Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results forProfessional Graduate Business School

Graduate School of Accountancy, Waseda University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

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

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for the MBA Program, the Graduate School of Accountancy,
Waseda University

The MBA Program (hereinafter referred to as the “Program”) in the Graduate School ofAccountancy, Waseda University, aims to develop advanced professionals who combine
learning and practical skills, in line with the university’s founding principles ofupholding “the preservation of the independence of scholarship,” “the promotion of thepractical application of scholarship,” and “the fostering of good citizens.” Its purpose isto nurture individuals who adhere to the high ethical standards required of CPAs andother accounting professionals, who have advanced expertise and skills in accounting
and broad practical skills that can be put into practice in various areas of business, andwho can work competently in various settings both in and outside Japan, in modern
society which is undergoing complex changes due to rapid globalization. Expressingthese principles with the slogan of “Accounting +1 (plus one),” the Graduate School
provides education to nurture individuals with strengths in “IT and consulting,”“English and communication,” “tax affairs,” and “actuary,” in addition to basic
accounting skills. Aiming to contribute to the formation of a mid- to long-term strategy,
the Program has made continuous efforts toward improvement through conducting
verification and review of its purpose, curriculum, faculty, and entrance examination
system, among other aspects, in a series of “Future Strategy Committees” which havebeen established.
Thanks to these efforts, the aforementioned slogan of “Accounting +1 (plusone)” is now well known among faculty members and students, and our survey
confirmed that student satisfaction is high. A distinctive feature of the Program is that itgives assignments to students, which involve output training as a form of class review,
and makes it possible to browse material online from outside campus. These arecommendable endeavors.
There are, however, several problems. First, with regard to the aforementioned
purpose, the wording in the officially stipulated Waseda University Graduate School
Regulations does not correspond to the wording in the pamphlet and homepage. In thisregard, in order to avoid confusion from arising in relation to the communication of thepurpose, the Program should revise the regulations and check the relevant information
media in a timely manner, in conjunction with reviewing its human resource
development goals. Such a review will require the evaluation and utilization of2

educational outcomes. However, although the Program does keep track of theemployment data of graduates, hardly no organizational efforts are being made toevaluate the data and use it to improve the educational program and method. This isrelated to the fact that the learning outcomes that should be achieved for completion of
the course are not clearly indicated. This was pointed out in the previous certified
evaluation and accreditation. When reviewing its purpose and curriculum, the Program
should reconsider the skills that students should acquire through the program andpresent them in as detailed manner as possible.
Regarding syllabuses, the sections that describe class contents (overview,goals, etc.), class schedules, textbooks, references, and evaluation methods adhere to a
fixed format. However, there were some descriptions that could potentially bemisinterpreted. Therefore, the Program should ensure that syllabuses are written
appropriately by creating guidelines for promoting a common understanding among
faculty members and establishing a system for inspection by a third party.

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