Career

At the School of Design, more than half of our students go on to pursue a master’s degree. Many other students find positions at private companies and government agencies. Each course prepares students for work in different industries, and many of them create careers where they make use of what they studied at university.

Many students who obtain a master's degree go on to pursue careers in the private sector or in government, where they can make direct use of the expertise they acquired in their graduate studies.

Students wanting to acquire an even higher level of expertise go on to pursue a doctoral program and pursue careers as cutting-edge researchers, designers, creators, and artists.

Career Paths after Graduation FY2018 - FY2022

School of DesignEnrollees before 2019

Department Graduates Schooling Employment Other
Department of Environmental Design 188 103 80 5
Department of Industrial Design 244 144 92 8
Department of Visual Communication Design 194 76 94 24
Department of Acoustic Design 182 117 55 10
Department of Art and Information Design 199 85 98 16

Graduate School of DesignEnrollees before 2021

Major / Course Graduates Employment Schooling Other
Department of Design Human Science Course / Human Science International Course 121 95 9 17
Department of Design Communication Design Science Course 168 145 10 13
Department of Design Environment and Heritage Design Course 131 99 8 24
Department of Design Content and Creative Design Course 203 140 10 35
Department of Design Strategy 199 153 4 42

Department of Design, School of DesignEnrollees after 2020

Environmental Design Course

Department of Design, School of Design Environmental Design Course

Prospective Career

About half of environmental design graduates go on to graduate school, and the other half go on to find employment soon after graduation. The majority of these graduates find work at housing companies, design offices, or construction companies, and many others go into furniture and fixtures, interior design, office equipment, information technology, civil service, real estate, or landscaping-related companies. Other students choose to study abroad every year. Upon entering graduate school, students develop their design expertise and specialize in fields of their choosing.

Prospective Occupations

These students go on to become architects, landscapers, urban planners, environmental consultants, and more.
■Graduates are eligible to take the examinations for first-class architects and building engineers (Ikkyu-kenchikushi)

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Industrial Design Course

Department of Design, School of Design Industrial Design Course

Prospective Career

Around half of these graduates go on to graduate school and another half go on to employment in their respective fields of study. Our graduates go on to successful careers in a variety of industries that include home appliance and automobile design and furniture manufacturing; space design, architecture, and urban planning; trading; advertising; printing and publishing; information technology; banking; and government and public service. Those who go on to complete their graduate studies often become researchers, either in-house at private research institutes or at educational and research institutions such as universities, or pursue careers in the industries listed above.

Prospective Occupations

Industrial designers (product/public/interior/brand/service/business)
Creators (planning/research/engineering)
Ergonomists

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Design Futures Course

Department of Design, School of Design Design Futures Course

Prospective Career

Students can expect to find employment in areas related to social design upon graduation. Specific examples of potential careers are: creators and design consultants involved in the creation of services, experiences, and systems; planners who create new types of value in lifestyle and product design; UX designers who implement service design for manufacturers; researchers and planners who conduct investigative analysis for manufacturers; data scientists who analyze social and biometric data at research institutes; public servants and administrators involved in policy design at the local and national level; and globally-minded managers. We also expect many students to pursue research careers by continuing their studies at graduate school.

Prospective Occupations

Designers (experience/vision, etc.)
Creative directors
Data scientists (social data/biometrics, etc.)
Consultants
Administrative officer
Art managers
Creators
Entrepreneurs

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Media Design Course

Department of Design, School of Design Media Design Course

Prospective Career

Graduates of the Department of Visual Communication Design and the Department of Art and Information Design— the two courses that now comprise the Media Design Course —go on to have successful careers as creators and engineers in mass media, gaming, IT, film, advertising, printing, and other related industries. More than a few graduates have also gone on to become researchers at universities and research institutes. The graduates of the Media Design Course are also expected to play important roles in and beyond those industries mentioned above.

Prospective Occupations

Designers/Engineers (media-related, interaction design-related)
Creators (media art/games/video/advertising, etc.)

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Acoustic Design Course

Department of Design, School of Design Acoustic Design Course

Prospective Career

More than half of our graduates go on to graduate school to deepen their expertise and further their research. After graduation from the undergraduate program or completion of graduate school, many students go on to successful careers in a variety of roles related to sound, including the manufacturing of audio communication equipment, electrical equipment, musical instruments; architectural acoustics and noise control; software production; communications; or as in-house researchers at corporate research institutes.

Prospective Occupations

Research and development into audio equipment, architecture, information and communications
Acoustics consultants
Sound engineers for broadcasting stations
Sound designers
Media artists

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Graduate School of DesignEnrollees before 2021

Department of Design Human Science Course / Human Science International Course

Department of Design Human Science Course / Human Science International Course

Prospective Career

Graduates of this course pursue diverse career paths. Thanks in part to our profound understanding and specialized knowledge of human nature, we are able to train professionals who go on to successful careers in a wide range of fields.

