Faculties and Schools (Visiting Medical Student Clerkships), Graduate Schools
Faculties and Schools (Visiting Medical Student Clerkships)
School of Medicine
Establishment of the School of Medicine
The School of Medicine was established in 1928 as the Kyushu Medical School with a four-year program of medical education. In 1946 the School gained further recognition and was renamed Kurume Medical College. Since the establishment of the Kurume University School of Medicine in 1952, the School has demonstrated the highest standards of faculty and the state-of-the-art facilities to educate doctors and medical practitioners.
Educational Goal
The educational goal of the School of Medicine has been to educate highly capable medical practitioners and endow them with superb humanitarian values dedicated to community medicine. 90 years of the School's history have clearly demonstrated that this goal has been attained. Nearly 10,000 graduates have actively participated in the private and public practice of medicine, as well as in medical sciences and research in related fields.
Curriculum
The School of Medicine offers a six-year educational program, and each incoming class comprises approximately 115 highly qualified students. The curriculum at the School of Medicine accommodates the needs necessary for new medical sciences and clinical treatment in the 21st century. The School has developed unique educational methods to accommodate needs in the society and to ensure the highest learning environment is offered at each grade year at the School of Medicine.
Faculty
Faculty members in basic and clinical departments have received high recognition on their professional achievements domestically and internationally, and strive to educate the future medical professionals by integrating both basic and clinical
medicine, providing close attention and care through small-size education, and fostering international awareness.
Visiting Medical Student Clerkships
Visiting Medical Student Clerkship Program at Kurume University School of Medicine (KUSM) offers a broad array of clinical rotations that foster growth of medical knowledge through direct/indirect patient care experiences.
As a visiting medical student at KUSM, you become an active member of a medical team that sees patients from in/around Fukuoka prefecture with a wide spectrum of common and rare diseases. As a team member, you can participate in teaching rounds and morning/afternoon conferences with outstanding physicians representing all medical and surgical specialties.
During your clerkship, you will interact with KUSM faculty every day, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your abilities and experience because Kurume University Hospital, affiliated with KUSM, is one of the leading hospitals in academic and clinical medicine in Japan.
You will also meet and interact with residency program directors at KUSM on a daily basis.
Eligibility Requirements:
As a visiting medical student, you remain registered at your own medical school while participating in the Visiting Medical Student Clerkship Program. You are officially enrolled as a student at KUSM.
In order to be eligible for our Clinical Clerkship Program, all international applicants should meet all of the following minimum criteria:
Must be currently enrolled medical student in the final year of medical school (within 12 months of graduation).
Must be in good academic standing at an approved medical school, which meets the accreditation requirement for WFME (World Federation for Medical Education) Certification.
Must have completed satisfactorily the core clinical clerkship requirements comparable to KUSM core programs.
Must be in compliance with KUSM immunization requirements(please see an attached form below)-KUSM strictly adheres to these immunization guidelines. For example, you need to provide exact titers (values) for measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella. If you cannot provide the exact titers, you need to visit our vaccine outpatient clinic (at your own expense) before starting your clinical clerkship at KUSM.
Must be fluent in English and/or Japanese language including: conversation, writing, and reading to efficiently communicate with doctors/medical students at KUSM.
Anyone holding an MD degree, or its equivalent, is not eligible.
Our clerkships are offered in three-week blocks and visiting students must adhere to KUSM rotation dates.
If you have any interest for the Visiting Medical Student Clerkship Program at KUSM, please contact International Exchange Office at Kurume University at https://forms.gle/knKXdgA6owyMqNLT8
School of Nursing
The School of Nursing was founded in 1994, with a four-year educational program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN).
The aims of the school are to turn out graduates fully capable of contributing to health care through the art and science of nursing, and to promote the overall advancement of nursing sciences. The school continues to provide student-centered educational programs that will meet students' goals. Special characteristics of the curriculum include an early exposure to real-life job situations, case studies with medical students, care-giving for terminal patients, international nursing and environmental health.
Nursing is one of today's most challenging and rewarding fields. Nurses play a vital role in the health care system, working to improve the quality of life for patients in hospital and home and to promote health and prevent illness in society. Our educational programs also prepare students for public health nursing.
Students' research for graduation theses and international opportunit ies enhance students' experiences and build their professional understanding and ability. Each year some students go abroad to join summer schools held in foreign countries. There is an exchange of students between Konyang University, Korea, and Kurume University as of 2009.
There are approximately 110 students accepted each year. They get to know their classmates well and some of the relationships they form as students will last a lifetime.
Join the School of Nursing to have a fouryear educational program at Kurume and to learn clinical nursing theory, the skills and care-giving required of the nursing profession.
