ABOUT GSM

The Graduate School of Management (GSM), Kagawa University was founded in 2004 as a "Professional Graduate School," a new form of graduate school established in the reformation of Japanese University system, which aims at educating individuals with more practical capabilities suitable to the demand from rapidly changing and highly competitive society and economy. The GSM Kagawa University is the first business school in Chugoku and Shikoku regions of Japan, and is located in Takamatsu city, the economic and political center of the region with balanced quality of life in an urban and natural landscape. By putting focus on stimulating regional economic development, the GSM provides students with a unique educational environment to be an innovative leader, not only in the fields of private companies, but also in the various fields of public sector and/or nonprofit organizations in each region or locality, with globally competitive capabilities, who can lead their company and for organization to success for the prosperity of the regional community.
The GSM program is designed to combine theoretical and practical realms in order to find clues to solve current issues in business and regional arenas. Interactive discussions using case materials in the classroom enable students to develop practical capabilities. The GSM faculty is composed of both excellent academic researchers and experienced business professionals from private and public sectors. CEOs in private companies and policy makers in governmental offices and municipalities also join the courses as lecturers and/or guest speakers. The unique GSM curriculum provides students with not only the core courses in a standard business school such as management, marketing, accounting, etc., but also courses on public policies and regional science. According to students' study purpose, basic analytical courses, basic regional courses, basic courses, and application courses are prepared to select in order to learn what students need for problem solving in the real world. Project research can offer students an opportunity to demonstrate, integrate and apply students' skills learned by making a concrete business plan or a useful analysis on a practical topic.
 The GSM students are from many types of organizations with various backgrounds in private, public and NPO sectors and also from different universities with various majors at undergraduate level, which constitutes a profound and rich opportunity for human networking among students and alumni.
Activities of the GSM attempting to expand the relation between university and regional community include, 1) symposium open to public held by the GSM, 2) the GSM advisory board composed of regional leaders and experts in private and public sectors, 3) off-campus workshop for students and professors, 4) excursion and fieldwork experiences on up-to-date regional topics (for example, in Seto-ohashi and Naoshima).
Economic society consists of private, public and NPO sectors and the effective collaboration among important players in the various fields is the key to success for the business and the regional community. Through the MBA program and networking in the GSM, students can master the fundamental capabilities and resources to find their way in the complex economic landscape in the 21st century.
Our students are the most valuable asset of the GSM. The GSM is expecting our students to succeed by executing what they learn in the GSM and by making use of the human network acquired in the GSM. And throughout the process of success, we hope our students and the GSM itself can contribute to the business, regional and world community. So, please understand our GSM and also join in studying with us to the full extent.