Osaka University, WISE Program

Curriculum

Outline

Five- and Four-Year Courses

Students participating in our doctoral program will be enrolled in one of the following graduate schools of Osaka University: Medicine (Division of Medicine and Division of Health Sciences), Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or Frontier Biosciences. Our doctoral program has 5- and 4-year courses to meet the educational needs of students with different backgrounds. The 5-year course is designed for undergraduate students entering the Graduate School of Medicine (Division of Health Sciences), Frontier Biosciences, or Pharmaceutical Sciences. The 4-year course is for graduate students. The 5-year course accepts students with a bachelor's degree in disciplines other than medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy (e.g., basic science, agriculture, engineering). In Year 1, students will be enrolled in the modules entitled “Introductory Course on Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy” No. 1 and No. 2 to gain a wide basic knowledge in these disciplines. Students will also attend on-site hospital training sessions. These education and training activities will equip students with a basic understanding of medical/clinical research needs.

Academic Communication and Presentation Skills

In Year 2 of the 5-year course, which corresponds to Year 1 of the 4-year course, students will learn and practice communication skills by discussing strategies to break through research barriers with frontline researchers in the modules entitled “Academic Communication Skill Development” No. 1 and No. 2. At the same time, students will undertake active learning projects under the guidance of their graduate school instructors. Students will cultivate their research skills through interactions with the instructors. Moreover, students will have opportunities to make an English presentation of their status reports followed by discussions with faculty members and peers. These activities will help them develop interdisciplinary communication and presentation competence. Students will thus gain an overview of the life sciences and learn how to lead research projects through interactions with academic staff and peers.

One Step Further Toward a Successful Researcher

In Year 3 of the 5-year course or Year 2 of the 4-year course, students will attend the modules entitled “Transdisciplinary Research Training” No. 1 and No. 2. In these modules, students will interact with researchers from different fields of study. Interdisciplinary interactions will allow students to gain advanced knowledge in related subspecialty fields, establish an overview of the biomedical research space, and understand the unique features of their own research themes.

In Year 3 of the 5-year course or at the end of Year 2 of the 4-year course, students will take the Qualifying Exam. Students who pass the Qualifying Exam are judged as being competent for academic research and will devote the remaining two years to developing skills to apply their research findings to practical scenarios. For this purpose, students will attend hands-on practice sessions on market analysis, intellectual property rights strategy, and regulatory science (Practical Application modules) and practical application (Practical Training modules).

Practical Application Competence

The Practical Application modules provide classroom teaching and hands-on training on market analysis, intellectual rights strategy, and regulatory science. These modules address the most neglected areas of higher life science education. The Practical Training modules will include field trips to national and international major corporations and ventures, and health care game-changers. Examples of new health initiatives include Biomedical Research Victoria, Australia, which is a network of universities, academic hospitals, medical research institutes, and other stakeholders that links medical research to clinical care in the local community. These modules will nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Curriculum Characteristics