In recent years we have been witnessing rapid change and development in the world of science and technology. The field of agriculture is no exception. Going beyond its role in the production of traditional bioresources, agricultural science is expanding into many fields, including environmental conservation, distribution systems, and biotechnology, by incorporating information science and other advanced techniques. There is a need for producing top class scientists who are independent thinkers as well as creative, to respond to this new order, making the expansion of graduate school education a matter of urgency. To meet this need we established a three-year doctoral program in April 1985.
The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Ehime University (UGAS-EU) is a consortium built on the master's programs of Kagawa, Kochi and Ehime universities with the main office located at the Ehime University campus. This organization makes it possible to provide a higher and broader level of education and research than would be available at any of these universities alone. Our goal is to produce top class scientists who have a broad range of knowledge and a high level of specialization in the fields of bioresources and production.
From April 2002, with the collaboration of our graduate school and the Kochi Prefecture Deep Sea Research Institute, our contribution to society reached an even greater level.
Many international students are being accepted at our graduate school. In 1990, with the strong demand of developing countries to help train people in the fields of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, we set up a special scholarship program in Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Related Sciences supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of the Japanese government. In October 2002, Ehime, Kagawa and Kochi universities set up a special master's course in agriculture for students from Asia, Africa and the Pacific Rim, which leads into our course for Asian, African and Pacific Rim students. Our fields of research are decidedly international, and it is hoped that the international students who receive their doctoral degrees at UGAS-EU will contribute to scientific progress and development in their own countries.
UGAS-EU also confers doctoral degrees on Japanese and international researchers who have done worthy work in agriculture or related fields.