The Department of Economy and Business is designed to provide instruction in basic economics and business management concepts and to equip students with a broad education, full grasp of realities, and international awareness necessary to address and resolve various problems which we have encountered in an increasingly complex and diversifying modern economic society. To achieve these goals, the Department established three programs in Economic Analysis, Industrial Analysis and Business Analysis. The goal of the program in Economic Analysis is to equip students with the analytic know-how, planning skills and the creative capacity needed to grasp problems in modern economic society, from theoretical and structural perspectives, giving students the tools to tackle and resolve various issues. The program in Industrial Analysis aims to provide students valuable insight to the overall context of industrial society from historical and empirical perspectives, and the ability to understand and analyze economic and social events in critical policy areas. The program in Business Analysis seeks to discipline students in order to take leadership roles in companies expanding their operations in and out of Japan, and to manage problems found at such companies.

The Department of Economy and Business offers a curriculum that enables systematic study. In addition to basic learning subjects for all students, specialized subjects for second-year students are designed to provide a broad-based foundation and familiarity with basic concepts of Economics. The curriculum contains the mandatory elective subjects, which are demonstrated on the following page.

Students enrolled in any of these three programs are permitted to study subjects belonging to other programs or in other departments (i.e. the Department of Economic Engineering). The Department of Economy and Business offers seminar classes on fixed themes based on the three aforementioned programs. There is an emphasis on critical appreciation of theoretical underpinnings of economics and business and graduation research works.

Other elective topics offered to students include Reading Economy and Business Literatures in English, French, German, Korean, Chinese and so on. Subjects are also offered at the other Kyushu University schools, including the School of Law, School of Letters and School of Education.

Our teaching is based on a willingness to go beyond any one theoretical perspective with a broad understanding of the study of economy and business. Our students are expected to tackle the problems that confront humankind by taking a deep interest in various global issues, by acquiring expert knowledge in a broad range of fields falling under the headings of economics and business management, and by their international awareness. Our graduates go to specialist positions in financial markets and financial institutions and to head office roles in the corporate world, as well as key positions in both state and local governments.

This department’s purpose is to acquaint students with modern society from the viewpoint of economics, as well as to familiarize students with mathematical, statistical and computational methods necessary for detailed analysis. Students will develop an ability to grasp the real economy in a comprehensive manner and resolve various problems encountered in the actual world. In order to achieve our purposes, the undergraduate program provides integrated instruction in basic economic concepts, economic theory, mathematics, computer science, information technology, and their applications to the real economy and economic policy.

The first characteristic of this department is an emphasis on quantitative approaches. Modern economies exhibit sharp fluctuations and ever-increasing complexity. Elucidating modern economies takes more than a study of new theories; a deep understanding requires broad approaches as well, including comparisons of theories with actual developments using quantitative and other experimental techniques, application of information technology, and introduction of engineering techniques. To offer a broad approach, the faculty of the Department of Economic Engineering includes researchers of diverse backgrounds, including engineering and the information sciences, as well as economists. The second characteristic is the significance attached to the impact produced by policies on the real economy. The Department of Economic Engineering emphasizes the internalization of creative thinking for problem-solving, in addition to establishment of theoretical models and manifold examinations using techniques for quantitative analysis. This approach to education and the scope of instruction are manifest in the words “economic engineering” found in the department title. This is the only school so named in Japan. Students enrolled in the department are permitted to study subjects provided by the Department of Economy and Business.

The Department of Economic Engineering consists of three fields: Economic System Analysis, Policy Analysis, and Mathematics and Computer Sciences. In the field of Economic System Analysis, students can learn modern economics based on microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics systematically and then they can acquire basic knowledge of various present economic issues, for example globalization and declining birth rate and so on, and an ability to tackle them theoretically and quantitatively. The Policy Analysis field focuses on economic policy based on economics and quantitative approaches. Economic concepts are being utilized recently in planning public policy in Japan. In addition to economic theory and quantitative techniques, students can observe their applications to the real economy; assessing policies related to various economic issues and proposing new policies to make life better. The Mathematics and Computer Sciences field puts emphasis on mathematics, statistics and computer science. Furthermore, students in this field can study applied theories for economic analysis such as financial engineering, multivariate analysis and time-series analysis, as well as general mathematics, information technology basics, and their applications to manage and process large volumes of information. Students in this department will play an active part in government offices, public organizations, financial institutions, research institutions, manufacturers and so on. Also some of them will go on to the graduate school to acquire more powerful and advanced economic theory and quantitative methods and to resolve more difficult and complicated economic issues.