In the Graduate School of Design, we educate students and research on the various issues that are indwelling in the regional society. Through education and research, we aim to foster a professional who has advanced knowledge and is an expert in design. Our graduate students will be high-leveled specialists, researchers and educators who will contribute to the welfare of regional society by promoting industry, developing art and culture, restructuring and activating the community.

The master’s course consists of the Master’s Program in Social Welfare and the Master’s Program in Clinical Psychology. In academic 2015, the master's course was modified to offer comprehensive practical social welfare training/education as well as teaching to build advanced expertise and skills in individual academic fields. The Center for Practice and Research of Clinical Psychology was opened for the latter, thereby establishing a system appropriate for a Type 1-designated school for the education of clinical psychologists. For the Master’s Program in Clinical Psychology, curricular content regarding social psychology and developmental psychology from the previous Master’s Program in Social Psychology was incorporated and modified to provide a broader spectrum of education on psychological matters. The Master’s Program in Social Welfare integrates the previously separate domains of social policy and social work to provide students with broader and more in-depth expertise.

The Graduate School of Economics aims to turn out skilled experts who can deal with economic challenges and problems. To respond to various needs, the school offers a wide range of subjects in the fields of both economics and business administration so that students may select their majors and other related subjects according to their areas of interest, and develop their own research. Notable Features Fostering of outstanding individuals with analytical skills and policy-making abilities in economics Provision of a research environment with an international outlook and enrolment of international students Promotion of continued education and enrolment of working adults

The Graduate School of Business Administration established a Master's Program in Business Administration in 2000 and added a Doctoral Program in 2002. As society and economy are rapidly becoming more sophisticated and complex, more than just organizational restructuring is required. There is a need to restructure people's very ways of thinking, in both private businesses and local public bodies. In this graduate school, students' knowledge and ability regarding organizational administration and organizational psychology are fostered. The course aims at developing management skills that allow businesspeople to formulate and implement effective administrative strategies by using appropriate information collected from the market. The course fosters professionals and researchers who excel in theory and practice.

In 1970, the Graduate School of Economics became the first graduate school at any private university in Hokkaido to offer a Master's Program in Economic Policy. This offering came in response to an increasing need to reconsider Japan's rapid economic growth and in answer to local demand for new perspectives in developing Hokkaido. Since its establishment, the Graduate School of Economics has educated students of remarkable talent in education, administration, business, and other areas. It also has accepted international students and students with full-time jobs, thus earning it favorable recognition from the public. The doctoral program was added in 1995, targeting those wishing to become qualified researchers at universities and other research institutions or specialists wishing to play a leading role in society.

The remarkable progress of globalization and the advancement of the information age in recent years has created immense opportunities to communicate with people, groups, and organizations around the world who have different cultural backgrounds. As a result, the complexity and difficulty of reaching a consensus and developing mutual understanding with such people are becoming clear. Under these circumstances, it is necessary to train students not only to acquire linguistic and negotiation skills, but also to become knowledgeable about the historical, social, and economic backgrounds of various cultures, as well as to develop a deep interest and understanding of humanity. Such training is the educational goal of the Master's Program in Language, Culture, and Communication of the Graduate School of Literature.

Graduate School of Nursing will foster researchers and educators who will develop nursing science. We will apply them with the broad viewpoint and the foundation in nursing, in addition to ones’ own specialty and deepened knowledge. We also will foster advanced and specialized personel and will contribute to every range of regional society and various nursing practices. At our program, the students can obtain abilities To carry out the advanced clinical nursing practice with accuracy, precision, and creativity To analyze, decide, act and evaluate based on elevated ethic in the area of specialized nursing area To collaborate with the other professionals and integrate and manage for the future prospect of nursing To challenge the health promotion in Snow Coverage and Cold Districts.

The Electronics, Information, and Life Science Engineering Major offers diverse fields of study, including optical, image, and visual information processing, autonomous Mobile robots, electronic properties and devices, computer applications, and voice, natural language processing, molecular biology, biochemistry, cell engineering, and genome technology.

Graduate Program for Midwifery launched in April 2010. This program aims to foster the midwives who will have advance knowledge and accurate skills in midwifery and who can contribute to maternal health and welfare in the community based on Nursing with hospitality and care.