Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results forProfessional Graduate Business School

The Department of Business and Technology Management(i.e., Kyushu University Business School;),Graduate School of Economics,Kyushu University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: National

Location: Fukuoka, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2013
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period:April.01.2014 – March.31.2019）2

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor the Department of Business and Technology Management(i.e., Kyushu University Business School;),Graduate School of Economics, Kyushu University

The Department of Business and Technology Management (i.e., Kyushu University
Business School; hereafter, the QBS, as Kyushu University Business School iscommonly called) in the Graduate School of Economics at Kyushu University statesthat it has three unique purposes: “fostering excellent business leaders” as thefoundation, “cultivating persons of talent who understand management and industrytechnologies” based on that foundation, and “educating students to earn Master ofBusiness Administration (MBA) and participate actively in Asia.”
For the above purposes, the QBS has developed and offered a curriculum that
follows its policy of responding to various needs of students in general, and students
who have jobs in particular. For example, it has created a series of “MBA Basics
Subjects” that aim at fostering students with the good knowledge and skills to be“excellent business leaders.” In addition to these are “subjects concerning businessstrategy management” and “subjects concerning industry and technology management.”
Through these, the QBS has offered students the opportunity not only to learn the basics
for a MBA but also to acquire knowledge in the area of “management of technology(MOT)” and “Asian business.” It disseminates information about this curriculumorganization not only among its students but also to the public through mass media suchas radio outlets. The satisfaction and recognition rates among the students are high, andit can be said that the QBS has met the various needs of students.
The QBS has also arranged its course offerings in a sensible manner so thatstudents can learn in systematic and phased ways, and it has actively promoted theimprovements in English proficiency and the acquisition of various kinds ofmanagement knowledge. For example, the requirements for program completionstipulate that students need to take, in addition to twelve required credits from “MBABasic Subjects,” more than twenty-four credits from “subjects concerning businessstrategy management,” “subjects concerning industry and technology management,”“Project Seminars,” “Internship,” and/or subjects offered in other departments.
Furthermore, it stipulates that students need to take two courses from elective English
classes (excepting the class “Cross Cultural Communications”) in addition to therequired class “Business Communication in English.”In addition, the QBS has promoted education to foster persons of talent whohave global perspectives. In particular, it has developed a system of study abroad by
way of exchanging students with major business schools in Asia. It has also taken theinitiative of offering a “study tour” as an extra-curricular activity.
The QBS has unique characteristics besides the area of curriculum. For example,
it offers classes in the evenings on weekdays at a satellite site located in the Japan
Railway Hakata Station, a very convenient location for students who have jobs.
Moreover, it offers classes at the Hakozaki campus on Saturdays.
In addition, the QBS offers fine-tuned registration guidance. At the beginning ofeach semester, it offers “Counseling to Check and Measure Students’ Learning,” which
utilizes cards listing students’ progress in classes and coursework in order to allow
students to choose classes in a well-balanced manner. It also provides opportunities
such as “Round Table Meetings” for students to discuss and share the information withfaculty members and the “Homeroom Teacher System” to meet the educational needs of

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individual students. There is also a notable educational measure that has resulted inpositive outcomes—more than eighty percent of students in the QBS elect to take
“Project Seminars” and write project reports by the time of program completion. Inaddition, the QBS evaluates the educational effects of its program in relation to its
educational purposes by conducting “the QBS’s Faculty Meetings” and reporting its
progress and achievements in meeting its mid-term plan to the “External EvaluationCommittee.”
It is also highly commendable that the QBS has made efforts for self-studies andevaluations. For example, the QBS reports its progress in meeting goals stated in its
future visions document to the “External Evaluation Committee,” which is thenevaluated by third party committees. It uses such evaluations to improve teaching andresearch activities.
Considering that the QBS aims at offering MBA education at the international
level as the first professional graduate school for business in the region of Kyushu,
Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) would like to make three points
below, hoping that the QBS will continue to improve and develop its education.
First, the QBS should put its diploma policies in a clearly written form.
Although it has provided its requirements for program completion, it has not clearly
defined the kinds of talented persons it hopes to foster. Moreover, the QBS shouldclearly indicate the knowledge and skills it asks students to master and the learning
outcomes and standards it asks them to achieve by the time of program completion. The
diploma policies should be formulated to include these items. In particular, it isexpected that the QBS will formulate a policy that can connect the knowledge and skills
learned in the program to the production of innovations and creativity, as theseconnections are currently in high demand in Japan.
Second, it is necessary to enrich the program’s curriculum content. The QBS
requires only six classes of “MBA Basic Subjects” as a basis for the students to learn
business management. However, if the QBS truly hopes to offer a MBA education at theinternational level, it is desirable to increase the number of required subjects. Moreover,
it is necessary to further enrich subjects concerning “Asian business” in line with thepurposes of its program.
Third, it is necessary to further expand the QBS’s faculty development activities.
Currently, various professional development opportunities and systems are available tofaculty. In the future, it will be necessary to establish and implement more initiatives toimprove faculty’s teaching abilities. In addition, the QBS needs to implement its own
faculty development activities in order to share the purpose of the program and theimages of talented persons it fosters with the faculty. It should allow faculty members tobe conscious of these.
In summary, it is necessary for the QBS to continue to make earnest efforts for
self-studies and evaluations, to improve its education based on these, and to further
develop its unique characteristics. JUAA expects that the QBS will engage at theinternational level to provide coherent education and research based on a solid
educational mission and firm policies, and that it will develop into a professional
business school that will thrive in the international arena.