School of of Medical Technology (2024.4～)
Advances in medicine and medical care are remarkable, and in the field of medical technology (clinical testing, medical technology), there is a need for education in cutting-edge medical knowledge and advanced testing techniques. Furthermore, the use of bioscience and data science is also needed in medical settings. The Department of Medical Laboratory Science was established at the School of Medicine in order to further develop the practical training of clinical laboratory technicians cultivated at the predecessor School of Clinical Laboratory Science, School of Medicine, and to provide health science education that takes advantage of Kurume University's unique characteristics. will be installed.
At Kurume University, we cultivate next-generation clinical laboratory technicians who can respond to the changing times and diverse and advanced medical needs.
Faculty of Literature
The Faculty of Literature consists of four departments: Psychology, Information Sociology, Intercultural Studies and Social Welfare.
The Department of Psychology offers students well-balanced studies covering a wide field of psychology between experimental and practical, and assists them in becoming specialists of the mind.
The Department of Information Sociology offers a wide range of studies of social phenomena in our contemporary society (urban problems, education, mass media, social planning etc.), stressing an acquaintance with the methodology and skills of social investigation and information processing.
Students may choose from two major courses of study in the Department of Intercultural Studies. In the English Communication Course, students study various linguistic and cultural characteristics of English speaking areas. This course provides a suitable environment to acquire and develop advanced practical English skills. The Intercultural Studies Course offers specific subjects catering to a wide range of interests, including studies on Japan, East Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Both courses foster the development of talented graduates who can contribute to international exchange and cooperation beyond borders in a diverse, yet increasingly interconnected, global society.
Students enrolled in the Department of Social Welfare are dedicated to supporting people’s lives and to engage in the profession of social welfare in the future. The curriculum includes practical lectures and exercises that will foster talent in individuals so that they become an essential resource in society. Lectures are provided in a small group setting so that students can receive thorough support from teachers and acquire national qualifications such as becoming a social worker, a psychiatric social worker or other such qualifications. In this department, through interaction between people who have difficulties in their lives, we train students to contribute to a society where everyone can live a happy life.
Faculty of Humam Health
The Faculty of Human Health was newly established in 2017 as the 6th faculty, adding to the breakthrough progress made in the nearly 90-year history of Kurume University. The main characteristic of this new faculty is the integration of medical and humanities disciplines in an innovative approach to education.
The Faculty of Human Health consists of two departments: The Department of Child Studies and The Department of Sports Medicine and Science. The Department of Child Studies provides a comprehensive education that will train specialists in the field of childcare / rearing with a focus on the community. The Department of Sports Medicine and Science provides courses in physical education, sports science, and health sciences.
Both departments aim to provide human resources for the local community. To achieve this aim, these departments emphasize fieldwork that includes practical training in medical facilities and cooperative education programs with local government and private associations. Based on the above policies and programs, the Faculty of Human Health is actively promoting healthy living for all in our community, from infants to the elderly.
Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law has two departments: the Department of Jurisprudence and the Department of International Politics. The curriculums of the two departments are integrated such that students can understand the success of modern Japan from a holistic point of view of law and politics.
The Faculty of Law offers several courses: Judiciary, Citizen's Law, Public Law, and Social Law in the Department of Jurisprudence, and International Relations, International English, and International Information Science in the Department of International Politics.
Judiciary consists of practical legal studies, assisting students to engage in the activities of the courts and law offices. Citizen's Law focuses on private laws such as Civil Law and Commercial Law in order to develop students' legal thinking. Public Law is designed for those intending to seek employment in civil service. The curriculum is made up of a number of subjects concerning public administration. Social Law and Environmental/Information Law stress the new fields of legal conflicts in industrial relations, environmental protection, and copyright.
International Relations provides Regional Studies, Comparative Politics, and International Law for understanding global politics. International English emphasizes the development of productive skills in English necessary for dealing with current international and domestic social issues. International Information Science trains students to acquire the ability to analyze international relations through the use of computers.
Faculty of Economics
The Faculty of Economics is made up of two departments: Economics and Cultural Economics. The three courses offered under the Department of Economics are the Economic Theories and Policies Course, the International Comparative Economics Course and the Financial and Infomation Course. In the Department of Cultural Economics, there are the Regional Creation Course and the Environmental and Tourism Course.
In the Economic Theories and Policies Course, students study economic theories as a core subject to learn economic laws from various points of view. Based on this, economic policies and their necessity are studied. The International Comparative Economics Course allows students to grasp the present conditions of world economies by studying basic subjects such as international economics and international finance theory. Economies of different countries are compared and analysed to understand the development of dynamic world economies and manifold values.
In the Financial and Information Course, students learn the methods of practical analysis of finance by studying financial systems and applying information technology. Various subjects on information technology, financial engineering and stock market theory are included in this course.
