Introduction

The Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine's Master's Program -- International Course of "Public Health Science for Human Security" -- is seeking students according to the following guidelines:

The mission of Tohoku University is to search for truth and create and disseminate human knowledge, thereby contributing to the realization of a society where humanity can live in peace and dignity. More specifically, as an inclusive university, bringing together a collaborative and mutually stimulating mix of academic fields, our aims are to honor the wisdom of the world throughout history, identify current and future agendas for scholarship, share our knowledge and discoveries with the community and the world, and actively cultivate individuals with the desire and capability to contribute to humanity.

With aim to achieve its mission, Tohoku University provides an international and interdisciplinary educational program on Human Security by collaboration of the Graduate School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, the Graduate School of Agricultural Science, and the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies. All courses in the Program are lectured in English.

After the cold war ceased in the early 1990's, the concept of "Human Security" has become the primary common concern of international society. The new concept addresses the issues of security of "people", instead of "nation", such as illnesses, disasters, outbreak of infectious diseases, environmental hazards, poverty, conflicts and so forth, and recognizes that all peoples of the world have the right to live in peace, free from fear and want. Most of the insecurity events and situations in the 21st century are the complex of multiple causing factors and their solutions might require new leaders, both in research and in practice, who carry broader perspectives based on interdisciplinary views and scientific knowledge.

The joint program currently involves the four disciplines as follows;

• Public Health with focus on preventable death events, as well as social systems in their back ground, such as infectious diseases, chemical hazards, disasters, patient safety, etc..
• Environment with focus on method of settlement and influence of environmental changes in water resources, forest, and climate on the individual and social lives, caused by natural phenomenon and human activities.
• Food & Agriculture with focus on the individual security for foods, for example, security of food supply, economic development and food diversification, quality of food, and administration of food resources and nationalism.
• Society with focus on the topics of individual social security problems on the level of daily lives affected by human rights, gender, conflict, refugees, and researching how social security would be established in the changing situation of environments surrounding states and citizens.

Students apply for one of the above 4 Graduate Schools which will confer respective academic degrees when he/she satisfies their requirements.

The Graduate School of Medicine provides International Course of "Public Health Science for Human Security" for the degree of "Master of Medical Science."