Graduate Program on Global Society (GSP) — M.A. Program

Programme overview

A two-year, English-medium Master of Arts programme in Global Studies run by the Graduate Program on Global Society (GSP) on the University of Tokyo's Komaba I campus. Launched in 2012 as one of the two Graduate Programs in English at Komaba (GPEAK), GSP is a cross-departmental programme of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: it combines the resources of the four humanities and social science departments at Komaba — Language and Information Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies, Area Studies, and Advanced Social and International Studies — together with the Institute for Advanced Global Studies. Every GSP student is concurrently enrolled in GSP and in one of those four departments, but follows GSP curriculum guidelines to meet the degree requirements. The curriculum is built on four compulsory core subject areas (International Interdependence; Social and Cultural Diversity; Transnational Markets and Civil Society; Normative Basis of Global Society), research workshops in the first three semesters, and a wide pool of electives including intensive courses, internships and workshops classed as Experimental Studies. Ten M.A. places are projected for the September 2027 intake, applications are accepted once a year and submitted entirely online, and admission is decided by document screening with interviews scheduled on or about 12 February 2027.

GSP is a cross-departmental programme, not a stand-alone department. "GSP students will be concurrently enrolled in GSP and one of the four departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Language and Information Sciences; Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies; Area Studies; or Advanced Social and International Studies. Students must follow GSP curriculum guidelines, however, in order to meet their degree requirements." The programme "works to undo such disciplinary boundaries by combining the resources of the four principal departments that make up the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Komaba ... and the Institute for Advanced Global Studies", and works closely with two other cross-departmental Komaba programmes, the Graduate Program on Human Security (HSP) and the Graduate Program on Global Humanities (GHP). Each of the four GSP core subject areas is associated with one of the four departments and "each core course will be directed by an instructor affiliated with its corresponding department". A GSP Committee "manages all courses offered in the GSP" and appoints an academic advisor for every student; "Supervising faculty are selected not only from members of the Committee but also from among the faculty of the four humanities departments on campus." All courses offered in GSP "are open to students affiliated with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as well as other graduate schools and programs within the University", and GSP students may in turn take courses elsewhere in the university subject to language competency and their advisor's permission.

Important facts