2020 ■ OUTLINE

岡山大学大学院自然科学研究科は、自然科学分野に対する強い社会的･学問的要望に応えるべく、昭和62(1987)年4月に修士課程の理学・薬学・工学・農学の4研究科を基盤として、物質科学、生産開発科学、生物資源科学、生体調節科学、システム科学の5専攻の後期課程3年のみの博士課程として発足しました｡
その後、平成4(1992)年4月に知能開発科学専攻が設置され、併せて生産開発科学専攻及びシステム科学専攻が改組されました｡
その後、環境理工学部が設置され、平成7(1995)年4月から学生の受け入れを開始しました。続いて、平成11(1999)年4月に同学部を基礎とする修士課程の設置を計画する際、既設の修士課程研究科と博士課程研究科を融合し、博士前期課程と博士後期課程を一体化した区分制大学院へと改組することとなり、既設修士課程の理･薬･工･農の4研究科と、環境理工学部の関連する2専攻を組み入れた博士前期課程12専攻、4つの基幹講座からなるエネルギー転換科学専攻を博士後期課程とする構成に改組しました。
平成16(2004)年4月の国立大学法人化の際、岡山大学は文化科学系研究科、自然科学系研究科、医歯薬学系研究科及び環境学系研究科の4つの組織を基礎とする大学院の戦略的再編を実施しました。自然科
学研究科は、長期的な視点で先端基礎研究を推進する専攻と、科学技術の重点分野に即応できる大括りの専攻の併設をめざし、平成17(2005)年4月、それまでの8専攻を先端基礎科学・産業創成工学・機能分子化学・バイオサイエンスの4専攻に、さらに平成19(2007)年4月には、地球物質科学研究センター（現在の惑星物質研究所）を母体とする地球物質科学専攻を設置し、5専攻構成になりました。
その後、「深化」と「融合」、「機能分化」と「協調」の両立が可能な教育研究組織の確立を目指し、博士後期課程を平成24(2012)年4月、理・工・農を中心とした4専攻22講座から、理学・工学を中心とした4専攻12講座に再編しました。さらに平成27(2015)年４月、工学における医学応用分野確立を目指す「生命医用工学専攻」を新設し、その後、この専攻が中心となり、平成30(2018)年4月「ヘルスシステム統合科学研究科」が発足しました。同時に、様々な先端基礎科学分野を横断的に学ぶ「学際基礎科学専攻」を設置し、博士後期課程5専攻12講座に改組しました。今後も、科学技術の進展を牽引する基礎科学と応用工学を両翼として、それぞれの深化と融合によるシナジー効果を備えた大学院を目指します｡

沿革History

The Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University was established in April 1987 to meetstrong social and academic needs in the various fields of natural science. The Graduate School began with only athree-year doctoral program, comprising five divisions (Science and Technology for Materials, Science for Engineeringand Agricultural Technology, Bio-resources Science, Biopharmaceutical Science, and System Science), which wasestablished based upon four master’s Graduate Schools of Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Engineering, andAgriculture. In April 1992, the Division of Science and Technology for Intelligence was newly opened, and the Division ofScience for Engineering and Agricultural Technology and the Division of System Science were reorganized.
After the Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology was newly established and its first students were admitted
in April 1995, the University formulated a plan to open a master’s course in the Faculty of Environmental Science andTechnology in April 1999. This plan also involved a reorganization in which independent master’s and doctor’s courses
were integrated into the doctor’s courses, transforming our postgraduate organization into a graduate school comprising
the first- and second-term doctoral programs. As a result, the existing four master’s courses of science, pharmaceuticalsciences, engineering, and agriculture, including two courses in the Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology,
were reorganized into 12 divisions of the first-term doctor’s course of the Graduate School of Natural Science andTechnology. At the same time, the Division of Science and Technology for Energy Conversion was newly added to thesecond-term doctor’s course with the four core departments in the Division.
In association with the reorganization of Japanese national universities into independent agencies in April 2004,
Okayama University drew up a strategic plan to reorganize the existing graduate schools into four; the Graduate Schoolof Humanities and Social Sciences, the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, the Graduate School ofHealth Sciences, and the Graduate School of Environmental Science. In April 2005, the Graduate School of NaturalScience and Technology was reorganized from 8 divisions into the 4 divisions of Frontier and Fundamental Sciences,
Industrial Innovation Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Bioscience. This aimed to divide the divisions into twogroups; one to promote long-term advanced basic researches, and the other to cover a diversity of academic fields inorder to strategically respond to national needs in focused scientific and technological fields. In addition, the Divisionof Earth and Planetary Materials Science, which was based on the Institute for Study of the Earthʼs Interior (currentlyInstitute for Planetary Materials), was added to the doctoral program in April 2007.
In April 2012, the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology underwent further reorganization, with the aim ofestablishing a new education and research system under which to realize both “deepening” and “integration,” or “functionalspecialization” and “cooperation.” The doctor’s course was reorganized from 22 departments of 4 divisions - mainlyin the fields of science, engineering and agriculture - to 12 departments of 4 divisions, mainly in the fields of scienceand engineering. Furthermore, in April 2015, a new division “Medical Bioengineering” was opened as an independentdivision, followed by its integration into a newly established graduate school “the Interdisciplinary Science andEngineering in Health System” in April 2018. At this moment, an additional division “the Interdisciplinary Basic Sciences”
was added to the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, and currently its doctoral program consists of 12
departments of 5 divisions. Through these reformulations and integrations, the Graduate School was streamlined into
the present postgraduate institute that intensively pursues fundamental science and applied engineering. The Graduate
School of Natural Science and Technology will keep on “deepening” knowledge in each discipline and on producing
synergistic effects through the “integration” of science and engineering.

OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY3