Undergraduate Curriculum
Teaching motivated students how to think using economics
Our goal is to turn out leaders that thrive in a world with increasing uncertainty and diversity. Towards this end, our curriculum is designed to give students both knowledge and the ability to think logically.
Two different paths to start learning economics
Students at the faculty of economics spend their first and second years at our Hiyoshi campus, where they learn liberal arts and the basics of economics. The curriculum at Hiyoshi involves two distinct paths: Type A (deductive, with focus on economic theory and mathematics) and Type B (inductive, with focus on contemporary and historical economic evidence). Both prepare students for the more specialised and advanced study in their third and fourth years at our Mita campus.
There are three reasons for this separation into Type A and Type B during the first two years of study. First, both the deductive and inductive approaches are essential in learning to think logically using economics. Second, this separation allows students to start their learning in an approach most familiar to them, increasing the students’ motivation and productivity. Third, students from both types of curriculum go on to attend classes at Mita with deductive as well as inductive orientations, which creates a synergy.
Students thus spend four years learning both the deductive and inductive methods with varying emphasis on the two, to graduate with the comprehensive skill to think logically using economics.
Type A and Type B at the Hiyoshi campus
The Type A and Type B curricula at Hiyoshi correspond to the different entrance examinations. Students who passed the entrance examination including mathematics as one of the subjects go on to learn in the Type A curriculum. Students who passed the entrance examination including Japanese history or world history, as well as the entrance examination for PEARL, go on to lean in the Type B curriculum. PEARL is an all-English programme.
Convergence of learning at Mita
Students at the faculty of economics spend their third and fourth years at our Mita campus, where the two paths of learning in the first two years converge. At Mita, students learn in the same one curriculum, while choosing their subjects of interest among diverse fields of economics.
Overview of the entire curriculum
Hiyoshi campus (the first and second years)
| Year | 1 | 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Curriculum Flow |
Courses in Liberal Arts, Foreign Language and Introductory Economics |
Advanced Economics classes in addition to the courses for the first year |
||
Liberal Arts |
I: Natural Sciences/Mathmatics, II: Humanities/Social Sciences, III: Interdisciplinary Subjects |
|||
Language |
Language I |
Study Skills |
|
|
English Seminar |
||||
Language II |
German, French, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese (Open to non-native Japanese speakers only.) |
|||
Language III |
|
German, French, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Italian |
||
Physical Education |
Available for four years (free elective) |
|||
Foundation |
Type A |
Required |
CALCULUS; LINEAR ALGEBRA ; STATISTICS |
|
Elective |
INTRODUCTION TO THE JAPANESE ECONOMY; HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES IN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS; INTRODUCTION TO CALCULUS; ADVANCED LINEAR ALGEBRA; INFORMATION PROCESSING |
|||
Type B |
Required |
INTRODUCTION TO THE JAPANESE ECONOMY; HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES IN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS; STATISTICS |
|
|
Elective |
INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS; INTRODUCTION TO CALCULUS; CALCULUS; LINEAR ALGEBRA; ADVANCED LINEAR ALGEBRA; INFORMATION PROCESSING |
|||
Major Subjects |
Introductory |
Type A |
ELEMENTARY MACROECONOMICS |
ELEMENTARY MICROECONOMICS; INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMIC HISTORY |
Type B |
ELEMENTARY MACROECONOMICS |
INTRODUCTION TO MICROECONOMICS; ELEMENTARY ECONOMIC HISTORY |
||
Mandatory |
|
ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENT; INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT; INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS; MARXIAN ECONOMICS; MATHEMATICS FOR ECONOMICS; CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES |
||
Advanced |
Elective |
|
BOOKKEEPING; INTRODUCTION TO PROBABILITY THEORY; INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS (Elective) |
|
(1 April, 2015)
Type A (focus on economic theory and mathematics)
Linear algebra and Calculus are mandatory for Type A students in their first year. The Type A curriculum puts emphasis on the deductive method and on learning essential mathematical tools for economic analysis. Students in both curriculum types learn macroeconomics and statistics, but Type A students learn more microeconomics.
Type B (focus on contemporary and historical economic evidence)
Introduction to the Japanese Economy and Historical Perspectives in Economic Analysis are mandatory for Type B students in their first year. The Type B curriculum puts emphasis on the inductive method and on learning economic history. Type B students can and are encouraged to take courses in mathematics that suit their own levels, though such courses are not mandatory.
