Component 1: Public Policy and Public Finance
Hitotsubashi University
http://www.hit-u.ac.jp/index-e.html School of International and Public Policy http://www.ipp.hit-u.ac.jp/english/index.html
Asian Public Policy Program http://www.ipp.hit-u.ac.jp/appp/
2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8439 Japan Degrees/Credits and years
you need to graduate
Master of Public Policy (Public Economics) 44 Credits
24 months
English Exam Need to submit a document proving English (IELTS:6.0 or TOEFL:PBT-550)
Math Exam Required
Other conditions
The 1st year-students are not allowed to invite their family members. They might be allowed in the second year although it will depend on their 1st year academic records.
Application Document JDS application documents Features of University
Hitotsubashi University is an academic institution that focuses comprehensively on the social sciences and the study of civil society. It has long been contributing to the development of culture as well as of politics, economy, and society in Japan in a spirit and academic climate that respect liberty. Features of Graduate School
The School of International and Public Policy consists of 2 courses: The "International and Public Administration Course" that places an emphasis on an approach mainly from law and international relations, and the "Public Economics Course" which is based on economics. Each of these two courses is divided into two programs, "Public Law" and "Global Governance", and "Public Economics" and "Asian Public Policy," respectively.
The School has unique educational and research characteristics, such as small sized classes, rich curriculum, the integration of law, international relations and economics, policy research based on collaboration with government and private sector, and the formation of education (APPP) is the core of one of two educational programs through which the University has promoted activities to facilitate the establishment of education and research centers in Asian-Pacific region.
Features of Graduate Program
The Master’s program at the Asian Public Policy Program (APPP) targets young professionals in Asian governments (financial ministry), central banks, and other policy-related organizations. The APPP has been an important stepping-stone for such individuals to become fully-fledged fiscal or financial economists, economic planners, policy analysts, and policy-makers in their governments and international organizations.
As described previously, the course distinguishes itself from other graduate programs offered in the public policy area with its strong focus on economic policy, with almost all of the required and elective courses structured around economics and its applications to policy. The Program aims to equip its graduates with the knowledge and skills to analyze and develop policies against a sound knowledge of economic theory. It is also attractive for personalized attention it provides to the students. The class sizes are quite small – at most 15, and each full-time faculty supervises 4 students per annual intake, and is able to give close guidance to the student’s academic undertakings.
The APPP offers some specific and unique courses, targeting young economists. The course of “Field Research on Tax Administration” which is offered in September of the second year can be very useful for those officials engaged in tax administration. In the course of “Financial Programming for Macroeconomic Policy Formulation (FPP), Sri Lanka is taken as a case. Furthermore, there is the course of “Asian Economic Development and Integration” offered by IDEAS, based on which they learn in the course, they can narrow down their thesis topic and present their term papers in ADBI.
The APPP conducted the short-term seminar, titled “Hitotsubashi Executive Program for Macroeconomic Policymakers,” twice a year during 2005 and 2011.
The Seminar targeted the higher-level officers from Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, who were in-charge of macroeconomic policy making. Since 2013, the APPP has restarted conducting a similar seminar, called “Seminar on Macroeconomic and Financial Issues,” in collaboration with IMF. Students at the APPP can be exposed to sophisticated discussion and learn the main discourse of the topic by attending the Seminar.
Curriculum and Requirements
The Curriculum of the Master’s program consists of courses in Theoretical Foundations, Fiscal and Public Sector Policy, and Monetary and Financial Sector Policy, in addition to courses in English Thesis Writing. With his/her academic advisor’s advice and approval, a student will take the “core courses” and choose among the “elective,” so as to fit his/her individual educational objectives and career goals.
To receive the Master of Public Policy degree, students of APPP must successfully complete at least 44 credits of graduate study. The study includes 16 credits of core required courses to be completed during the first year, a minimum of 6 credits of other required courses, a minimum of 4 credits of elective courses, and 8 credits of seminar work. APPP students must also write a Master’s thesis under the supervision of their academic advisor and pass a final examination.
Detailed information on the Curriculum, Required Courses, Elective Courses, Workshops and Intensive Courses, Thesis Writing Tutorial, and
Seminar Work is available at:
http://www.ipp.hit-u.ac.jp/appp/program/curriculum.html Faculty
The full-time faculty members of the APPP have received their Ph.D. from reputed graduate schools in the UK or US and had ever worked with Ministry of Finance, Central Bank, or international organizations, including IMF. In addition, there are qualified visiting faculty members from ADBI, Kennedy School of Harvard University in the US, Lee Kuan Yew Public Policy School in Singapore, etc.
Ph.D., London School of Economics, former Bank of Japan Chief Representative in New York
Ariyoshi, Akira Professor and Director, APPP
D. Phill., Oxford University, former IMF Director and Deputy Vice-Minister, Japanese Ministry of Finance
Ii, Masako Professor, APPP
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin Kunieda, Shigeki Associate Professor, APPP
Ph.D., Harvard University, former Deputy Director, Japanese Ministry of Finance
Nishikawa, Hirochika Adjunct Professor, APPP Asanuma, Shinji Visiting Professor, APPP
Sato, Motohiro Professor, Public Economics Program Dean, School of International and Public Policy
Facilities
Library in Chiyoda Campus where APPP is located
Students can borrow the books, not found in the library in Chiyoda Campus, from the library in Kunitachi Campus without going to the library in Kunitachi Campus.
Computing Center/ Computer Education Building
Around 200 computers are available for students
Student Dormitories The University’s International Dormitories, located in Kodaira-city, are available as well as other off-campus dormitories in Kunitachi-city
Number of International Students in the Graduate School as of March 2013
# of International Students 48
Total # of Students 123
Student Support System
While working on the course work, students can complement their mathematical ability with the tutoring services provided by the APPP. Program Manager and Chiyoda Campus’s Office supports APPP students for their daily-life aspects. While Chiyoda Campus also has the library, students can borrow books from the library located in the main campus of the University without visiting there if they reserve the books online. Counseling services are available twice a week, which supports for students’ mental health.