Main Occupations

Researchers and designers who understand and can apply human characteristics
Company employees in research and development, supervisory, design, and SE departments
Producers and technicians in the media industry
Research personnel at research institutes, such as local public agencies, and testing centers
Research personnel at universities and national research institutes

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Department of Design Communication Design Science Course

Department of Design Communication Design Science Course

Prospective Career

Communication architects who excel in all aspects of audiovisual information

Main Occupations

Employees in communications and broadcasting companies
Employees in sound environment and publishing companies
Researchers and educators

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Department of Design Environment and Heritage Design Course

Department of Design Environment and Heritage Design Course

Prospective Career

Training environment and heritage designers who will go on to create value in regional environments.

Main Occupations

Researchers at universities, research institutes, and museums
Public officials working in the fields of architecture, landscaping, urban planning, cultural promotion, and environmental policy
Town and community planners
Heritage preservation/restoration managers
Architectural, garden, and landscape designers
Architectural and landscape engineers

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Department of Design Content and Creative Design Course

Department of Design Content and Creative Design Course

Prospective Career

Graduates in this course are expected to have successful careers as expert designers and researchers in various fields, including digital contents design, industrial design, and information design.

Main Occupations

Advanced content creators
Designers/ Directors/ Planners/ Engineers (in the fields of automobiles, robotics, films, games, graphics, sound, information display, advertisement, multimedia communication, etc.)
Researchers (in the fields of science, entertainment, education, media culture, etc.)
Artists (in the fields of fine art, media art, music, etc.)

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Department of Design Strategy

Department of Design Strategy

Prospective Career

Graduates in this course are expected to work for a variety of companies, including manufacturers of home appliances, furniture, and toys; space, architecture, and urban planning-related companies; information and media-related companies; advertising agencies; trading and retail companies; infrastructure companies; and government agencies. After completing the doctoral program, students are expected to work as researchers in corporate research institutes or educational research institutions such as universities.

Main Occupations

Design producers
Design directors
Strategic designers
Educators and researchers

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Department of Design, Graduate School of DesignEnrollees after 2022

Strategic Design Course

Department of Design, Graduate School of Design Strategic Design Course

Prospective Career

Graduates are expected to find employment in a variety of companies, such as manufacturers of home appliances, furniture, and toys; space, architecture, and urban planning-related companies; information and media-related companies; advertising agencies; trading and retail companies; infrastructure companies; and government agencies. They can also enter doctoral programs at graduate schools. After completing the second semester of the graduate program, they are expected to work as researchers in the companies' research institutes or educational research institutions such as universities.

Prospective Occupations

Industrial Designer, Product Designer, Service Designer, Design Strategist, Business Designer, Design Manager, Vision Designer, Entrepreneur, Design Researcher, Government Official, Researcher, etc.

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Environmental Design Course

Department of Design, Graduate School of Design Environmental Design Course

Prospective Career

Our goal is to develop human resources with comprehensive research and design skills to be leaders in designing a better environment in the future.

Prospective Occupations

Research positions in universities, research institutes, museums, etc.; administrative positions in engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, cultural promotion, environmental policy, etc.; planners in community development, village revitalization, etc.; managers in heritage protection, heritage restoration, etc.; designers in architecture, landscape architecture, landscaping, etc.; engineers in architecture, landscape architecture, etc.

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Human Life Design and Science Course

Department of Design, Graduate School of Design Human Life Design and Science Course

Prospective Career

Based on a deep understanding of human life design and specialized knowledge, we aim to nurture human resources who will be active in a wide range of fields.

Prospective Occupations

Research positions at universities, civil servants, IT-related companies, manufacturers of home appliances, automobiles, furniture, etc., designers (product, public, interior, UX, graphic, etc.), advertising, mass media, entertainment-related, creators, planners, consultants, R&D, etc.

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Design Futures Course

Department of Design, Graduate School of Design Design Futures Course

Prospective Career

Our goal is to nurture human resources who have the design skills and challenging mindset to design, plan, and implement products using innovative methods and play a leading role in the real world.

Prospective Occupations

Designers (experience, vision, etc.), design directors, data scientists (social data, life information, etc.), consultants, government officials, art managers, creators, entrepreneurs, etc.

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Media Design Course

Department of Design, Graduate School of Design Media Design Course

Prospective Career

Graduates of this course are expected to be active as researchers, artists, designers, directors, and educators in content design, information design, and media communication.

Prospective Occupations

Designers, Planners, Directors (graphic design, advertising, etc.), Engineers (network engineers, data scientists, design engineers, visual scientists, etc.), Creators (media art, games, video, etc.), Artists, Science journalists, Intermedia Communicators, Researchers, Educators, etc.

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Acoustic Design Course

Department of Design, Graduate School of Design Acoustic Design Course

Prospective Career

They are expected to play an active role in various companies related to sound, such as manufacturers of acoustic and communication equipment, electric appliances, musical instruments, etc., architectural acoustics and noise control-related, software and communication-related, and companies' research laboratories.

Prospective Occupations

Acoustic communication systems, hearing aids, electrical appliances-related, musical instrument manufacturing, acoustic measurement, architectural acoustics, noise control, automobiles, software and system engineers, transportation industry, broadcasting, performing arts, telecommunications, universities and research institutes.

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