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Article Updated: April 2023
About Kyoto University
Kyoto University is the second oldest university in Japan. It was founded by the imperial ordinance on June 18th, 1897 as the Kyoto Imperial University and belongs to the national university system in Japan. Its liberal atmosphere was restored after World War II.
Kyoto University boasts a rich academic history, with 11 Nobel Laureates out of the total 27 from Japan. Now Kyoto University consists of a large school system in a wide range of fields. As of 2017, Kyoto University has 10 undergraduate faculties, 18 graduate schools, 13 research institutes, and 22 research and educational centers.
Kyoto University is currently the home to roughly 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with a male-to-female ratio of 3:1. The undergraduate-to-faculty ratio is kept on the low at 11:1. 81% of international students are from Asia. In the 2018-2019 academic school year, there are 2,732 international students.
About the Graduate School of Management
The Department of Business Administration, Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University was founded in April 2006 and is home to 200 students in total. At the Master’s level, students can choose either the i-BA or i-PM, which are both international MBA programs conducted in English. Furthermore, the department also offers a Doctoral program conducted only in Japanese, where students will be awarded a degree in Doctor of Philosophy in Management Science.
Under the Graduate School of Management at Kyoto University, there are two distinctive international MBA programs, which will be presented as follows:
International MBA Programs (i-BA & i-PM)
Overview
The International Business Administration Program (i-BA) is suitable for students who aim to receive a general management degree while also cultivating a vision and the skills needed for business leaders. This program will prepare students with a wide range of skill sets through a wide area of expertise such as business leadership, service & hospitality management, finance and accounting.
For students who strive for a more specialized career goal, then the International Project Management Program (i-PM) will be a great choice for them. The program offers an educational curriculum in management necessary to accomplish projects with special aims and diverse constraints or uncertainties. With specialized knowledge, analytical thinking skills, decision making and risk management skills, students will be trained to become highly advanced professionals who will take an active part in these areas of management.
The enrollment capacity for each of the programs is 10 students per year, which ensures a small and close-knit cohort. Please also note that these programs only accept April intake.
Scholarships
Applicants can apply for ADB-JSP and MEXT Scholarships, both sponsor the entire amount of tuition fees, travel expenses, living expenses allowance of approximately 147,000 yen/month, medical/accident insurance, books/instructional material and research allowances, as miscellaneous expenses. For more information, visit the university scholarship page.
Admissions
In principle, once you apply to either the i-BA or i-PM program, it is not allowed to change your program. You can find the requirements for each program in the Admission Guidelines for 2023!
Kyoto-Cornell International Collaborative Degree Opportunity
Overview
The Kyoto-Cornell International Collaborative Degree Opportunity (KC-CDO) is a two-year Master’s program that consists of a collaboration between the Graduate School of Management at Kyoto University and the School of Hotel Administration, SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. What makes the MMH program different is that it forms a connection between traditional business education into the context of hospitality needed in all industries of the current world.
The program lasts four semesters, a typical length of a Master’s program, after which students will be able to earn two degrees from the two universities. Students will be exposed to an international and diverse environment as they will spend time on two campuses in two beautiful cities, Kyoto, Japan, and Ithaca, New York in the US. As the two renowned business schools Kyoto University and Cornell University both boast a strong alumni network and a tremendous wealth of career management resources, students will be able to access great and promising professional opportunities upon their graduation.
Curriculum
Students will spend semester I at Kyoto University taking core MBA classes, which are Corporate Finance, Managerial Accounting, Marketing, Leadership, and Strategy. Then, they will spend semesters II and III at Cornell University, where they will take MMH core and elective courses in both semesters and then graduate from Cornell in May. In the last semester, semester IV, students will return to Kyoto University to immerse themselves in MBA specialized, business practice, and advanced courses. They will also participate in research seminars and industry field trips. After they have finished their MBA requirements, they will be able to receive an MBA degree from Kyoto University in March.
Students will be conferred two degrees, an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from the Graduate School of Management at Kyoto University, as well as an MMH (Master of Management in Hospitality) from the School of Hotel Administration, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
Admissions
In order to be enrolled in the program, interested applicants must apply separately and be accepted into both the Kyoto Graduate School of Management MBA program and the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration MMH program.
Learn more about the Admission Guidelines for 2023 on the Kyoto University website!
Tuition
The tuition per year for a graduate student at Kyoto University is 535,800 JPY, with a matriculation fee of 282,000 JPY and an entrance examination fee of 30,000 JPY.
At Cornell University, SC Johnson College of Business, the tuition fee is $30,143 per semester, with additional costs of books and supplies ($1,500 per year), health and accident insurance ($2,983 per year), required course travel estimate ($2,500 per year), and graduate student activity fee ($129 per year).
Conclusion
International students who aspire to become professionals in the context of the changing business landscape in Japan will benefit greatly from their education at the highly esteemed Kyoto University. The international MBA programs launched in 2011 have helped pave the way for bringing more business leaders to Japan as well as the world.