Graduate School of Science and Technology

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Department

Environmental Science and Technology

Environmental Science and Technology

We train students to develop their originality and become capable of exploring the environment and structure of broad areas, from the land of Niigata facing the Sea of Japan and one of the regions with the heaviest snowfalls in Japan, to northeast Asia and the whole globe; of understanding, from a global perspective, the interrelation between the geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere and the human society; and of creating urban and rural environment from the natural environment based on the experience of leading-edge research. We also foster individuals, with an international outlook, who can communicate effectively with scientists from other countries.

Natural Environmental Science

Master’s Program

Master’s Program: We aim to foster individuals who can use knowledge acquired from the study of basic sciences to elucidate, from a global perspective and a wide range of angles, the mechanism by which the environmental system has been formed and maintained. To achieve this goal, we promote education and research to foster the ability to physically analyze the processes of atomic and molecular reactions within the upper atmosphere as well as the atmospheric and oceanic phenomena; to understand the physical and chemical properties of functional materials; to elucidate the circulation of substances including pollutants; to reveal the processes of geologic formation and natural disasters, as well as the diversity of living organisms and the mechanism of how biodiversity has been formed and maintained on the earth.

Doctoral Program

Doctoral Program: We conduct academic research and specialized education on various phenomena in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, as well as the biodiversity in the biosphere. We promote researches to physically analyze the processes of atomic and molecular reactions within the upper atmosphere as well as the atmospheric and oceanic phenomena; to understand the physical and chemical properties of functional materials; and to reveal the circulation of substances, including pollutants. At the same time, we elucidate the environment in the lithosphere and biosphere through the elucidation of the processes of geologic formation and natural disasters, the diversity of living organisms, and the mechanism of how biodiversity has been formed and maintained on the earth.

Environmental Science for Agriculture and Forestry

Master’s Program

Master’s Program: Educational and research activities in this program are focused towards the goal of sustainable ecosystem management and agricultural productivity, in both agricultural and forested areas, and in harmony with the local natural environment, by considering the watershed as the natural and fundamental unit of the ecosystem. Specifically, through the acquisition of basic and advanced knowledge, we nurture students who aim to be engineers or scientists in the fields of agricultural production, mechanization and food engineering; and the fields of forest science, ecosystem restoration and ecosystem management.

Doctoral Program

Doctoral Program: Educational and research activities in this program are focused towards the goal of sustainable ecosystem management and agricultural productivity, in both agricultural and forested areas, and in harmony with the local natural environment, by considering the watershed as the natural and fundamental unit of the ecosystem. Specifically, through the acquisition of advanced and more specialized knowledge, we nurture students who aim to be scientists or engineers in the fields of agricultural production, mechanization and food engineering; and the fields of forest science, ecosystem restoration and ecosystem management.

Architecture and Civil Engineering

Master’s Program

Master’s Program: With the goal of comprehensively building a sustainable system of coexistence among urbanity, humans, and the natural environment, we nurture engineers and architects with basic knowledge of social infrastructure engineering, architecture, and urban engineering and who can demonstrate an outstanding ability for planning and analysis for environmental creation. Specifically, our education and research cover construction technology for social infrastructures and buildings; design and planning of cities; and formation of cityscape and techniques for the analysis and assessment of the natural or artificial environment.

Doctoral Program

Doctoral Program: With the goal of comprehensively building a sustainable system of coexistence among urbanity, humans, and the natural environment, meticulous education on architecture, urban engineering, and civil engineering is provided. We also aim to foster highly skilled researchers, engineers, and architects who can find and solve problems in their field of research and who can obtain outstanding scientific achievements.

Earth Science

Master’s Program

Master’s Program: We aim to elucidate the properties and interactions of the lithosphere and biosphere from the perspective of Earth’s history. To achieve this objective, we investigate, based on geological field studies, macro- or micro-characteristics of stratums, rocks, minerals, and fossils from land sections or seafloor cores, as these form the fundamental elements of the environment that affect the human life. Through these investigations, we foster individuals with abilities to contribute themselves in various areas in the society, including disaster prevention, land exploitation, exploration of mineral resources, construction of sustainable society, school and social education, and sightseeing.

Doctoral Program

Doctoral Program: We aim to elucidate the fundamental laws of the Earth system. To achieve this goal, we study micro- or macro-characteristics of the stratums, rocks, minerals, fossils from the land sections or seafloor cores through the advanced research methodology and comprehensively investigate the properties and interactions of the lithosphere and biosphere from the perspective of material science, historical science, and science on form. By providing students opportunities to be exposed to advanced educational research environment world-wide, we foster researchers, engineers, and educators who take active roles internationally.

Natural Disaster and Environmental Science

Master’s Program

Master's Program: The course aims at research through forensic study and mechanism study on natural disasters in densely populated urban and hill-slope areas. Basic studies of natural disasters caused by snow avalanches, flooding, volcanic eruptions, landslides and other geologic processes are targeted in the master course. Students are expected to learn principal research attitudes and basic knowledge. Field investigation is essential and fundamental and practical research is implemented through observation, sampling, experiment, instrumental analysis, and numerical simulation depending on the research theme. Through those experience of research activities, we foster researchers, engineers, governmental officers and experts relevant to disaster risk reduction.

Doctoral Program

Doctoral Program: This course targets comprehensive prediction and mitigation of natural disasters caused by snow avalanches, flooding, volcanic eruptions, landslides and other geologic processes. Studies focus on prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, with due consideration on variation of hazardous phenomena as a result of rapid environmental and social change. Students are expected to pursue original and cutting-edge research to publish papers in peer-review journal(s), and obtain highly evaluated achievement in disaster sciences worthy of doctoral degree. Through those research activities, we foster researchers, engineers, governmental and international officers and experts relevant to disaster risk reduction.

Field Research in the Environmental Sciences

Master’s Program

We aim to foster human resources with expertise in field science and a grounding in social and human sciences, who can play the role of core leader to deal with the problems facing local communities as the global environment changes, and contribute to the regeneration and revitalization of a rich natural and social environment. To achieve this objective, we nurture students who can identify the problems and generate their solutions, by acquiring a broad knowledge of oceanography, meteorology, geomorphology, geology, ecology, forest science, ecological science of sustainability, conservation biology and natural disaster science, and by conducting field research in the environmental sciences on various scales, from global scale to regional scale.

Doctoral Program

We aim to foster higher specialists or researchers who have specialized knowledge and skills, who can deal with various problems of local communities caused by global and local environmental changes, based on social and human science perspectives, and who can lead the regeneration and revitalization of a rich natural and social environment. To achieve this objective, we nurture students who have a broad perspective and specialized knowledge to understand the interrelationship between the natural environment and human society, and advanced inquiry and problem-solving ability by conducting advanced, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field research in the environmental sciences.