Graduate School Features
About the Graduate School of Engineering
Following the tradition of Osaka University’s academic culture of free and creative research, the Graduate School of Engineering aims to nurture creative researchers and leading engineers with advanced expertise, and has produced many world-class research results.
Currently, the Graduate School of Engineering consists of nine departments (Biotechnology, Applied Chemistry, Precision Engineering and Applied Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Science, Electrical, Electronic and Infocommunications Engineering, Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Global Architecture, and Management of Industry and Technology) and six affiliated educational and research facilities.
We welcome excellent instructors from the other departments within the university and outside the university, including from The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR), Joining and Welding Research Institute, Institute of Laser Engineering, Cybermedia Center, Research Center for Ultra-High Voltage Electron Microscopy, and other institutions to provide enthusiastic instruction and conduct active research.
In addition, we are actively developing “industry-academia collaboration” based on joint research chairs, research alliance laboratory, and departments, and producing excellent research results and leaders, thereby practicing “Open Innovation on Campus together with Industry”.
Furthermore, in order to respond flexibly to social needs and trends of the times, the new research and education system, “Techno Arena,” aims to transcend the framework of majors and specialties to foster international research centers of the highest level, create new academic fields that transcend disciplines, and foster industry-academia-government collaboration and young researchers in a comprehensive manner. The Graduate School of Engineering aims to achieve these goals.
At present, the number of enrollees in the Graduate School of Engineering is limited to 811 persons for the Master’s course, and 184 persons for the Doctoral course. Since the launch of the new university system in 1953, a total of 33,127 persons have received Master’s degrees and 8,069 persons have received Doctoral degrees (5,106 degrees awarded by completion of the course and 2,963 degrees awarded on merit of dissertation) (as of March 2022). Together with the 49,736 graduates from the undergraduate School of Engineering (as of March 2022), these persons are playing important roles in industry, government, and academia.
The standard number of years for course completion in the graduate school is 2 years for the Master’s course and 3 years for the Doctoral course, however some exceptional students are able to complete early the course. We wholeheartedly encourage such exceptional students to enter the Graduate School of Engineering.
History of the Graduate School
The Graduate School of Engineering started in 1953 under the new university system as the new graduate school for Master’s and Doctoral courses. It was created as an organization for advanced education and research that further expands upon the mission of the graduate school under the old system. Initially it offered 11 degree fields: mechanical engineering, applied chemistry, fermentation engineering, metallurgy, naval architecture, electrical engineering, precision mechanics, applied physics, communication systems engineering, welding engineering, and structural engineering. In response to advances in science and technology and the demands of society, the school grew substantially and in 1993 had expanded to 22 degree fields.
The majority of these degree fields were established in connection with a department of the School of Engineering. However as one part of reforms which shifted the focus to the graduate school, a complete reorganization was carried out in 1995. This reorganization included interdisciplinary expansion of science and technologies, the construction of an education and research system for cutting-edge scientific technologies, and a shift in the focus of education from application-oriented engineering education to the development of creative research abilities and technical development abilities.
The Applied Science Division degrees (6 degrees: Material and Life Science, Molecular Chemistry, Materials Chemistry, Biotechnology, Precision Science and Technology, Applied Physics) were established in 1995. The Electronic and Information Engineering Division degrees (6 degrees: Electronic, Information and Energy Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Communications Systems Engineering; Electronic Engineering; Information Systems Engineering; and Nuclear Engineering) were established in 1996. The Applied Physics Division degrees (7 degrees: Adaptive Machine Systems, Mechanophysical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Systems, Computer-Controlled Mechanical Systems, Materials Science and Processing, Materials Science and Engineering, and Manufacturing Science) were established in 1997. The Global Architecture Division degrees (5 degrees: Global Architecture, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architectural Engineering, and Environmental Engineering) were established in 1998, a reorganization was completed in the Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering, and the emphasis on graduate school was completed.
In 2004, the Department of Management of Industry and Technology was established as an independent department, and in 2005, the 23 departments were reorganized into 10 departments to create new academic fields to respond to the rapid development of science and technology and the demands of an increasingly diverse society. In 2020, the Department of Engineering was reorganized into 9 majors covering the fundamental fields of engineering.