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
- Students who enrolled as new (1st year) students in AY 2023 or later.
Eligible students
- 1. Students who enter the College of Asia Pacific Studies in or after Spring 2023
- 2. Students who register IR for their areas of study, and also register to the program
Registration for certification
Students must register for the Honor’s Program after registering for IRRS as their areas of study during the Course Registration / Correction Period (Registration Period A/B, Correction Period 1/2) in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th semester.
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 program. (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 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 IR Field Leader. As a general rule, this certificate cannot be reissued.
For more information about the program, contact:
HIRANO Miharu (IR Field Leader)
E-mail: m-hirano@apu.ac.jp
Appendix: Eligible Off-Campus Programs
| Program | Domestic students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| (i) FIRST Program (Overseas) | 〇 | ✕ (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| (ii) FIRST Program (Domestic) | ✕ | 〇 |
| (iii) SECOND Program | 〇 | 〇 |
| (iv) English immersion programs | 〇 | ✕ (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| (v) AP Language immersion programs | 〇 | 〇 (Only available for non-native speakers) |
| (vi) SEND Program | 〇 | ✕ (Only available for native Japanese speakers) |
| (vii) Service learning programs | 〇 | △ (Priority will be given to Japanese-basis students) |
| (viii) Internships (Priority will be given to Japanese-basis students) | 〇 | 〇 |
| (xi) Internships (Contract-basis; with Japanese companies or organizations) | ✕ | 〇 |
| (x) Global Communication Program (GCP) | 〇 | ✕ (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| (xi) Field Study (Overseas) | 〇 | 〇 |
| (xii) Field Study (Domestic) | ✕ | 〇 |
| (xiii) Field Research Project (Overseas) | 〇 | 〇 |
| (xiv) Field Research Project (Domestic) | ✕ | 〇 |
| (xv) Overseas summer programs (*Only programs designated by APU and offered at our partner schools) | 〇 | 〇 |
| (xvi) Exchange programs (at foreign partner universities) | 〇 | 〇 (In countries other than their home country) |
| (xvii) Dual degree programs | 〇 | 〇 (In countries other than their home country) |
- *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
- Students who enrolled in the College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS) as new (first year) students in AY 2017 or later.
- Students who enrolled in the College of College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS) as 2nd-year transfer students in AY 2018 or later.
- Students who enrolled in the College of College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS) as 3rd-year transfer students in AY 2019 or later.
Eligible students
- 1. Students who enter the College of Asia Pacific Studies in or after Spring 2017
- 2. Students who register IRPS for their areas of study, and also register to the program
Registration for certification
- 1. Students must register for the Honor’s Program after registering for IRRS as their areas of study during the Course Registration / Correction Period (Registration Period A/B, Correction Period 1/2) in the 2nd or 3rd semester.
- 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 program. (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:
HIRANO Miharu (IR Field Leader)
E-mail: m-hirano@apu.ac.jp
Appendix: Eligible Off-Campus Programs
| Program | Domestic students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| (i) FIRST Program (Overseas) | 〇 | ✕ (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| (ii) FIRST Program (Domestic) | ✕ | 〇 |
| (iii) SECOND Program | 〇 | 〇 |
| (iv) English immersion programs | 〇 | ✕ (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| (v) AP Language immersion programs | 〇 | 〇 (Only available for non-native speakers) |
| (vi) SEND Program | 〇 | ✕ (Only available for native Japanese speakers) |
| (vii) Service learning programs | 〇 | △ (Priority will be given to Japanese-basis students) |
| (viii) Internships (Priority will be given to Japanese-basis students) | 〇 | 〇 |
| (xi) Internships (Contract-basis; with Japanese companies or organizations) | ✕ | 〇 |
| (x) Global Communication Program (GCP) | 〇 | ✕ (Only available for Japanese-basis students) |
| (xi) Field Study (Overseas) | 〇 | 〇 |
| (xii) Field Study (Domestic) | ✕ | 〇 |
| (xiii) Field Research Project (Overseas) | 〇 | 〇 |
| (xiv) Field Research Project (Domestic) | ✕ | 〇 |
| (xv) Overseas summer programs (*Only programs designated by APU and offered at our partner schools) | 〇 | 〇 |
| (xvi) Exchange programs (at foreign partner universities) | 〇 | 〇 (In countries other than their home country) |
| (xvii) Dual degree programs | 〇 | 〇 (In countries other than their home country) |
- *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.
