For master’s students

Objective

• Strong research skill in knowledge acquisition;
• Increased intellectual capacity and awareness of global and local issues;
• Enhanced curriculum for global leaders education;
• Multinational cooperation and brainstorming.

Innovative Curriculum:
SUSTEP—

• Offers courses on advanced technologies, sciences and policies for sustainability;
• Provides research supervision through the academic committee system
• Offers field studies in Japan and abroad;
• Provides the opportunity to work for an international research project that is led by our faculty members;
• Offers rigorous training in four major areas;
• Fosters interdisciplinary knowledge and skills that are necessary to solve complex sustainability issues.

Requirements

In order to receive a SUSTEP certificate, all students must meet the following six criteria:

• Take at least one course from the major of Environmental Policy and Planning (EPP);
• Earn 5 credits or more from designated courses in one of SUSTEP’s majors;
• Take either International Field Appraisal or Environmental Field Appraisal;
• At the time of graduation, have 30 credits or more from English courses;
• Complete master’s thesis in English;
• Master’s thesis must be related to SUSTEP concepts.

Four SUSTEP Majors

In order to refine expertise and specialized practical skills, SUSTEP offers students the opportunity to choose the following “Majors.” Successful recipients of SUSTEP certificates will receive special recognition regarding their major field.

(1) Environmental Hydrology and Disaster Prevention in Climate Change (E-HyDIP-CC)

The hydrological cycle is the principal component in the global environment and life. Also, natural disasters profoundly affect human life in a variety of regions on earth. Both phenomena are relevant climate change issues. Therefore, we have to understand the interaction between hydrological phenomena and natural disasters that are influenced by climate change. In this Major, students are expected to make important contributions to maintaining a sustainable and safe water environment, disaster prevention and climate system.

Elective Courses Available for This Major

Code	Class	Professor
0AND361	Introduction to Water Environment	Tsujimura
0AND365	Remoto Sensing	Nasahara
0AND368	Climate System StudyⅠ	Kamae
0AND331	Special lecture in environmental sciences	Matsui、Yamaji

(2) Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation and Remediation (EBCR)

It is not disputable that ecosystem and biodiversity protection, rehabilitation, and restoration are urgently needed. In response to human-induced and natural disturbances such as air and water pollution, deforestation and natural disasters, animals, plants, and microorganisms have developed their survival abilities through defense mechanisms and remediate environments, which may contain breakthrough ideas to solve interlocked problems. To learn the basic mechanisms of ecosystems together with soil science, microbiology, and analytical chemistry will help students foster analytical methods and skills and enhance their ability to create innovative measures to mitigate complicated environmental issues.

Code	Class	Professor
0AND373	Introduction to Ecology	Hirota, Yokoi
0AND362	Environmental Science	Tamura, Asono
0AND364	Environmental Microbiology	Nomura, Toyofuku, Utada
0AND323	Vegetation Science	Kamijo, Kiyono, Kawada
0AND379	Environmental Health perspective	Abiko, Akiyama, Nakayama, Kumagai, Shinkai

(3) Integrated Resource and Waste Management (IRWM)

Decoupling economic growth from environmental pressure and resource over consumption is one of the greatest challenges of our time. If we add the socio-economic disparities, between and within countries, the challenge becomes even more complicated. In recent decades, Asian countries have enjoyed a sustained period of paid economic growth. However, this economic growth has been accompanied be extensive and inefficient use of natural resources, environmental degradation, and urban-rural socio-economic disparities. The Integrated Resource and Waste Management (IRWM) Major offers a set of intensive courses for students who wish to acquire advanced knowledge about best available technologies and management systems that control and reduce the generation of waste through the whole product and system lifecycle. It also focuses on adaptive control approaches that improve such system performance. This Major also provides students with advanced professional and technical knowledge in the management of environmental risk, including the risk of toxic waste to human health and the management of e-waste. The seminar courses for Master`s Thesis include weekly presentations and discussions about research progress. Each student will be supervised by an academic committee, which consists of academic advisory committee members and one supervisor.

Code	Course name	Professor
0AND366	Introduction to Waste Management	Yabar
0AND367	Solid Waste Management Systems Planning	Yabar
0AND403	Utilization and Recycling of Bio-resources	Zhang, Utsumi, Lei
0AND354	Soil and Water Environment Colloid Science	Adachi

(4) Environmental Policy and Planning (EPP)

Environmental conservation and economic development are in a trade-off relationship.
This trade-off can be improved by striking a better balance between higher economic development and updated environmental bench marks. This major aims to foster experts who are able to: (1) identify socio-economic and ecological factors behind environmental problems; (2) profile the structure and mechanism of trade-off; (3) identify suitable and adaptable environmental remediation technologies and policies in order to control the environment and natural resources; and (4) construct a comprehensive environmental plan. Main topics of interests are environmental economics, environmental leadership, ethics, geography, urban planning, and science. Graduates are expected to active in various fields related with environmental issues as policy makers and planners.

Code	Course name	Professor
0AND378	Applied Environmental Ethics	Matsui
0AND377	Environmental Analysis and Planning	Murakami, Yamamoto
0AND376	Environmental Law	Asaga, Mizunoya
0AND369	Environmental Psychology	Kaida
0AND405	Environmental Policy	Misunoya
0A00102	Introduction to Environmental Ethnics	Matsui

For doctoral students

Objectives

• Strong research skill in knowledge acquisition;
• Increased intellectual capacity and awareness of global and local issues;
• Enhanced curriculum for global leaders education;
• Multinational cooperation and brainstorming.

Innovative Curriculum:
SUSTEP—

• Offers courses on advanced technologies, sciences and policies for sustainability;
• Provides research supervision through the academic committee system
• Offers field studies in Japan and abroad;
• Provides the opportunity to work for an international research project that is led by our faculty members;
• Offers rigorous training in four major areas;
• Fosters interdisciplinary knowledge and skills that are necessary to solve complex sustainability issues.

Requirements

In order to receive a SUSTEP certificate, all students must meet the following criteria:

• Take either Internship in Environmental Studies or Special International Internship;
• Take Forum on Sustainable Environmental Studies I & II;
• At the time of graduation, have 8 credits or more from English courses;
• Complete doctoral dissertation in English;
• Dissertation must be related to SUSTEP concepts.

For short-term trainees

(1) Educational program for capacity building

Upon request, SUSTEP provides a tailor-made training to meet the needs of trainees.
[Sample training program: Ulaanbaatar City employees]
In October 2014, the SUSTEP program offered a two-week training for Ulaanbaatar City employees who wanted to build their capacity on the issues of air pollution, soil pollution, and policy. The following lectures were offered for this program:

Policy-related courses
Children and environmental education
City of Tsukuba local carbon society project
Environmental leadership/diplomacy
Environmental ethics for policy planers
Environmental policy appraisal
History of Pollution in Japan
Urban environment policy

Soil pollution courses
Environmental Microbiology
Introduction to Bio-remediation
Phyto-remediation
Utilization and recycling of bioresources
Utilization & biogasification of sewage sludge & livestock manure
Waste management

Air pollution courses
Current air pollution & a cellular defense system again xenobiotics
IPCC AR5: Climate phenomena & their relevance for future regional climate
National Institute of Environmental Studies tour
NWP and climate model

(2) Training for research

Any full-time graduate student who enrolled at university affiliated with the University of Tsukuba under MOU can refine research under the supervision of our faculty member(s). This short-term trainees can have full access to our libraries and other on-campus/off-campus facilities or research centers.