With one of the highest life expectancies among OECD countries, Japan is a country worth learning from in public health. The following list highlights five universities offering public health education in Japan. It is not a formal ranking.
Top Schools Offering Public Health Programs in Japan
1. University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo, included in our guide to universities in Japan, launched its School of Public Health professional degree program in 2007. The program is designed to prepare specialists who can help maintain and improve public health and develop and implement systems that support it.
Students in this master’s program can select from 41 subjects. The official program overview lists quantitative-analysis subjects such as Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Healthcare Economics; behavioral-medicine subjects such as Mental Health, Health Education, and Geriatric Social Science; and policy-making and management subjects such as Health Policy, Healthcare Informatics, and Patient Safety and Risk Management.
The standard course duration is two years. Applicants to the two-year course generally follow the standard entry qualifications for a master’s program, which normally include graduation or expected graduation from a four-year university. A one-year route is also available for applicants with relevant practical experience. Holders of a four-year bachelor’s degree generally need more than three years of relevant experience. Graduates of six-year programs in medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine, as well as master’s degree holders, generally need more than two years of relevant experience. Clinical training may count as practical experience for physicians.
2. Kyoto University
Another university offering public health programs in Japan is Kyoto University. The university established its School of Public Health in 2000 as the first institution of its kind in Japan. The school offers a professional Master of Public Health (MPH), a three-year Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), and a four-year Doctor of Medical Sciences program. It also lists an MPH-DrPH pathway.
Kyoto University’s School of Public Health uses an integrated socio-ecological approach that it refers to as the “New Public Health.” Its curriculum brings together established fields such as communicable and chronic disease control, family health, nutrition, and environmental health with fields such as clinical epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, social epidemiology, behavioral science, health promotion, informatics, economics, and ethics. The professional-degree curriculum also covers core areas such as epidemiology, medical statistics, environmental science, social science, public administration, and management.
Like the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University offers a one-year MPH course for applicants with practical public health experience. The school also lists the one-year Master of Clinical Researcher Course for physicians and dentists with clinical experience, the Genetic Counselor Course, and the MPH-DrPH Course.
3. University of Tsukuba
The University of Tsukuba offers a Master of Public Health program. According to the university, the program prepares students for careers in public health research and education, health policy and management, and safety control. Courses are offered in English and include biostatistics, epidemiology, health care policy and management, social and behavioral science, mental health, and environmental risk assessment and management.
The curriculum includes basic credit units, electives, advanced credit units, and a master’s thesis completed under an advisor’s direction. An internship is not compulsory, but students may arrange one for credit. The official program FAQ states that more than 40 full-time faculty members represent biomedical, clinical, and public health disciplines, more than 10 academic research groups offer graduate training, and the student-to-staff ratio is 1:4.
4. Tohoku University
Tohoku University in Sendai offers public health programs through its Graduate School of Medicine. Readers comparing institutions can also consult our guide to public universities in Japan. The Graduate School of Medicine lists the School of Public Health as one of its master’s majors.
Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Medicine emphasizes critical thinking, leading-edge specialized knowledge, a global outlook, and ethical standards. Its master’s programs in the School of Public Health include the General Course, the Course to Train High-Level Clinical Research Administrators, the Course in Public Health and Genetic Counseling, the One-Year Course to Train Physicians and Dentists for Clinical Research, the Leadership Training Course in Medical Ethics and Public Health, the Disaster Medicine and Health Care Management Course, and the English-medium International Course of “Public Health Science for Human Security.”
5. Tokyo Medical and Dental University
Tokyo Medical and Dental University merged with Tokyo Institute of Technology on October 1, 2024, to form Institute of Science Tokyo, also known as Science Tokyo. The current Master of Public Health in Global Health course is offered by Science Tokyo. The former Tokyo Medical and Dental University traces its origins to the Tokyo National School of Dentistry, which was founded in October 1928 as Japan’s first national dental school.
The MPH course is conducted in English. Science Tokyo also collaborates with professors from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health through its Harvard and Johns Hopkins Lecture Series.
The program normally takes two years to complete. Students spend one year taking classes at the Yushima campus and one year completing a practicum, original public health research, and a master’s thesis. The program is designed to help students generate, translate, and share public health evidence that can inform policy and practice.
We hope that this article on the Best Universities for Public Health in Japan was helpful. For additional program options, feel free to navigate our selection of Available Programs. Don’t forget to visit our Study in Japan Page to help you plan and prepare for an exciting academic adventure!
