8. Honors Program
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The Honors Program in International Relations and Peace Studies (The IR Honors Program)
Students who register the International Relations and Peace Studies Field (IRPS) as their areas of study and meet the program requirements receive an Honors Certificate in International Relations and Peace Studies (Honors Certificate). The program recognizes students who utilize individualized faculty supervision and APU’s enhanced international and intercultural programs.
232023 Curriculum
- 1.Students who enrolled as new (1st-semester) students from AY 2023 onwards.
- 2.Students who enrolled as 2nd-year transfer students from AY 2024 onwards.
- 3.Students who enrolled as 3rd-year transfer students from AY 2025 onwards.
Eligible students
- 1. College of Asia Pacific Studies students under the 2023 Curriculum.
- 2. Students who register IR for their areas of study, and also register to the program
Registration for certification
APS students in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th semester who have registered "International Relations (IR)" as their Area of Study by the end of each Course Registration Correction Period 2 will receive guidelines on how to register for the IR Honors Program at the Campus Terminal. Students who wish to register for the program must remember to register for their Area of Study.
Students cannot register in their 1st, 5th semester, or after.
Conditions for certification
After registering for the IR Honors Program at the specified time, students who satisfy the following conditions can gain the certification.
- 1. Register in IR as an Area of Study at the time of graduation.
- 2. Write an undergraduate thesis (not a Research Report) under the supervision of an IR Field faculty member and successfully pass the screening with a grade of A or A+ (i.e., earned a grade of A or A+ in “Graduation Thesis”)
- 3. Participate in and earn credits for at least one APU Off-campus Programs. (A list of eligible Off-campus Programs is in the appendix. Domestic students may only participate in overseas programs, but international students can also participate in domestic programs.)
- 4. Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 at the time of graduation.
- 5. Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.40 in IR Field subjects at the time of graduation.
Support from the IR Field Faculty
The IR Field faculty will provide them with supervision and encouragement to complete the Honors Program and receive the certification. Seminar instructors provide primary guidance and support once students begin taking seminars in the 5th semester.
Honors Certification
Students who complete the Honors Program receive an Honors Certificate in International Relations at the time of graduate that is signed by the Dean of the College of Asia Pacific Studies and conferred by the IR Field Leader. As a general rule, this certificate cannot be reissued.
For more information about the program, contact:
IR Field Leader
E-mail: aps-ac@apu.ac.jp
Appendix: Eligible Off-Campus Programs
| Program | Subject Names | Domestic students | International students |
|---|---|---|---|
| ① FIRST Program (Overseas) | Intercultural Fieldwork I | ○ | × (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| ② FIRST Program (Domestic) (*Discontinued as of AY2024) |
Intercultural Fieldwork I | × | ○ |
| ③ SECOND Program | Intercultural Fieldwork II | ○ | ○ |
| ④ AP Language Immersion Programs | Intensive Language Learning | ○ | ○ (Only available for non-native speakers) |
| ⑤ SEND Program (*Discontinued as of AY2024) |
Internship | ○ | × (Only available for native Japanese speakers) |
| ⑥ Service Learning Program | Internship + Intensive Language Learning | ○ | ○ |
| ⑦ Internship (Contract-basis; with foreign companies or organizations) |
Internship | ○ | ○ |
| ⑧ Internship (Contract-basis; with Japanese companies or organizations) |
Internship | × | ○ |
| ⑨ Field Study (Overseas) | APS Field Study | ○ | ○ |
| ⑩ Field Study (Domestic) | APS Field Study | × | ○ |
| ⑪ Field Research Project (Overseas) | Field Research Project | ○ | ○ |
| ⑫ Field Research Project (Domestic) | Field Research Project | × | ○ |
| ⑬ Advanced Area Studies | Advanced Area Studies | ○ | ○ |
| ⑭ Overseas Short-Term Summer / Winter Programs (Only programs at designated partner universities) |
(Different depending on the subjects taken abroad) | ○ | ○ |
| ⑮ Exchange programs (at foreign partner universities) |
(Different depending on the subjects taken abroad) | ○ | ○ (except for countries of the mother tongue) |
| ⑯ Dual degree programs | (Different depending on the subjects taken abroad) | ○ | ○ (except for countries of the mother tongue) |
| ⑰ Nihongo Partners | Special Lecture (Language Education Subjects) |
○ | × (Program is only for those with Japanese nationality) |
- *Domestic exchange (i.e., credit transfer) programs with Ritsumeikan University (RU) or other Japanese universities are not eligible.
- *This list is subject to change (i.e., addition or deletion) depending on the development of new programs or review of existing ones.
172017 Curriculum
- 1.Students who enrolled as new (1st-semester) students between AY 2017 and AY 2022.
- 2.Students who enrolled as 2nd-year transfer students between AY 2018 and AY 2023.
