Yongjin Chang
Director’s Message
On behalf of the faculty of the Public Management and Policy Analysis Program (PMPP) at the International University of Japan (IUJ), I welcome you to our program. The PMPP program was launched in 2010 as Japan’s first graduate program in the field of public management under the Graduate School of International Relations (GSIR) at the IUJ. Each year, about 40 master’s students from more than 15 countries join the PMPP to become effective public managers and global leaders. In 2017, our program started accepting PhD students as well.
The role of government in resolving political, economic, social, and environmental matters has significantly increased in the domestic and global spheres. The capacity to define problems, find solutions, implement policies, collaborate with other sectors, and respond to citizens’ needs as well as manage organizations has become a prerequisite for public manager. Public management studies are designed for those seeking a public service career or advancement to the next level in the government and non-profit sectors to improve the capacity.
Our program has four unique features. First, it offers an American public management curriculum though some courses are geared to Japan and Asian contexts. Second, it emphasizes empirical and quantitative analysis, though qualitative approaches are also accepted, and the curriculum requires all students to study basic mathematics, statistics, microeconomics, and data analysis. Third, the PMPP emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to solving public problems. As our program is highly coupled with the International Development Program (IDP) and International Relations Program (IRP) of the GSIR, students can take IDP and IRP courses and choose a full-time professor in either program to supervise their thesis. Also, students can take courses in the Graduate School of International Management (GSIM) as well as English and Japanese classes at the IUJ Center for Language Education and Research. Lastly, our students are of diverse nationalities, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. During the 2-year MA or 3-year PhD program, students enhance their understanding of cultural diversity and build a strong global network with students from all over the world.
Welcome, and please feel free to contact me with any questions. Thank you!