The curriculum of the Graduate School of Humanities centers around the training of researchers through a five-year process of integrated education through the first and second stages of doctoral program. The Division of History established in 1993 has had both the first and the second stages of the doctoral program since 1995. Generally in the first stage of the doctoral program, students develop deep scholarship from a broad perspective and are trained in research skills in their respective Divisions as well as the skills needed for jobs requiring advanced specialization.
Most classes are in the form of lectures or seminars.
Completion of the first stage requires 32 credits, with electives from areas outside the candidate's specialty also being accepted. Most Divisions also accept up to 10 credits from other graduate schools with which Japan Women's University has a special agreement. In the first stage of the doctoral program, students master specialized research methodology and submit their master's thesis. By contrast, in the second stage of the program these methods are actually applied to the student's specialty. Faculty members offer individual guidance in the preparation of the doctoral dissertation.