- 3.Students who enrolled as 3rd-year transfer students between AY 2019 and AY 2024.
Eligible students
- 1. College of Asia Pacific Studies students under the 2017 Curriculum.
- 2. Students who register IRPS for their areas of study, and also register to the program
Registration for certification
-
1.
APS students in the 2nd or 3rd semester who have registered "International Relations and Peace Studies (IRP)" as their Area of Study by the end of each Course Registration Correction Period 2 will receive guidelines on how to register for the IR Honors Program at the Campus Terminal. Students who wish to register for the program must remember to register for their Area of Study.
Students cannot register in their 1st, 4th semester, or after. - 2. Students must confirm or withdraw from the IR Honors Program in the 6th semester Course Registration Correction Period 2 when Field registration is finalized.
Conditions for certification
After registering for the IR Honors Program at the specified time, students who satisfy the following conditions can gain the certification.
- 1. Complete at least 30 credits of IRPS Field subjects.
- 2. Write an undergraduate thesis under the supervision of an IRPS Field faculty member and successfully pass the screening with a grade of A or A+ (i.e., earned a grade of A or A+ in Research Seminar II)
- 3. Participate in and earn credits for at least one APU Off-campus Programs. (A list of eligible Off-campus Programs is in the appendix. Domestic students may only participate in overseas programs, but international students can also participate in domestic programs.)
- 4. Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 at the time of graduation.
- 5. Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 in IRPS Field subjects at the time of graduation.
Support from the IRPS Field Faculty
After students provisionally register for the IRPS Field in the 2nd semester, the IRPS Field faculty will provide them with supervision and encouragement to complete the Honors Program and receive the certification. Seminar instructors provide primary guidance and support once students begin taking seminars in the 5th semester.
Honors Certification
Students who complete the Honors Program receive an Honors Certificate in International Relations and Peace Studies at the time of graduate that is signed by the Dean of the College of Asia Pacific Studies and conferred by the IRPS Field Leader. As a general rule, this certificate cannot be reissued.
For more information about the program, contact:
IR Field Leader
E-mail: aps-ac@apu.ac.jp
Appendix: Eligible Off-Campus Programs
| Program | Subject Names | Domestic students | International students |
|---|---|---|---|
| ①FIRST Program (Overseas) | Intercultural Fieldwork I | ○ | × (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| ②FIRST Program (Domestic) | Intercultural Fieldwork I | × | ○ |
| ③SECOND Program | Intercultural Fieldwork II | ○ | ○ |
| ④English Immersion Program | Intensive Language Learning Overseas | ○ | × (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| ⑤AP Language Immersion Programs | Intensive Language Learning Overseas | ○ | ○ (Only available for non-native speakers) |
| ⑥SEND Program | Internship | ○ | × (Only available for native Japanese speakers) |
| ⑦Service Learning Program | Internship + Intensive Language Learning Overseas (Special Lecture (Language Education Subjects) until AY2023) |
○ | ○ |
| ⑧Internship (Contract-basis; with foreign companies or organizations) |
Internship | ○ | ○ |
| ⑨Internship (Contract-basis; with Japanese companies or organizations) |
Internship | × | ○ |
| ⑩Global Communication Program (GCP) | Volunteer Activities＋Special Lecture (Common Liberal Arts Subjects) |
○ | × (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| ⑪Field Study (Overseas) | APS Field Study, Field Study for Environment and Development, Field Study for Tourism and Hospitality, Field Study for International Relations and Peace Study, Field Study for Culture, Society, and Media | ○ | ○ |
| ⑫Field Study (Domestic) | APS Field Study, Field Study for Environment and Development, Field Study for Tourism and Hospitality, Field Study for International Relations and Peace Study, Field Study for Culture, Society, and Media | × | ○ |
| ⑬Field Research Project (Overseas) | Field Research Project | ○ | ○ |
| ⑭ Field Research Project (Domestic) | Field Research Project | × | ○ |
| ⑮Overseas Short-Term Summer / Winter Programs (Only programs at designated partner universities) |
(Different depending on the subjects taken abroad) | ○ | ○ |
| ⑯Exchange programs (at foreign partner universities) |
(Different depending on the subjects taken abroad) | ○ | ○ (except for countries of the mother tongue) |
| ⑰Dual degree programs | (Different depending on the subjects taken abroad) | ○ | ○ (except for countries of the mother tongue) |
| ⑱Nihongo Partners | Special Lecture (Language Education Subjects) |
○ | × (Program is only for those with Japanese nationality) |
- *Domestic exchange (i.e., credit transfer) programs with Ritsumeikan University (RU) or other Japanese universities are not eligible.
- *This list is subject to change (i.e., addition or deletion) depending on the development of new programs or review of existing ones.
