Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results forProfessional Graduate Business School

Department of Technology Management,
Graduate School of Innovation and Technology Management,
Yamaguchi University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: National

Location: Yamaguchi, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2019
Accreditation Status: Accredited（Accreditation Period: April 1.2020 – March 31.2025）

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor the Department of Technology Management,
Graduate School of Innovation and Technology Management,
Yamaguchi University

The Department of Technology Management, Graduate School of Innovation andTechnology Management, Yamaguchi University (hereinafter referred to as the“Department”), has as its purpose “to nurture individuals capable of integrating theuniversal principles and latest knowledge of technology and business management,carrying out research on management that enables the sustainable creation of innovation,and thereby considering and determining their own challenges and the optimal
utilization of resources on a regional and global level based on comprehensive andinterdisciplinary knowledge, learning, and ethical values.” In accordance with thispurpose, the Department is committed to the development of “technology managers”
with high ethical standards who can address issues from a global perspective while
establishing themselves in regional areas. A distinctive feature is that the Department, inorder to develop such “technology managers,” promotes human resource development
mainly in the manufacturing field, based on the demand for human resource
development in western Japan (the Chugoku and North Kyushu region), East Asia, andSoutheast Asia.
It is highly commendable that the Department, especially in the Ube Classroom,
actively promotes the globalization of education through holding all subjects in English,
for example, and also sends some of its faculty members to the MBA course of theNational University of Laos and the Malaysia-Japan International Institute ofTechnology (MJIIT) through the outsourcing framework of the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japanese government with the aim of enhancing
their ability to teach in English and management skills of educational organizations
abroad.
The Yamaguchi University Patent Search System (YUPASS) is an
originally-developed patent search system of the university, and enables students toeasily search for patent information and process statistics at home. In addition, students
are able to use a parcel delivery service for borrowing and returning library books. All
costs for such services are covered by the university, and they make it convenient for
students living in distant areas as well as working students whose time and traveling
distance are limited. This is a commendable feature.
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However, there are areas with room for improvement. Namely, the Department
should stipulate the procedures involved in the duty of confidentiality with regard tointernships in its regulations, and should improve the description of textbooks andreferences in the syllabuses for some subjects held in English.
Finally, the enrollment number relative to the enrollment quota and the numberof enrolled students relative to the student enrollment cap are both very high. Thisshould be improved. By “improvement” we do not mean stopgap measures such as
simply enhancing the accuracy of yield prediction for entrance examinations and finely
adjusting the numbers so that they correspond to the quota. In view of the fact that theDepartment’s current enrollment quota is 15 students, we fully understand that an
excess of just a few students will cause the ratio to become excessively high. Therefore,
we request the Department to consider the fundamental situation of the current
enrollment quota, including the possibility of quota expansion within a range where thequality of education can be maintained, and implement measures based on the results
thereof. The fact that new enrollees have increased can be considered as a proof that theDepartment’s purpose has gradually gained recognition and that its educational andresearch activities have delivered consistent results. Therefore, in view of further
development, we hope the Department discusses the matters above from a broad
perspective rather than confining itself to the technical aspect of controlling numbers.

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