Education

Curriculum

Urban Design and Built Environment
Graduate Major
Curriculum

Broader, deeper — a curriculum for becoming an international
engineer or researcher

In the Graduate Major in Urban Design and Built Environment, related courses are grouped into categories to provide systematic, specialized learning according to students' level of learning and achievement.

    • Tokyo Tech
    • Other Universities,
      Technical Colleges, etc.
  1. Entrance
    Examination

     
    Applicants must pass an entrance examination to advance from an undergraduate major to a master's program.
  2. Master's Program
    ( 2 Years )*1

    400-Level and 500-Level Courses

    Theories of design and planning from the standpoint of functionality, comfort, and safety, and methodologies for analyzing various information are presented in the context of cities and environments. Students acquire skills in problem identification, analysis, application, collaboration, and presentation through transdisciplinary and comprehensive exercises and laboratory courses related to solving specific problems.

    • Structural Courses
      Students come to understand the dynamic behavior and aseismic performance of building structures, as well as mechanical characteristics of materials and components, such as their elastoplastic deformation, and mathematical models and numerical analyses. They learn static and dynamic analysis methods required for designing modern building structures. They also study methods of seismic response control, as well as disaster prevention functionality and repair design of building structures.
    • Urban Disaster Prevention
      Students learn management methods and gain knowledge of natural disaster phenomena modeling and hazard assessment required for rational urban disaster preparation. They also learn the characteristics of seismic motion and the theory of seismic waves and utilize them for aseismic design and earthquake disaster prevention. Students also learn the basics of various sensing technologies as they apply to disaster prevention.
    • Urban Environmental Engineering
      Students study the principle of heat balance of air and ground surfaces — the major components of the urban environment — and its relationship to comfort. In addition to the interior air environment, urban equipment, and the flow of wind acting on buildings and cities, students study simulations in order to solve environmental problems.
    • Human Environment Design
      Various modern topics are discussed when studying the basic theories related to the psychological interaction between humans and the environment — factors that must be taken into account when planning and designing environments. Practical application of human-environment research in environmental design is explained in a multifaceted way using real-life examples.
    • Urban Planning, Transportation Planning, and Energy
      Understanding the urban planning systems of Japan and other countries, students learn principles and practical application focusing on the formulation of regional and urban planning and transportation planning. They also study the plan formulation process and the participation of residents, the solutions to issues caused by transportation engineering in its contribution to environmental improvement, and energy policies.
    • Spatial and Planning Principles, and Theories
      Acquiring a historical viewpoint of modern city planning and urban landscapes, students study methods of urban planning and regional planning, tourism planning, public space design, and urban development. Additionally, they consider the value of the environment through landscapes and learn about the meaning of places and about life in a sustainable city.
    • Spatial Planning and Environmental Design
      Developing an urban design and urban development perspective, students learn through opportunities, such as discussions with related parties, case studies, and workshops, how to plan and design such components as architecture, cities, and landscapes, as well as methods of building consensus. They acquire the ability to plan and design based on multifaceted analyses.
    • Social Design and Public Systems
      Students deepen their understanding of the collective action problem and the various methods and approaches to overcome it, learning the paradigm for designing public systems.
    • Special Experiments
      In addition to learning how to conduct research, students of diverse specialties cooperate to integrate diverse knowledge in an exercise designed to cultivate problem-solving ability. Investigative and analytical abilities are also acquired through exercises, experiments, and field work which are conducted to support students in their master's thesis research.
    • Research Seminars
      Research seminars and literature reviews are conducted to support students in their master's thesis research, through which students acquire skills in structuring research papers and enhance their own powers of expression.

    *1Indicates the standard model where the master's program is completed in two years.

    <Department of Architecture and Building Engineering>

    <Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering>

    1. Completion

    2. Advancement Assessment
      Applicants must pass an advancement
      assessment to advance from a master's program to a doctoral program.
    1. Other Universities' Graduates and Working Adults

    2. Entrance Examination
      Applicants must pass an entrance
      assessment to advance from another university to a doctoral program.
  3. Doctoral Program
    ( 3 Years )*2

    600-Level Courses

    The Doctoral Program is structured to build on the specialized knowledge and skills acquired regarding urban and environmental studies in the Master's Program to gain cutting-edge knowledge and skills related to cities and environments with functionality, comfort, and safety. By conducting one's own cutting-edge research in special project courses and research seminars, students develop the ingenuity and research abilities required of researchers.

    • Special Projects
      Students gain advanced analytical abilities through research for the doctoral thesis, including exercises, experiments, and field work. They also cultivate communication ability and internationality by participating in cooperative research and other projects inside and outside Japan.
    • Research Seminars
      Research seminars and literature reviews are conducted to support students in their doctoral thesis research, through which students acquire skills for conducting their own advanced research.

    *2Indicates the standard model where the Doctoral Program is completed in three years.

    <Department of Architecture and Building Engineering>

    <Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering>

  4. Completion