Graduate School of Law

Major in Law (Master's Program)

Major in Civil Law (Doctoral Program)
Major in Public Law (Doctoral Program)

In addition to nurturing academics, we are also making great strides in the training of professionals in the fields of jurisprudence and legal administration.

Objectives of Education

The Graduate School of Law established a master's program in 1954 and a doctoral program in 1955. The programs, in which our students select a major, cover both main areas of jurisprudence—public law (master 's program and doctoral program) and private law (in civil law in the doctoral program)—and have a total quota of 98 places. In the master's program, the majors in legal studies were combined into one recently in order to eliminate the restriction on students taking courses outside their specialization. These courses provide thorough education and guidance for students with a wide variety of interests in research into law (including the related field of political research), and we have made great efforts to nurture experts in a broad range of jurisprudence-related fields.

Up to now, the curriculum of the Graduate School of Law's master's program has aimed principally at the development of scholars, but the majority of our students have sought to deepen their legal knowledge with the goal of becoming members of the legal profession (principally lawyers) or legal administration specialists such as judicial scriveners, licensed tax accountants, experts in corporate legal affairs, legal specialists in the civil service, and so on. To respond to the demands of society that lie behind this shift in our students' objectives, we have worked to reform the School's curriculum.

Reforms of the national judiciary system have necessitated changes in the system for training members of the legal profession. Senshu University established a Law School in April 2004 in accordance with these reforms. Students desiring to enter the judiciary, whether as judges, prosecutors or attorneys, must earn a degree from a law school and complete additional coursework at the Judiciary Training Institute after passing the new judiciary examination. Along with other universities, Senshu University has drastically revised the curriculum of the master's program offered by the Graduate School of Law. The School is now offering a master's level Legal Studies Program, and training of experts in positive law will in the future primarily be offered to students who have completed coursework at the Law School before entering and finishing the doctoral program. However, students desiring to study law or political science, to become professional specialists such as licensed tax accountants, to become central or local government employees or acquire advanced teaching qualifications (specialized certificates), or to otherwise continue with advanced academic studies, are as welcome as ever to enter our master's program. In the doctoral program, students are set fundamental and specific research themes with the goal of giving them high-level theoretical training in the law and politics across a broad range of fields.

Features of the Legal Studies Program

The features of the Legal Studies Program Curriculum posed problematic issues for graduate students interested in becoming legal scholars. Under the previous curriculum they were categorized by their major − either private or public law − and were not allowed to freely take courses on subjects outside their areas of specialization. Consequently, we have made it possible to accommodate an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating the features of the discontinued courses. Such a move allows for a flexible approach to course completion for graduate students, enabling them to achieve varied learning objectives within a single major.

The purpose of Graduate School of Law

The goal of the master's program at the Graduate School of Law is to train researchers with rich creativity in regard to the law, university teaching staff possessed of both research and teaching abilities, high level professionals with superlative specialist law knowledge and abilities, and highly intelligent human resources fully versed in the law-based thinking that can support our knowledge-based society in so many ways. The goal of the doctoral program is to take the master's program or the education from professional graduate schools such as other law graduate schools as a foundation, and train university teaching staff and researchers who have high level specialist knowledge and abilities, and who can contribute to the global society while having excellent research education that is internationally competitive.

Policy with Regard to Conferment of Degrees

Master's Program

The Master’s Program of the Graduate School of Law confers Master’s (Law) degrees on those students that have attended the program for the required number of years and, as a prerequisite for completion, have earned the prescribed number of credits. Together with these conditions, such students will have developed a master’s thesis based on the research guidance of their academic counselors, will have passed a final examination, and possess the following capabilities based on the goal of nurturing human talent and the goals of other educational research.

(1) Possess a preeminent level of specialized knowledge required to perform as a university educator or researcher and highly qualified professional specialist.

(2) Be capable of taking an approach of original analysis and validation from the perspective of the law or political science with regard to the various social problems that have emerged as issues in one’s own research field.

Doctoral Program

The Doctoral Program in the Graduate School of Law confers a Ph.D. (Law) degree on those students who have attended the program for the required number of years and, as a prerequisite for completion, have earned the prescribed number of credits. Together with these conditions, such students will have developed a doctoral dissertation based on the research guidance of their academic counselors, will have passed a final examination, and possess the following capabilities based on the goal of nurturing human talent and the goals of other educational research.

