Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences

The Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences has a master's program and doctoral program, and both of the programs offer the six majors of Japanese literature, British and American literature, geography, history, sociology, and psychology.

The six majors have numerous academic advisors who possess outstanding research achievements and educational experience regarding their respective areas of specialization that are divided by field, era, and region, and they provide thorough and meticulous education and research guidance to students in small groups. The academic advisors can provide research guidance regarding diverse fields, so students can find an academic advisor who is suitable for their own themes and issues.
The Japanese literature major started offering a master's program in 1952 as one of the earliest majors at Komazawa University, and thus far, it has produced more than 200 master's degree graduates. A doctoral program was started in 1967, and the graduates of this have been active in various regions and quarters, including as full-time faculty members at universities and junior colleges.

The English and American literature major offers a master's program and a doctoral program. The master's program has top-level faculty in academic areas under the three fields of British literature, American literature, and English linguistics, and they carry out thorough research and education, and guidance that is in line with the research subjects in which graduate students are specializing.

The geography major started offering a master's program and a doctoral program in April 1966, so it has more than 50 years of history. The specialized fields of faculty members include wide-ranging areas of geography such as physical geography, human geography, and regional geography.

The history major offers a master's program and a doctoral program, and it has a four-course system consisting of Japanese history, oriental history, western history, and archeology. The subjects that students take for each of the courses feature special lectures and exercises. The special lectures foster the fundamentals of academic research in wide-ranging areas, and lectures are carried out that cultivate high-level abilities for meeting the basic needs of society, such as needs related to educational institutions and research institutes. Based on the exercises, instruction is provided for the pursuit of traditional positivism-based history under this major, and guidance is given for the cultivation of research skills for the creation of a thesis making use of historical materials based on a broad perspective.

The sociology major has a curriculum that is based on the two pillars of sociology and of welfare sociology, and it is aimed enabling students to analyze society objectively and scientifically, acquire high-level abilities that make it possible to deal with social problems, and utilize their abundant specialized learning in specialized professions in the future.

The psychology major was established as a base for "scientific research on Zen meditation," which began in the 1960s. Currently, it has two independent courses, a course on psychology and a course on clinical psychology.