Features of the Graduate School of Law

In 1890, Keio University established a college with three departments—Literature, Finance, and Law—becoming Japan’s first private comprehensive university. In 1898, the Faculty of Political Science was added, establishing the foundation of Keio University’s research and education system in law and political science that continues to this day. The Graduate School of Law was founded in 1951, coinciding with the establishment of graduate schools under the new educational system, with two majors: Civil Law and Political Science. In 1963, the Major in Public Law was added, bringing the total to the current three majors. The Graduate School of Law is one of Japan’s leading graduate research hubs for law and political science, with approximately 70 full-time faculty members specializing in law, political science, and related and adjacent fields.

A primary feature of the Graduate School of Law is its full-time faculty covering a comprehensive range of research fields in law and political science, enabling students to pursue a wide variety of research topics based on their own interests. Students can study not only their own research topics but also related and adjacent fields in depth and breadth.

The Graduate School also offers a diverse range of educational programs. These include "Advanced Lectures," "Special Seminars," and "Advanced Seminars," which allow for intensive, in-depth research in individual specialized fields; "Joint Seminars," which cultivate broad and diverse perspectives through joint supervision by multiple faculty members in the same specialized field; and "General Joint Seminars," which invite lecturers such as legal practitioners to expand and deepen discussions in interdisciplinary fields.

Additionally, "Project Courses" have been established to cultivate the ability to consider contemporary societal issues from multiple and diverse perspectives. These courses focus on specific, highly contemporary themes. Experts from both inside and outside the university are invited as guest speakers, and their lectures are followed by discussions involving all participants.

A dual degree is a course of study that allows students to obtain multiple degrees within a certain period, such as by receiving a degree in one field and then pursuing education and receiving a degree in another. The Graduate School of Law, the Graduate School of Economics, and the Graduate School of Business and Commerce offer a dual-degree program for master’s students. Students who are interested in specializing not only in law but also in economics or business and commerce can study in multiple graduate schools, ultimately earning two master’s degrees—either in law and economics or in law and business and commerce—within a three-year period.

In addition, students may take courses offered by graduate schools other than the Graduate School of Economics and the Graduate School of Business and Commerce, taking advantage of the strengths of a comprehensive university that covers a wide range of research fields and providing opportunities to broaden their academic knowledge.

The Graduate School of Law has produced many graduates who contribute to both academia and society. Many of those who complete the master’s program and go on to the doctoral program, and who subsequently complete that program, take up positions as university faculty members or researchers and continue to be active in their respective academic fields. In addition, those who complete the master’s program work in corporate legal departments or think tanks, or become civil servants in international or national organizations, or journalists, and are active as highly skilled professionals by making use of their respective research backgrounds.