Guided by a faculty that covers a diversity of fields, your sense of discomfort and concerns with regard to society will connect up with fundamental issues in society
Sociology reveals how invisible social mechanisms shape individual experience, and how unconscious assumptions can stand in the way of a fair and inclusive society. Its strength lies in uncovering issues that may not yet be recognized as such. It is an academic discipline that is becoming increasingly important in contemporary society, where continual transformation is picking up speed. In particular, sociology gives voice to those in vulnerable social positions and sheds light on the difficulties they face in everyday life. Once an issue is detected, we need to explain to people why it is an issue, what its cause is, and how it can be solved. That requires the study of history, theories, and systems, and also the ability to carry out social research, making full use of interviews and statistical analysis to gain a scientific and accurate understanding of the actual situation, and then to put that into words. Students in the Graduate School of Sociology can acquire the specialized knowledge and skills required for such research activities. Our faculty members offer a wide range of methodologies and perspectives to support the process by which your niggling sense of discomfort and the questions you have connect up with fundamental issues in society. We have also established a “working adult admission” system so that students with diverse social experiences can be actively involved in the education and research of this major. In addition, this major participates in a credit transfer system for graduate studies in sociology, allowing students to earn credits at 22 universities and 24 graduate schools or major programs in the Kanto region.
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Advanced Social Researcher Certification
The Social Researcher Certificate is official certification intended to produce expert researchers with the knowledge and skills to conduct statistical surveys for government agencies and municipal offices, market studies and opinion polls for companies, NPOs, and other such organizations, and who have the ability to understand societal phenomena that is essential for the study of sociology. The certificate is not a national qualification that requires applicants to pass a government exam. Students who have taken university courses in sociology that have been designated as courses for the Social Researcher Certificate, and earned credits for those courses, may apply for certification to the Japanese Association for Social Research, which was founded by The Japan Sociological Society and other academic societies, and receive the certificate when they graduate. (A certification fee is required.) There are two types of certification: Certified Social Researcher (for undergraduate students in a four-year program) and Certified Advanced Social Researcher (for graduate students in a master's degree program). Students in the Major of Sociology program who complete the designated classes may apply for the Advanced Social Researcher Certificate when they graduate from the master's degree program. In order to receive advanced certification, it is first necessary to receive a Social Researcher Certificate as an undergraduate student. However, graduate students who do not already have this certification may acquire it by taking the designated courses in the Faculty of Sociology & Social Work while also carrying out their graduate studies. For further details about the certification, please see Meiji Gakuin University's Faculty of Sociology & Social Work home page, or the website of the Japanese Association for Social Research [http://jasr.or.jp/english/].
Scholarships
The Graduate School of Sociology offers scholarships to students in the Major of Sociology and Major of Social Work to support their research. Up to 10 students entering master's degree programs at the School are selected to receive Type 1 Scholarships of 250,000 yen each. Up to 15 students who are either in their second year of their master’s degree program or later or doctoral students in their first year or later are selected to receive Type 2 Scholarships of 150,000 yen each. Please contact the Graduate School Office for more information.