The Regional Creation Course is designed to better understand the theory and methods of local people-led regional creation. This course consists of the tracks of regional management and that of culture management. The former provides study of the economic roles of networks such as NPOs (Non-Profit Organizations) and the latter includes topics on the cultural aspect of economic activities. The main focus of the Environmental and Tourism Course is to learn the sustainable development of local areas through studying core subjects such as tourism economics, economic development of local culture and environmental economics.
Faculty of Commerce
The Faculty of Commerce was established in 1950 as the first faculty of humanities and social sciences at Kurume University. Since then, more than 21,000 graduates have gone on to become active in various fields of society.
The educational philosophy of the Faculty is “the training of business leaders to develop a new society. ” To realize this philosophy, the Faculty offers specialized subjects divided into three areas, Commercial Science, Business Administration, and Accounting, so that students can systematically study diverse principles and rules of business.
In Commercial Science, students study subjects related to commerce, such as marketing, finance, business communication, and transportation. Business Administration is another field where students study what business should be like, and search for principles and rules to sustain and develop it. Accounting is a learning field where students study techniques and rules to record and process business statistics.
Faculty members emphasize the theories of trade and multinational corporations which fit the internationalization of business, and basic and applied information science which copes with an information-oriented society. To reach its educational goals, the Faculty follows three educational policies: 1) Education in small-sized seminar-style classes; 2) Emphasis placed on practical science and encouragement of students to obtain professional jobs; and 3) Connection with the community through the frequent holding of extension lectures.
The Faculty, in having observed the 60th anniversary of its founding in the year 2010, is making further progress, and reinforcing the cooperative relationship with its graduates to develop a new society.
Graduate Schools
Graduate School of Comparative Studies of International Cultures and Societies
The Graduate School offers two degrees (Master and Doctorate) and is based on the Faculties of Literature, Law, Economics, Commerce, Medicine, and the Institute of Comparative Studies of International Cultures and Societies. Its position is within a general analytic field while keeping the principles of interdisciplinary and comprehensive research. Its purpose is to establish research conditions for the comparative analysis of the structure and function of cross-cultural communication in studying Japanese and other cultures. In particular, detailed analysis and research of cross-cultural communication is the focus of the graduate school.
Graduate School of Psychology
The Graduate School of Psychology offers two degrees at the Master and Doctorate level. The Master program has two majors in Psychology: Clinical Psychology and Human Behavioral Psychology. The curriculum of the Clinical Psychology corresponds to the national qualifications exam for certified psychologists. The aim of our graduate school is not only to study the characteristics of a wide variety of behaviors and mental processes of individuals, but also to apply knowledge of this science to practical problems, in particular, to educate clinical psychologists who are working with the assessment and treatment of psychological problems and disorders.
Graduate School of Business Administration
Kurume University Graduate School of Business Administration, which had been a part of the Graduate School of Comparative Studies of International Cultures and Societies, was reborn as the Graduate School of Business Administration on April 1st, 2005. Since then, this new Institution has centered on academic and pragmatic research on all aspects of business activities.
Its distinctive features are as follows: (1) a co-operative teaching program between the graduate and undergraduate school (for the past 50 years); (2) a close relationship with businesses / industries, academics, and governments for a prosperous partnership with the local community; and (3) a wide range of curricula which will meet the demands and expectations of various types of incoming students, and (4) small-sized classes in various subjects from traditional and conservative to radical and contemporary.
In addition, the geographical advantage of a location in central Kyushu undoubtedly offers all students rewarding practical experiences through local businesses and cutting edge business research through distinguished scholars. This is another attractive aspect which satisfies prospective students who hope for the degree of Master of Business Administration.
Graduate School of Medicine
The Graduate School of Medicine was established in 1956 with the aim of training clinical investigators and scientists for the promotion of research in medical science and international contribution.
Courses and Degrees
The Graduate School of Medicine consists of two programs; a four-year graduate program leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Medical Sciences and a two-year graduate program leading to the degree of Master of Science (MMSc.).
Educational Objectives
The Graduate School of Medicine promotes pioneering academic research in the fields of medicine and medical science and train researchers and professionals to acquire wide range of perspectives, advanced expertise and cultural awareness to contribute both in the regional community and the world.
The doctoral course of the Graduate School strives to develop human resources in specialized fields in clinical medicine and medical sciences who are capable of promoting academic research with independent-mind, specialized knowledge in medicine, international perspective and rich cultural and human nature, all of which are indispensable for engaging in highly specialized medical work.
For Prospective Students
Application Guideline and Application Forms for prospective students (enrollment in April 2018) are available.
Graduate School of medicine Admissions & Prospective Students