Message from the Graduate School Dean

Have you ever thought about what it means to engage in research at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce?

The Keio University Graduate School of Business and Commerce is a hybrid graduate school consisting of 10 fields of study: Commercial Science, Management and Organization, Accounting, Finance and Securities, Insurance, Transport, Public Policy and Industrial Organization, Econometrics, International Economics, Industrial History and Business History, and Industrial Relations. While research requires exploring and pursuing a topic in one’s area of expertise, developing deeper insight through knowledge of adjacent fields allows for research of greater quality and profundity. This is because pursuing research at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce, which is deeply intertwined with the actual practice of business, requires that the complexities of society be incorporated into the scope of such research. Human practices are often complex and difficult to explain, but sometimes we can find surprisingly generalizable laws in the midst of seeming chaos. Research at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce is based on and applies findings from a variety of fields. As a graduate school that requires a broad perspective and in-depth thinking, this is a place where students can improve themselves through friendly competition with peers aiming to become top-level researchers in the future, with all fields providing excellent supervisors and a conducive research environment.

The Graduate School of Business and Commerce offers both master’s and doctoral programs. The master’s program offers not only a research perspective, but also the opportunity for further training to reach higher standards as a professional. This is because students are required to conduct thorough and logical investigations on their own initiative through advanced study in a variety of fields while developing a master’s thesis on their research topic. The master’s program also includes a double degree program through CEMS, which is only offered by one university in each country, as well as classes taught in English only. The doctoral program, meanwhile, requires high-quality research and the writing of a doctoral dissertation.

Research at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce is a field that requires balance, where the relationship between research and practice must be constantly borne in mind. Therefore, as researchers, students are expected to pursue theoretical and academic studies while maintaining an awareness of and interest in their relationship with society, offering a challenging and rewarding research experience.

Research activities involve demonstrating one’s all-round abilities, requiring various forms of communication. As such, despite their inherent difficulties, they offer an enjoyable, meaningful, and rewarding time. We hope that all those interested will take up the challenge and spend a productive time studying at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce.