3. Graduation Requirements & Areas of Study

• Students who enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS) as new (1st-semester) students in AY 2023 or later.

• Students who enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS) as new (1st-semester) students in AY 2017 or later.
• Students who enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS) as 2nd-year transfer students between AY 2018 and AY 2023.
• Students who enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS) as 3rd-year transfer students between AY 2019 and AY 2024.

Graduation Requirement 1: Enroll for at least four years

Students must be enrolled at APU for at least four years.

Year Level	1st year student		2nd year student		3rd year student		4th year student
Semester Level	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
Enroll	Enroll							Graduate	―

Graduation Requirement 2: Complete at least 124 credits in total

Students must earn a total of at least 124 credits to graduate.
However, even if a student has earned 124 credits overall, they cannot graduate if they have not fulfilled any of graduation requirements 3 to 8.

Graduation Requirement 3: Complete all required language subjects (or be exempted from required language subjects)

The number of required credits for English or Japanese Language Subjects differs between students based on the results of the placement test taken after enrollment. APU automatically registers and assigns students to these classes until they earn credits for all their required language subjects.

【English】Required Language Subjects for Japanese-Basis Students

• Students can only proceed to the next level after earning credits for both English A and B at a given level. Students who fail either subject A or B cannot proceed to the next level. (For example, if a student passes English A but fails B, then they will only be registered for English B again in the next semester.)
• At all levels, English A is worth 4 credits and English B is worth 2 credits.
• Please refer to the “English Language Subjects” page for more details.

Track	Starting Level	No. of Credits Required for Graduation	Standard Track Registration Period for Required English Subjects				Advanced Track Registration Period for Required English Subjects
			Elementary A	Pre- Intermediate A	Intermediate A	Upper-Intermediate A	Advanced 1A	Advanced 2A
			Elementary B	Pre- Intermediate B	Intermediate B	Upper- Intermediate B	Advanced 1B	Advanced 2B
Standard Track	Elementary	24	1st Semester	After Completing Elementary	After Completing Pre-Intermediate	After Completing Intermediate	(Optional)	(Optional)
	Pre- Intermediate	18	Exempt	1st Semester	After Completing Pre- Intermediate	After Completing Intermediate	(Optional)	(Optional)
	Intermediate	12	Exempt	Exempt	1st Semester	After Completing Intermediate	(Optional)	(Optional)
	Upper- Intermediate	6	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt	1st Semester	(Optional)	(Optional)
Advanced Track	Advanced 1	12	Cannot Register				1st Semester	After Completing Advanced 1
	Advanced 2	6					Exempt	1st Semester
	Exempt	0					Exempt	Exempt

【Japanese】Required Language Subjects for English-Basis Students

• Please refer to the “Japanese Language Subjects” page for more details.

Starting Level	No. of Credits Required for Graduation	Registration Period for Required Japanese Subjects
		Foundation I (4 Credits)	Foundation II (4 Credits)	Foundation III (4 Credits)	Intermediate (4 Credits)
Foundation I	16	All Registered in 1st Semester			After Completing Foundation I – III
Foundation II	12	Exempt	Both Registered in 1st Semester		After Completing Foundation II & III
Foundation III	8	Exempt	Exempt	1st Semester	After Completing Foundation III
Intermediate	4	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt	1st Semester
Higher than Intermediate	0	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt

Graduation Requirement 4: Fulfill the credit requirements for each subject field

• Of the 124 credits required for graduation, students need to earn 102 credits in specific subject fields (Graduation Requirements 3 - 8).
• Although students are required to complete 102 credits in the set subject fields, they can complete the remaining 22 credits (124 credits – 102 credits) in any subject field they are interested in.
• Depending on each student’s starting level for required language subjects, the number of required credits for “English/Japanese Language Subjects” and “Language Education Subjects and/or Common Liberal Arts Subjects” will change. However, all students are still required to earn a total of 102 credits in the required subject fields.

【E.g.: English-basis Students (Starting from Foundation Japanese I)

Subject Field		Required Credits	Subtotal	Total
Common Education Subjects	Japanese Language Subjects	16	102 Credits 40	At least 124 credits
	Area of Study’s Required Common Liberal Arts Subjects	2
	Common Liberal Arts Subjects	14
	Language Education Subjects and/or Common Liberal Arts Subjects	8
APS Major Education Subjects	Area of Study’s Major Education Subjects	28	62
	APS Major Education Subjects	34
Other College Subject		0	0
Subjects Not Counted Towards Graduation		0

Graduation Requirement 5: Complete at least 20 credits of subjects held in English (This requirement only applies to Japanese-basis domestic students)

Japanese-basis domestic students must complete at least 20 credits of Common Liberal Arts or Major Education Subjects (either from their own college or another college) held in English.
Japanese-basis students must fulfil the following requirements in order to register for subjects held in English.

English Track	Requirements for Taking Subjects Held in English
Standard Track（JST）	Complete credits for or be exempted from “Intermediate English A/B”
Advanced Track（JAT）	No specific requirements. Can register for subjects held in English from their 1st semester.

（NOTE）

• Language Education Subjects and subjects held in both English and Japanese (E/J) do not count towards this total.
• Japanese-basis international students do not need to complete this requirement for graduation.
• Even if your residence status (domestic/international) changes after enrollment, your curriculum and graduation requirements do not change.
• The subject “Bridge Program” counts as a subject held in English.

Subject Outline	Bridge Program is a Common Liberal Arts Subject where students study a wide variety of liberal arts topics while improving their English ability. This subject was established to serve as the first step towards students taking regular classes held in English. Students cannot register for this subject again if they have already earned credits for it before.
Eligibility	Only Japanese-basis domestic students on the English Standard Track can register for this subject.
Registration Restrictions	Available after completing “Pre-Intermediate English A & B” and before completing “Upper-Intermediate English A & B”. The classes are separated by college, so students cannot register for the “Bridge Program” of other colleges. Students who want to take this subject should register for it themselves during one of the course registration periods.

Graduation Requirement 6: Select and register for an Area of Study

• The College of Asia Pacific Studies has established four Areas of Study for students to develop specialized knowledge and comprehensive problem-solving abilities regarding the various issues facing the Asia Pacific region. These studies center around solid language proficiency and a basic understanding of the diverse cultures, histories, societies, natural environments, and historical conditions within the Asia Pacific region. The name of that Area of Study will be noted on their diploma.

Students can only register for one Area of Study.

APS Areas of Study
Environment‌ and ‌Development (ED)
Hospitality‌ and ‌Tourism (HT)
International‌ Relations ‌and ‌Peace‌ Studies (IRP)
Culture, ‌Society‌ and ‌Media (CSM)

Schedule for Area of Study Registration

Eligible Semesters	2nd Semester – 6th Semester
Registration Periods	Course Registration Periods A & B, Correction Periods 1 & 2

*After a student has registered for an Area of Study, they can change it an unlimited number of times within the registration periods above.
*Students are not permitted to register or change their Area of Study outside of the periods listed above.
*Some of APU’s systems and programs require applicants to have registered for an Area of Study. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students register for an Area of Study as early as possible.

How to Register for an Area of Study

Please refer to this manual and register on Campusmate under “Area of Study Registration”.
APS Area of Study Registration Manual

Graduation Requirement 7: Complete at least 2 credits of required subjects for your registered Area of Study (Common Liberal Arts Subjects)

In the College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS), there are set required subjects for each Area of Study. These subjects provide students with a general and comprehensive overview of the academic fields each Area of Study belongs to as well as the issues and objectives within each field. By studying the basic knowledge and theories needed to understand the target of each discipline, these subjects serve as the first step to broader and deeper study of each Area of Study.

• APS students are required to complete at least 2 credits of the required Common Liberal Arts Subjects for their registered Area of Study to graduate.

Area of Study	Subject Code	Subject Name	No. of Credits	Semester Available From	Registration Method
Environment‌ and ‌Development (ED)	021011	Introduction to Environmental Studies	2	1st Semester	Registered by the Student
	020036	Introduction to Development Studies	2	1st Semester
Hospitality‌ and ‌Tourism (HT)	020039	Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality	2	1st Semester
International‌ Relations ‌and ‌Peace‌ Studies (IRP)	020023	Introduction to International Relations	2	1st Semester
Culture, Society‌ and ‌Media (CSM)	020035	Introduction to Culture and Society	2	1st Semester
	027001	Introduction to Media Studies	2	1st Semester

• Both “Environment and Development” and “Culture, Society and Media” have two required subjects each. However, students are only required to register and earn credits for at least one of the subjects to graduate.
• Students can also register for the introductory subjects for other Areas of Study.

Graduation Requirement 8: Complete at least 28 credits of Major Education Subjects for your registered Area of Study

Students are required to earn at least 28 credits from the Major Education Subjects for their registered Area of Study.

【Environment and Development (ED)】
Students who register for “Environment and Development” as their Area of Study need to earn at least 28 credits from the following subjects.
All subjects are worth 2 credits except for “Graduation Research II”, which is worth 4 credits.

▼List of Major Education Subjects for Environment and Development (ED)

*Check the “APS 2017 Curriculum Subject List” for more details.

Subject Code	Subject Name	Subject Code	Subject Name
030104	International Organizations	032060	Major Seminar I
030182	Politics of Development	032070	Major Seminar II
030184	Conflict and Development	032080	Development Economics
030261	Development Sociology and Anthropology	032081	International Economics
030262	Biodiversity	037104	Environmental Communication
030263	Global Environmental Issues	037110	Field Study for Environment and Development
030266	Environment and Society	037115	Community Based Tourism
030267	Environmental Economics	037130	Preliminary Seminar for Environment and Development
030268	Industrial Ecology	037131	Urban Environment and Development
030269	Project Management in Development	037132	Special Lecture in Environment and Development
030273	GIS and Remote Sensing	037133	Resource Management
030274	Environmental Modeling and Analysis	037147	NPO/NGO Studies
030275	Development Policy	037148	Area Studies
030276	Community Development	037149	Introduction to Research Methods
030300	Environmental Policy	037151	Field Research Project
030400	Ecotourism	037155	Graduation Research I
032019	International Cooperation	037156	Graduation Research II

【Hospitality and Tourism (HT)】
Students who register for “Hospitality and Tourism” as their Area of Study need to earn at least 28 credits from the following subjects.
All subjects are worth 2 credits except for “Graduation Research II”, which is worth 4 credits.

▼List of Major Education Subjects for Hospitality and Tourism (HT)

*Check the “APS 2017 Curriculum Subject List” for more details.

Subject Code	Subject Name	Subject Code	Subject Name
030013	Cultural Anthropology	037135	Tourism and Hospitality Law
030269	Project Management in Development	037136	Tourism Development and Planning
030340	Hospitality Management	037137	Health and Wellness Tourism
030346	Hospitality Marketing	037138	Resort Development
030350	Sociology of Tourism	037139	Heritage Tourism
030400	Ecotourism	037140	Travel Industry
030740	Operations Research	037141	Destination Marketing and Management
032060	Major Seminar I	037142	Special Lecture in Tourism and Hospitality
032070	Major Seminar II	037143	MICE Tourism Industry
037105	Culture and History of Tourism	037148	Area Studies
037106	Tourism and Social Media	037149	Introduction to Research Methods
037107	Agri-heritage and Tourism	037151	Field Research Project
037111	Field Study for Tourism and Hospitality	037155	Graduation Research I
037112	Event and Festival Management	037156	Graduation Research II
037115	Community Based Tourism	037301	Advanced Organizational Behavior
037116	Tourism Economics	037303	Advanced Human Resource Management
037134	Preliminary Seminar for Tourism and Hospitality

【International Relations and Peace Studies (IRP)】
Students who register for “International Relations and Peace Studies” as their Area of Study need to earn at least 28 credits from the following subjects.
All subjects are worth 2 credits except for “Graduation Research II”, which is worth 4 credits.

▼List of Major Education Subjects for International Relations and Peace Studies (IRP)

*Check the “APS 2017 Curriculum Subject List” for more details.

Subject Code	Subject Name	Subject Code	Subject Name
030102	International Law	032082	International Political Economy
030104	International Organizations	037101	History of Japanese Foreign Relations
030150	Globalization and Law	037102	International Relations Theory
030181	Political Theory	037103	Foreign Policy of Japan
030182	Politics of Development	037109	Field Study for International Relations and Peace Studies
030184	Conflict and Development	037124	Preliminary Seminar for International Relations and Peace Studies
030186	Comparative Political Economy of the Asia Pacific	037125	Peace Studies
030187	International Relations in the Asia Pacific	037126	Strategic Decision Making
030188	Regional Systems in the Asia Pacific	037127	Geo-Politics and Post Cold War Conflicts
030191	Globalization and Regionalism	037128	Human Rights
030192	Global Issues and Policies	037129	Special Lecture in International Relations and Peace Studies
030193	International Conflict Resolution	037144	Media and Politics
030195	Identity and Politics	037145	Global Media and Conflict
030197	Violence and Terrorism	037146	Ethnicity and the Nation State
030275	Development Policy	037148	Area Studies
032015	History of International Politics	037149	Introduction to Research Methods
032019	International Cooperation	037151	Field Research Project
032060	Major Seminar I	037155	Graduation Research I
032070	Major Seminar II	037156	Graduation Research II

【Culture, Society and Media (CSM)】
Students who register for “Culture, Society and Media” as their Area of Study need to earn at least 28 credits from the following subjects.
All subjects are worth 2 credits except for “Graduation Research II”, which is worth 4 credits.

▼List of Major Education Subjects for Culture, Society and Media (CSM)

*Check the “APS 2017 Curriculum Subject List” for more details.

Subject Code	Subject Name	Subject Code	Subject Name
030011	Social Theory	037108	Field Study for Culture, Society and Media
030013	Cultural Anthropology	037114	Media and History
030021	Religion and Belief	037117	Preliminary Seminar for Culture, Society and Media
030022	Gender Studies	037118	Media and Culture
030025	Cultural Studies	037119	Global History
030032	Language and Society	037120	The Humanities and Modernity
030034	Sociology of Organizations	037121	New Media and Society
030035	Social Stratification	037122	Media and Law
030100	Transnational Sociology	037123	Special Lecture in Culture, Society and Media
030110	Multiculturalism and Society	037144	Media and Politics
030150	Globalization and Law	037145	Global Media and Conflict
030191	Globalization and Regionalism	037146	Ethnicity and the Nation State
030195	Identity and Politics	037147	NPO/NGO Studies
032005	Social Psychology	037148	Area Studies
032006	Education and Society	037149	Introduction to Research Methods
032060	Major Seminar I	037151	Field Research Project
032070	Major Seminar II	037155	Graduation Research I
037101	History of Japanese Foreign Relations	037156	Graduation Research II

• Students who enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies as new students between AY 2011 and AY 2016
• Students who enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies in AY 2017 as 2nd-year or 3rd-year transfer students
• Students who enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies in AY 2018 as 3rd-year transfer students
• Students who originally enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies before AY 2011, but as a result of reinstatement or re-enrollment, are in the same semester as students in Group 1

The College of Asia Pacific Studies has established four Areas of Study for students to develop specialized knowledge and comprehensive problem-solving abilities regarding the various issues facing the Asia Pacific region. These studies center around solid language proficiency and a basic understanding of the diverse cultures, histories, societies, natural environments, and historical conditions within the Asia Pacific region.

In order to graduate, students must fulfill the credit requirements for each subject field, as well as complete at least 124 credits total.
Please check the following table to see how the credit requirements are counted in the subject fields.