The academic portion of the Department of Earth System Science and Technology (ESST) comprises subjects such as Non-linear Physics, Atmospheric Environment, Atmosphere-Ocean Engineering and Marine Engineering. ESST is intended for students with a strong interest in earth sciences who want to actively contribute to the preservation and creation of the global environment in the 21st century.

Educational course features, content, and approach

　In this major, the study of fluid dynamics is compulsory for all academic disciplines, including numerous earth environment-related engineering and science fields. To ensure the acquisition of these fundamentals, we have introduced a Geophysical Fluid Dynamics compulsory class into the first-year curriculum of the Master’s Course. We had also started an Ocean Observation Training Cruise through a credit exchange system with a graduate program at Nagasaki University to gain experience with maritime observation devices and life at sea.

Research programs

　In ESST, the two following features have been added to the main IGSES laboratory: (1) lectures with cooperation from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology and (2) cooperative laboratories from the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics. Interdisciplinary research and educational activities are conducted in close cooperation between all laboratories.

Completion requirements and performance evaluation

For both the Master’s and Doctoral Courses, successfully passing the final review of the graduation thesis is compulsory. In addition, students are required to obtain the prescribed credits from classes in the major and related classes. Furthermore, written exams, reports, and oral presentations are used to assess the overall objective achievement and understanding level of the students.