Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation forProfessional Graduate School of Intellectual Property Studies

Osaka Institute of Technology
Graduate School of Intellectual Property

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Osaka, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2023
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2029）

Osaka Institute of Technology Graduate School of Intellectual Property

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Osaka Institute of Technology Graduate School of IntellectualProperty

Osaka Institute of Technology Graduate School of Intellectual Property (hereafter“Graduate School”) has set its own goals to develop “high-level professionals with theintellectual property-related knowledge and skills necessary to support innovation, aswell as legal knowledge, global perspectives, and business sense.” As a course of action
to accomplish these goals, the Graduate School formulates the Policy of the Dean of theGraduate School of Intellectual Property every academic year.
With respect to the curriculum, the Graduate School offers approximately 60
subjects in the Core Law Area, Innovation Support Area, Global Area, Business Area,
Interdisciplinary Area, and Research Area in order to cover the knowledge and skills
required of intellectual property professionals, while providing a systematically designed
curriculum to meet the needs of students of diverse backgrounds. The ReferenceStandards for Curriculum Design in Intellectual Property Studies, drawn up in AY2021,
defines “intellectual property studies” and other terms and specifically outlines theabilities listed in the degree award policy (diploma policy). The Reference Standards setsout eight basic qualities that intellectual property students should aim to acquire,
including “the ability to understand the social value of intellectual property and a senseof ethics to respect intellectual property," along with three generic skills that students
should acquire in the course of studying intellectual property, including "a sense ofbalance between social and private interests.” The Graduate School uses the ReferenceStandards in reviewing the curriculum design. As one of its strengths, this commendable
initiative should assist other universities in designing their intellectual property education.
It is also highly commendable that the Graduate School has established a long-term
enrollment program that allows mainly working students to maintain a proper work-study
balance and study at their own pace. Furthermore, the Graduate School has introduced
distance learning classes utilizing various media (hereafter “media classes”). In addition,with the early admission system for students enrolled in the Faculty of IntellectualProperty, the Graduate School accepts students in collaboration with the Faculty. These
are also distinctive initiatives.
As for facilities and equipment, the Graduate School has set up research rooms
on the Omiya Campus for graduate students, providing them with desks and lockers, anda Learning Commons in each of the university libraries for private rooms and group1

Osaka Institute of Technology Graduate School of Intellectual Property

discussions, thereby making sufficient facilities and equipment available for students'
independent study and exchanges. In the university libraries and the archive room of theGraduate School (hereafter “Dedicated Library”), a sufficient collection of books on
intellectual property laws as well as intellectual property-related databases are available.
In addition, the easily accessible Umeda Campus has an ample number of classrooms forevening lectures. This campus offers a seminar room that can accommodate 200 people
and a hall with a capacity of 560 seats that is ideal for holding various events as well aslectures. As these facilities and equipment are actively used by students, it is highly
commendable that the Graduate School is able to provide an adequate educational andresearch environment.
In terms of job-search support, the Career Support Section of the university-wide
Career Support Department frequently accepts requests for counseling from students
seeking employment, and the Graduate School also provides extensive job-search support
in forms of internships, company information sessions, resume writing support, and mockinterviews, mainly through the Job-Search Committee. As a result, about half the alumni
secure jobs in the intellectual property field, which is a commendable result.
The Kansai Intellectual Property Seminar, held many times a year by theGraduate School and joined by external experts and practitioners, covers a variety ofthemes, including cutting-edge ones. The seminar is used as part of the Graduate School’s
faculty development (hereafter “FD”) activities to update the contents of lectures, andalso plays a significant role in public relations activities, which is highly commendable.
There are several areas of improvement, however, identified in the certified
evaluation and accreditation. First, the Graduate School needs to devise a clear, integrated
medium- to long-term vision to deal with its own issues, separate from the annual Policyof the Dean and the Reference Standards for Curriculum Design in Intellectual Property
Studies. Regarding student enrollment, the number of enrolled students has exceeded thestudent enrollment cap for the past several years. With respect to faculty organization, theGraduate School does not have a clear policy on the makeup of its faculty, even though it
faces several issues, including the lack of young faculty members. Furthermore, it isnecessary to create clear standards and rules not only for the faculty recruitment process,but also for evaluating the achievements and background of the applicants. As for thefaculty members, their research and other activities are negatively affected in some casesby the significant amount of time invested in student support, graduate school
administration, and other commitments, in addition to their lecturer duties, although theDean has taken steps to make some adjustments. The Graduate School is advised to makefurther improvements in this regard.
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Osaka Institute of Technology Graduate School of Intellectual Property

To deal with the issues raised above, the Graduate School should adopt theresults of the Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for Professional Graduate School ofIntellectual Property Studies, and continue its self-study efforts for improvement to assure
and improve the quality of education and further enhance its distinctive features.

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