application guidelines (pdf >> Japanese )
In this degree program, we use the term humanware to describe technology addressing “information dynamics” with the same flexibility, robustness and creativitythat characterizes biosystems. Humanware is used to construct an information society attuned to both humans and the environment.To acquire skills related to humanware, it is essential to understand “cognitive dynamics,” the dynamics of human higher brain functions for receiving, understanding, and generating information, and “biological dynamics,” the dynamics of biological systems to adapt flexibly to humans and the environment.
Desired attributes
We welcome students with the following qualities:
- Strong interest in information science, life science, cognitive/brain science, and their integrated fields
- Enthusiasm and capacity to understand the key interests and concerns of different fields
- Tolerance and flexibility to approach problems from a variety of standpoints
- Ability to communicate beyond disciplinary boundaries
- Cosmopolitan outlook for global engagement
- Courage to tackle difficult problems and perseverance to overcome them
Academic degree
The Humanware Innovation Program is a unified, interdisciplinary degree program established by Osaka University under the principles and missions outlined above. It provides students enrolling in Osaka University’s Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, and Graduate School of Engineering Science an opportunity to pursue a five-year doctoral degree that extends beyond the disciplinary boundaries of the graduate school in which they are enrolled. Students who complete the program curriculum and are approved by their graduate school to receive a degree in their field of major specialization will be assessed by the program committee and certified as being a “humanware innovation doctoral expert” capable of assuming a leading role in humanware innovation projects. Completion of the program will be recorded on students’ degree certificates.