MEXT in 2004 started the “Initiatives for Attractive Education in Graduate Schools” to support graduate schools nationwide with their efforts of providing a highly motivated and creative education in their aims to train imaginative young researchers who can serve the new demands of modern society. Out of the 338 applications from national, public, and private universities throughout the country, 97 programs were chosen this fiscal year, including two from our University.

    Nagasaki University will selectively support the general improvement of education to meet international standards and gear its post-graduate education to be more practical and be at pace with internationalization. It will mainly focus support on the Center of International Collaborative Research, which was founded in April, 2005. Various endeavors will be accelerated to make post-graduate education more attractive.

(1) Nurturing of researchers that will contribute to

    the recovery of ocean environment and natural resources

    −Fostering of interdisciplinary approach and internationalism

    in practical learning at the Institute for East China Sea Research−

Main study:	Graduate School of Science and Technology Major in Fisheries Science (Master’s course)
	Graduate School of Science and Technology Major in Marine Science and Technology (Doctoral course)

Details:
In recent years, the sea areas including the East China Sea and the Ariake Sea have shown apparent environmental deterioration such as significant decline in fish catches, frequent occurrence of red tide, and oceanic anoxia. In regards to these phenomena, the University has listed in its midterm plans the “Study on the conservation and restoration of marine environment and fisheries resources in the East China Sea and its vicinity”, as among those that it will selectively focus its efforts.

    “Conservation and restoration of marine environment and the stable supply of fisheries resources” is a significant issue that is in common with the whole Asian coastal areas. As ocean resources and water flow back and forth across the man-made territorial waterline, it is absolutely imperative to work on this problem from the common viewpoint of Japan, China, and Korea.

    In this program, the University will set up a training base which offers interdisciplinary studies to train competent professionals who are capable of constructing an Asian standard applicable to the broad coastal area. Consequently, this effort will contribute to the safety and security of mankind.

    The program will introduce a collective teaching system instructed by professors from various fields such as Fisheries Science, Environmental Studies, and Engineering in the Graduate School of Science and Technology. In addition, it will provide students and teaching staff from Japan, China, and Korea with experience in international cooperative survey training aboard the Nagasaki University-owned state-of-the-art training ship and will teach each student multidimensional sets of values toward the environment and natural resources.

(2) Training program for international infectious disease

    researcher/specialist

Main study:

Emerging Infectious Disease Research by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Details:
The Graduate School will undertake efforts listed below to realize a more practical education mainly by introducing coursework in its curriculum and to develop creative educational programs by introducing overseas research and training systems for fostering internationally recognized infectious disease researchers and medical specialists.

• Establishment of courses suitable for educational purposes:
  Courses will be strictly divided according to the area of expertise: Training Course for Infectious Disease Researcher and Training Course for Infectious Disease Specialist. Each course clearly states its educational targets and organizes new curriculum requisites to achieve them. The Infectious Disease Specialists Training Course is particularly designed for the acquisition of infectious disease expert certification, and students will be deeply informed about the procedures.
  
  
• Introduction of the overseas research and training systems:
  • Long-term overseas training: Students mainly in the Training Course for Infectious Disease Researcher will stay in Vietnam or Kenya for one or two years of study under expert guidance at the University research base. The research will be compiled as doctoral dissertation.
  • Short-term overseas clinical training: By further improving the presently existing “Tropical Medicine Specialist Training Program”, students enrolled in the Training Course for Infectious Disease Specialist will be given a one-month clinical training opportunity at the collaborative hospitals in Thailand, Philippines, or Vietnam. Credits earned from the training are accredited as elective course and are transferable.
    
    
• Building of an e-Learning environment for remote education and self study All coursework will be digitalized to establish a system that enables study, including ask and answer questions, outside Japan. This system helps students with their self-directed learning and makes it possible for working professionals and students, who have engaged in overseas research for extended period of time, to participate in courses and earn credits.