Japan is preparing to overhaul its graduate education system by implementing integrated five-year bachelor’s-master’s programs across the country, in a bid to boost graduate school enrollment and increase the number of highly skilled professionals in its dwindling workforce.
The education ministry presented its proposal on Wednesday at a subcommittee of the Central Council for Education, with official implementation set to begin as early as the 2026 academic year.
Under the current system, students in Japan typically spend four years as undergraduates and two in a master’s program. The proposed reform would shorten the total to five years by allowing students to complete a one-year master’s program after a standard four-year undergraduate course. It would also make it possible for students to begin taking master’s-level courses while still enrolled as undergraduates.
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