Master in Major in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Shimane University's Major in Agricultural and Life Sciences is a two-year master's degree taught in English, with intake each April in Shimane. The university was established as a national university in 1949 and operates two campuses, Matsue and Izumo; Matsue houses faculties including Law and Literature, Education, Human Sciences, Materials for Energy, and Life and Environmental Sciences, along with the Interdisciplinary Faculty of Science and Engineering, while Izumo is home to the Faculty of Medicine and the Graduate School of Medical Research. Since 2018 the university has hosted a UNESCO Chair, one of the education initiatives established by UNESCO, and it has also built a partnership with the University of Oxford connected to its Next Generation Tatara Co-Creation Centre, known as NEXTA. This master's program sits within Shimane's life and environmental sciences area, covering agricultural science and broader life-science topics such as plant and animal biology, agricultural production, and the biological systems that underpin food and environmental sustainability. Students typically combine advanced coursework with laboratory and, where relevant, field-based research, working toward a research-based master's thesis under faculty supervision on a topic connected to agriculture or the life sciences. Because the program is delivered in English, it is structured for international students without requiring prior Japanese-language study, and the university notes that overseas enrollment, particularly at the graduate level, has grown as its international partnerships have expanded. Graduates of agricultural and life sciences master's programs are typically prepared for roles in agricultural research, food science, environmental management, and related industries, as well as for further doctoral study in agricultural or life sciences.