Message from the Dean

Ritsumeikan University Graduate School of Technology Management (Ritsumeikan MOT) is a graduate school that explores technology management and innovation, established in 2005 and approaching its 20th anniversary soon. During this time, we have been working to develop professionals who can strategically manage specialized knowledge and technology based on science and technology and create innovation. The number of graduates has already reached 842 (790 in the master’s degree, 52 in the PhD), and we can say that we have achieved sustained growth as one of the leading graduate schools of technology management in Japan. 

There are three reasons why Ritsumeikan MOT is chosen. First, we respect individuality, secure diversity, and emphasize practical learning. In general, I think that in graduate schools of science and technology, research themes are often set by faculty members. However, at Ritsumeikan MOT, students select their research themes based on their own problem awareness as a principle. Therefore, the themes covered in this graduate school range widely from cutting-edge technology and business to human sensibility and international social issues. Furthermore, the system of multiple faculty members supporting the research has not changed since the establishment in 2005. It can be said that this is truly a graduate school centered on individuality. 

Secondly, a very diverse group of students gathers at our graduate school. Students from science and humanities, undergraduate students, and experienced professionals, Japanese and international students form groups during lectures and learn together. Diverse values and knowledge brought by students with different backgrounds merge, and innovative ideas that can become the source of innovation are generated by stimulating each other. To maintain this fusion environment, we deliberately adopt a large room style instead of providing independent rooms and desks for each laboratory, and we make sure that students from different laboratories can freely interact by placing desks side by side. Schumpeter, a master of innovation research, argued that "new combinations create innovation." We have created an environment in our graduate school where accidental encounters and new combinations naturally occur. 

Third, our graduate school has an educational design that emphasizes practical experience, not just learning theoretical knowledge in lectures. Chris Floyd, a researcher and practitioner of MOT, says that "technology is not knowledge itself, but the application of knowledge." In other words, we can say that we have managed technology only when we are able to apply knowledge to solve problems. Therefore, many lectures are based on past examples, and we provide opportunities for students to apply knowledge through practical projects and internships. We also have a curriculum that supports students in acquiring practical skills and tools necessary for technology management, such as patent analysis and financial management. 

Ritsumeikan MOT will continue to contribute to society as a graduate school where individuals can discover what they want to do and achieve self-realization for the future in an environment where values and expertise are fused in diversity. Learning in graduate school requires a serious decision involving a certain financial, time, and physical investment. However, you can be confident that the two years of the master’s course and three years of the doctoral course that you will experience will pass at an astonishing speed and bring invaluable experiential value to your life. We hope that you will meet a new field of study called Management of Technology and innovate your own life while learning with passionate classmates in our graduate school. 

Nobuaki MINATO