Both types of curricula to build foundations for comprehensive studies
The two distinct curricula in the first and second years of study are both designed to help students acquire the fundamentals necessary for learning comprehensive skills of economic analysis during the third and fourth years.
Mita campus (the third and fourth years)
| Year | 3 | 4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Curriculum Flow |
Advanced Level Economics and a Graduation Thesis and/or Research Paper |
|||
Liberal Arts |
I: Natural Sciences/Mathmatics, II: Humanities/Social Sciences, III: Interdisciplinary Subjects |
|||
Language |
ENGLISH |
|||
German, French, Chinese, Spanish, Russian |
||||
Physical Education |
Available for four years (free elective) |
|||
Major Subjects |
Core |
Classes offered in the follwoing subject fields. |
||
Advanced |
Elective |
Students choose from the courses including Research Seminar, Professional Career Programme(PCP), Independent Research Project. (Elective) |
||
Related |
Elective |
CIVIL LAW; COMMERCIAL LAW; LABOR LAW; TAXATION : CORPORATE TRANSACTIONS; ACCOUNTING; SCIENCE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION |
||
(1 April, 2015)
The "Core Courses" are taught to students in their third and fourth years of study at the faculty of economics, on the assumption that they acquired sufficient basic knowledge in their first and second years. At the faculty of economics, all students must choose three or more out of the ten fields of study, and register for classes within these fields. These ten fields are; Economic Theory; Econometrics and Statistics; History of Economic Thought; Economic History; Labor and Industrial Economics; Economic Policy and Public Finance; Modern Economic Systems; International Economics; Environmental and Urban Economics; and Economy and Society.
Core Courses
| Core Courses | Areas |
Courses |
|---|---|---|
A Economic Theory |
INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS; INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS; THEORY OF MONOPOLY CAPITALISM |
|
B Econometrics and Statistics |
ECONOMETRICS; PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS; |
|
C History of Economic Thought |
HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT; |
|
D Economic History |
ECONOMIC HISTORY OF JAPAN; |
|
E Labor and Industrial Economics |
INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS; LABOR ECONOMICS; |
|
F Economic Policy and Public Finance |
ECONOMIC POLICY; JAPAN’S ECONOMIC SYSTEM; |
|
G Modern Economic Systems |
CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE ECONOMY; COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC SYSTEMS; DEVELOPMENT OF JAPANESE CAPITALISM; MODERN CAPITALISM |
|
H International Economics |
INTERNATIONAL TRADE; INTERNATIONAL FINANCE; |
|
I Environmental and Urban Economics |
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY; ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS; |
|
J Economy and Society |
DEMOGRAPHY; THEORY OF INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY; SOCIAL HISTORY |
(1 April, 2015)
Note: Some courses might not be offered.
The "Advanced Courses" are advanced level lectures that students take in accordance with their goals and interests, based on their past study of "General Education Subjects” and "Major Subjects". Courses offered may vary from year to year, but many of them are on topics that the closest to the professors’ specialisation. Students who take these classes will be able to learn the latest and highest level findings on that subject.
Advanced Courses
| Advanced Courses |
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
RESEARCH SEMINAR (THESIS) |
||||
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT |
||||
PCP |
|
|||
(1 April, 2015)
Note: Some courses might not be offered.
The "Advanced Courses" include small-sized classes for specialized study. Students can choose form three frameworks: Research Seminar, PCP (Professional Career Programme), and Independent Research Project. This is arguably the most prominent characteristic of the curriculum at Keio’s faculty of economics.
Research Seminar
The "Research Seminar" is a small-sized class where students learn with one Professor for two years (in principle). They acquire advanced knowledge in the field of the professor’s specialisation, conduct research together and write their graduation thesis.
For more information, check:
- http://keizemi-keio.com/ (in Japanese only)
PCP (Professional Career Programme)
PCP provides students with practical economic education which is helpful for career development in the future. The programme is conducted entirely in English, including lectures, questions and answers, examinations, and communication with the Co-ordinators.
For more information, check:
Independent Research Project
In the Independent Research Project, students who develop a strong interest in a topic even outside of economics can carry out research under the tutelage of a professor in the Faculty of Economics (Hiyoshi and Mita) who specializes in that field. Students produce a research paper similar in length and scope to a graduation thesis, but in one year. The topic of research covers a wide range, including humanities such as art and literature, social sciences, and natural sciences, and the paper can be in English. In some cases, students can submit products of their creation for evaluation for this class.
- Independent Research Project (Japanese only)
