Engineering Management
Program

Achieving social innovation through collaboration and co-creation

Features of the program

Worldwide various issues such as energy, environment, climate change, food, poverty, promotion of diversity, etc. will not be solved without contribution of both social science and engineering. Progress in internationalization and diversification in human society requires advanced, sophisticated and complicated technologies. In order to handle these technologies it is important to obtain not only knowledges of engineering but also those of social science in well-balanced manner like the two wheels of a car. For this purpose various classes for cultivating viewpoints from social science are given in this program. Interdisciplinary engineering composed of conventional engineering fields creating new values should also give solutions of the above issues. In this program, students learn not only a specific engineering field but also vigorously learn related engineering fields. For example, fusion of semiconductor engineering, polymer science, metallurgical engineering, etc. presents novel academic subjects in materials science field. Fusion of communication engineering, mechanical engineering, informatics, and data science also presents novel academic subjects in system engineering field.

Program of education

Classes for cultivating viewpoints from social science are given for students in Faculty of Engineering. Various exercises collaborating with industry are also given for nurturing of human resources contributing to industry.
Students can obtain not only systematic and comprehensive knowledges in a specific engineering field but also wide-range knowledges in various engineering fields by learning “package classes” composed of multiple and interdisciplinary engineering fields.
Classes about academic writing and presentation skills are provided for writing articles and presentation in conferences on research findings. Classes about intellectual property and entrepreneurship are also provided for practical application of research findings.
In this program by learning these classes fostered are both researchers not only pursuing truth but also constructing novel academic areas and engineers contributing to solving various issues in human societies with development of advanced technologies.

Introduction to classes

In Engineering Management Program there are many classes for collaboration with industry in order to accelerate practical application of research results together with nurturing of human resources contributing to industry. For such purpose not only viewpoints from engineering but also those from social science including management are important. Classes on management theories, marketing theories, leadership theories, etc. are presented. On the other hand, so called “packages classes” for steadily cultivate engineering knowledges from fundamentals to applications are the most characteristic class in this program. There are four “package classes”: “Advanced interdisciplinary materials package”, “Advanced future system engineering package”, “Next-generation social, cultural, and environmental system design package”, and “Energy and environmental engineering package”. Lectures in other seven programs in Faculty of Engineering, such as Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electronics, Information and Communication Engineering, Smart Information Systems, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, and Architecture Programs, are reorganized into four “package classes”. Students in this program select one from four “package classes”. These “package classes” include not only fundamental and advanced lectures but also exercises and experiments. Students in this program systematically and comprehensively learn knowledges not only required in a specific field but also in surrounding and related fields. Therefore, they can learn variety of knowledges in various engineering fields. Since advanced technologies become more sophisticated and complicated and requirements to technologies and engineering become more diverse, it becomes more important to cultivate extensive knowledges in interdisciplinary regions in addition to a specific region. Students in this program cultivate the basis of fusion of conventional engineering fields grounded on their own interests and mind. Fundamentals of mathematics, physics and chemistry, without deviation, are required for students choosing this program.

Presentations given as part of the technology internship
Interactive dialogue classes

Advanced research pursued
by the program

Inquiry into the relationship design

Associate Professor
Masanobu Nagao

While economic and technological development has enriched human life, it has also placed a burden on the natural environment and society, endangering its survival. In order to enhance the sustainability of nature and society, how should people and organizations interact with the environment (nature, local communities, etc.) surrounding them?
Our laboratory is exploring relationship design in collaboration with researchers from different fields, companies, local governments, and civic organizations. Specific research themes include place branding and CSV (Creating Shared Value: balancing the economic and social values of a company).
Place branding aims to attract tourists and other visitors and immigrants to an area and to achieve economic development, while at the same time revitalizing the local community by fostering attachment of the local area among residents. In addition, place branding is also tied to local disaster preparedness in the face of frequent extreme weather events around the world and frequent natural disasters in Japan. How do people perceive and find meaning in the region, its nature, history, culture, lifestyle, etc.?
Our laboratory is exploring these issues by combining analysis of linguistic and image data collected through questionnaires and social listening on SNS, qualitative analysis based on fieldwork and interview surveys, and workshops with companies and local people. Based on such basic research, we make policy recommendations to local governments and local residents for the sustainable development of the region, and in collaboration with companies, we work on the development and branding of products and services with a focus on solving social issues.
Students participating in the research groups improve their ability to discover problems, plan and communicate through collaborative projects with other research institutions, companies, and local governments.