Educational science (kyoiku-gaku in Japanese) is a comprehensive field of inquiries addressing complex dimensions of human growth and development. It examines educational phenomena from various perspectives and disciplines, including philosophy, history, sociology, political science, and psychology. One of the strengths of our department lies in its approach to compare policies and practices across different times and locations in order to gain meaningful insights into the nature of education.

Students in our program enjoy a cozy, yet stimulating, environment that challenges them to think critically about issues pertinent to education. A small but very diverse group of approximately 20 students are studying in our Graduate Programs. Our graduate students come from different regions of Japan and from abroad. Our students come with various backgrounds. Some do not have previous experience in educational fields. Everyone’s unique experience is valued in our Programs.

Our Programs are essentially Japanese-language based. However, we accept students who wish to pursue their studies in English in certain fields of education (currently in two fields: Comparative and International Education, and Education and International Development) by taking English-medium courses in and outside our Graduate Programs, and write their Master’s thesis or Ph.D. dissertations in English.

For detailed information about our Graduate Programs in Education, please visit Graduate Program in Education Official Website.

For detailed course information, please click the link below, which will take you the Syllabus Inquiry page on Loyola.
Syllabus inquiry

Entry Semester:

Spring (April)

Method of Admissions:

<M.A.> Document screening, Written Exam and Interview at the Yotsuya campus (online interview is not available)
<Ph.D.> Document screening and Interview (online interview is available)

Note: Applicants who wish to study in English must contact a potential supervisor(s) who teaches courses in English before applying.

※Only applicants who hold valid residence status in Japan can apply to the February Examination.

Download “Application Booklet 2025”
*The details of the on-line application website are indicated in the above application booklet.

• Application form for special provision for those with working experience(WORD)(22.72 KB)

• OPTIONAL / Reference Letter Form(WORD)

-Details of Tuitions and Fees (*Go to our Web Piloti website)
-Details of Scholarships (*Go to our Web Piloti website)

New Scholarship opportunity!
“Sophia University Graduate School Scholarship for Fostering Researchers in Doctoral Program”

Starting April 2022, Sophia University has established a new scholarship program, the “Sophia University Graduate School Scholarship for Fostering Researchers in Doctoral Program”. The scholarship is provided to all regular students who are enrolled in Doctoral Programs of Sophia University Graduate School and satisfy the requirements annually within their required residence term. Students do not need to submit scholarship application at admission. For more information, click here (*Go to our Web Piloti website).

If you are interested in the MEXT Embassy Recommendation scholarship, click here (*Go to our Web Piloti website).
Note: Sophia University does not accept applications for the following MEXT scholarships.

• Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship [University Recommendation] Top Global University

• Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship [Kokunai Saiyo]