(1) Possess advanced specialized knowledge as an exceptional university educator or researcher that can practice internationally competitive education or research, and in one’s own field of research, have an original theory that is ahead of its time.

(2) Be capable of conducting advanced and original research activities with abundant academic learning as a foundation, including having a foreign language ability in the field of one’s own research. The individual must also be able to present the results of that research at academic meetings and other venues, and to develop human talent in the field of research.

Policy with Regard to Curriculum Development and Implementation Policy

In the Graduate School of Law, the curriculum is formulated with the goal of nurturing human resources and the goals of other educational research, as well as to attain the abilities indicated in the policy on conferment of degrees.

Master's Program

Advanced academic studies and advanced exercises administered by an academic supervisor are compulsory courses, and will enable graduate students to acquire preeminent specialized knowledge in their own fields of research.

Furthermore, students will also be able to take advanced academic studies and advanced exercises from educators other than their academic supervisors so as to cultivate flexible thinking with regard to legal studies or political science.

Doctoral Program

Special research exercises administered by an academic supervisor are compulsory courses, and will enable graduate students to raise their degree of expertise, and to develop creative theories that are ahead of their time.

In addition, students will also be able to conduct special research with their academic supervisors or with other educators so they can cultivate a wealth of academic knowledge, including a foreign-language ability.

Admission policy

Major in Law

Master’s Program

The Graduate School of Law (Master's Program) accepts talented individuals who possess the fundamental knowledge and ability based around a high level of creativity, exceptional specialized knowledge or flexible mentality in the legal field necessary to provide support to various knowledge-based societies. Hence, we are looking for potential students who fulfill the following requirements.
Qualification and skill requirements for enrollment in the Graduate School of Law (Master's Program)

(1) Individuals with the fundamental knowledge, understanding and foreign language ability necessary to learn law or politics, and have the desire to proactively engage in research
(2) Individuals who desire to gain specialized knowledge and practical skills in the fields of law or politics, and contribute proactively to the society as highly specialized professionals
(3) Individuals who intend to polish up and improve upon the hands-on experiences they have gained in society in a theoretical manner, or those who wish to gain advanced knowledge with the specialized knowledge they currently possess
(4) Individuals who desire to combine knowledge from several fields, gain the ability to look at matters from multiple perspectives, and contribute proactively to society

Doctoral Program

The Graduate School of Law (Doctoral Program) aims to nurture university teachers who can use their vast knowledge, including their foreign language ability, as a foundation to engage in advanced and creative research in the fields of law and politics, and are able to engage in internationally competitive research and educational activities. We also aim to groom talented individuals who can utilize their highly specialized knowledge to contribute to international society. We are looking for individuals who possess the fundamental research skills to achieve these aims.

Major in Civil Law

The Graduate School of Law (Doctoral Program) aims to nurture university teachers who can use their vast knowledge, including their foreign language ability, as a foundation to engage in advanced and creative research in the fields of law and politics, and are able to engage in internationally competitive research and educational activities. We also aim to groom talented individuals who can utilize their highly specialized knowledge to contribute to international society. We are looking for individuals who possess the fundamental research skills to achieve these aims.

The Major in Civil Law (Doctoral Program) offered by the Graduate School of Law is looking for potential students who have completed the Master's Program, or graduated from a law school or some other professional graduate school, and fulfill the following requirements.
Qualification and skill requirements for enrollment in the Major in Civil Law (Doctoral Program) offered by the Graduate School of Law

(1) Individuals who wish to engage in research as independent researchers, and engage in educational activities based on the research, in the field of civil law
(2) Individuals who wish to be employed as highly specialized professionals, and engage in research activities, in the field of civil law
(3) Individuals who wish to utilize practical experiences to engage in research activities, in the field of civil law

Major in Public Law

The Major in Public Law (Doctoral Program) offered by the Graduate School of Law is looking for potential students who fulfill the following requirements, and have completed the Master's Program, or have graduated from a law school or some other professional graduate school.

Qualification and skill requirements for enrollment in the Major in Public Law (Doctoral Program) offered by the Graduate School of Law

(1) Individuals who wish to engage in research as independent researchers, and engage in educational activities based on the research, in the fields of public law and politics
(2) Individuals who wish to be employed as highly specialized professionals, and engage in research activities, in the fields of public law and politics
(3) Individuals who wish to utilize practical experiences to engage in research activities, in the fields of public law and politics

Graduate Schools