology. In our globalized society, borders between these different fields are increasingly disappearing. In order to comprehend such a complex society, global perspectives as well as diverse knowledge beyond a single area of specialization have become critical.
In the Graduate School of Law, students are required to conduct in-depth, professional research and document these results. In order to accomplish this, diverse knowledge beyond one’s own area of specialization, unique views and ideas, and logical-thinking are required, in addition to deep understanding of the specialized area. Students are allowed to take courses outside their majors, enabling inter-disciplinary research and learning. Furthermore, students have opportunities to attend various seminars and encounter the latest findings of researchers inside and outside the Graduate School. Students can also participate in projects run by the Institute of Comparative Law in Japan, the Institute of Social Sciences, and the Institute of Policy and Cultural Studies, and engage in active exchange.
Though we have seen fluctuations in applicants, we are committed to responding to societal expectations to nurture researchers and legal specialist, as well as to contribute to society by returning to the mission of the Graduate School of Law. We welcome you to join us, to learn and grow together with students of diverse backgrounds, and to become a legal professional.
Tadasu WATARI Dean, Graduate School of Law
