Graduate School Hub for Cultivating Doctoral Innovators to Lead the Global Society

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
"Future-Leading and Advanced Graduate-schools (FLAGs)" — Selected in FY2025

Niigata University has been selected for the MEXT program "Future-Leading and Advanced Graduate-schools (FLAGs)." With internationalization and industry-academia collaborative education as its pillars, and within an environment of humanities-sciences integration and interdisciplinary studies, the university aims to create "Comprehensive Knowledge" and to establish a graduate school education hub that cultivates "Doctoral Innovators" capable of solving complex societal challenges.

News

News

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Movie

Official introduction video

PIVOT「& TALK」video

Message from the President

Niigata University is currently at a major turning point in graduate education and research. Through the reorganization of our graduate schools, we are transitioning to a cross-disciplinary, flexible education and research system, while leveraging the FLAGs program to fundamentally strengthen doctoral education and, from that starting point, drive university-wide education and research reform.
Cultivating individuals who can transcend disciplinary boundaries, define challenges together with society, and take the lead in solving them is an indispensable mission for universities moving forward. With this mission at its core, Niigata University will go beyond the boundaries of academic disciplines to engage with people and society, creating knowledge to pioneer the future while steadily implementing its outcomes in society. Pioneering the future of people and society through life innovation—
we will advance the challenge of social implementation.

President of Niigata University
Toshiyuki Someya

Program Overview

Graduate School Hub for Cultivating
Doctoral Innovators to Lead the Global Society Creating a future society
where global and local converge

Selected in FY2025 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
"Future-Leading and Advanced Graduate-schools (FLAGs)"

What is the "Future-Leading and Advanced Graduate-schools" Program?

Our university has been selected for MEXT's FY2025 "Future-Leading and Advanced Graduate-schools" program. This program aims to enhance the capacity to cultivate doctoral talent equipped with rich scholarly knowledge, international perspective, and advanced practical skills through "thorough international hub formation (internationalization)" and "thorough industry-academia collaborative education," while also supporting the formation of graduate education hubs that increase the number of high-quality doctoral graduates through the reallocation of internal resources. Our university was selected under the "Comprehensive Type" category (18 applications; 4 selected). Through this program, we will receive support from FY2025 through FY2031.

As our 10-year vision for graduate education, the university aims to establish a graduate education hub that cultivates "Doctoral Innovators" — individuals equipped with comprehensive knowledge and practical skills who can solve complex societal challenges — through education that creates "Comprehensive Knowledge" in an interdisciplinary, humanities-sciences integrated environment, combined with practice-based graduate education utilizing social co-creation projects and industry-academia collaboration. We aim to increase the number of doctoral degree recipients.

Official Name

Future-Leading and Advanced Graduate-schools (FLAGs)

Purpose

To support hubs that thoroughly pursue internationalization and industry-academia collaboration to cultivate high-quality doctoral talent.

Related Links

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) "Future-Leading and Advanced Graduate-schools (FLAGs)"

Toward a Place for Creating
Comprehensive Knowledge

Examples of Utilizing Comprehensive Knowledge

"Comprehensive Knowledge" that can solve increasingly complex societal challenges through advanced expertise and interdisciplinary, humanities-sciences integrated education.

Collaboration with Co-creation Innovation Projects

Related Links: Co-creation Innovation Projects(Available in Japanese only)

Reform Toward an Attractive Graduate School

Doctoral Innovators Cultivated by Niigata University

There is a growing need for highly specialized professionals who can address increasingly complex societal challenges that cannot be solved by conventional expertise alone. Niigata University believes it has a responsibility to cultivate doctoral talent that meets these societal demands. Through graduate school reform, we will build a system in which all faculty members are involved in doctoral talent development, and produce Doctoral Innovators for society.

Support System

Developing diverse support systems and career development in both regional and global contexts, to enable Doctoral Innovators to thrive in society.

Doctoral Innovators Shaping the Future

Related Links: Niigata University PhD Recruitment and Career Development Office

Fields of Learning

  • Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences

    Fusing the "knowledge" of humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, we create "Comprehensive Knowledge" to tackle societal challenges that cannot be solved by a single field of expertise. We promote interdisciplinary research through unique programs leveraging Niigata's strengths, such as Sakeology and Anime/Visual Resource Science.

    Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences

  • Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences

    By integrating specialized knowledge in medicine, dentistry, and health sciences in an interdisciplinary manner, incorporating multi-professional collaboration and AI/data utilization, we cultivate next-generation professionals and researchers. We produce leaders with high ethical standards and cross-disciplinary problem-solving skills, addressing issues from community healthcare to international health challenges.

    Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences

Overall Picture of Educational Reform

Through the circulation of three strategies, we cultivate doctoral talent with advanced "Comprehensive Knowledge."

Transcending Boundaries,
Mastering Knowledge

Building on Our Track Record and Strengths

  • Reorganization into an interdisciplinary, humanities-sciences integrated graduate school in FY2026:
    Expansion of attractive interdisciplinary degree programs including Sakeology, Anime/Visual Resource Science, and Human Brain/Health Science
  • Interdisciplinary PBL, early completion programs, cross-cutting education in medical fields
  • Multi-lab and entrepreneurship education for all students

Providing a Global Field
for Practical Education

Building on Our Track Record and Strengths

  • Regional/Industrial Innovation Practical Education:
    practical education through 8 organized industry-academia-regional collaboration projects
  • Global Innovation Practical Education: international practical education at the Global Co-creation Hub (Vietnam Mekong Delta)
  • Participation in joint research through internationally co-operated labs with universities in India, Vietnam, and France

Related Links: International Exchange and Study Abroad at Niigata University

Producing Doctoral Talent
Who Will Excel on the World Stage

Building on Our Track Record and Strengths

  • Early academic recruiting
  • Expanded scholarships through diverse resources
  • Information dissemination through Overseas Liaison Professors (23 placed in 16 countries)
  • Diverse career support through the PhD Recruitment and Career Development Office
    (established in FY2020; track record of producing over 100 doctoral graduates)

Related Links: Niigata University PhD Recruitment and Career Development Office

10-Year Vision

  • World-Class Research Hub

    Promotion of international joint research and dramatic improvement in research capabilities

  • Triple the Number of Doctoral Graduates

  • Increase in Working Professionals, International Students, and Graduate Students

  • Global Campus

    Expansion of overseas hub networks and internationalization of the campus

To Our Stakeholders

  • High School and Prospective Students:

    Cross-disciplinary learning beyond the undergraduate level, early challenges in cutting-edge research, and inquiry-based small-group education open the path to becoming a globally active doctoral scholar.

  • Current Students and Parents:

    We will make the graduate school a "launchpad for challenges." Learning that combines specialization × interdisciplinarity × internationalization × implementation supports the creation of world-class research outcomes and personal growth.

  • Alumni:

    Elevate your practical knowledge through "reskilling." Through the interplay of research and practice, achieve even greater advancement. Your insights become the foundation for the next generation.

  • Industry Partners:

    Through social challenge-driven research, industrial co-creation, and talent circulation, we cultivate "Doctoral Innovators" equipped with advanced expertise and implementation capabilities.

  • Universities, Research Institutions, and Researchers:

    We form strategic partnerships with research institutions domestically and abroad. Together, we will co-develop and establish a new model of graduate education originating from Japan.

Contact

Niigata University, Headquarters for Future-Leading Graduate School Promotion
(Academic Affairs Division, Graduate School Support Section)

8050 Ikarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, JAPAN

  • TEL:+81-25-262-6543