PhD in Transportation and Environmental Systems Program

A second cohort track for the doctoral Transportation and Environmental Systems Program at Hiroshima University runs in Hiroshima, Japan, over three years, taught in English, with entry in April or October. Hiroshima University was founded in a city defined by its history as the site of the first atomic bombing, and it operates under a founding principle of unity, freedom, and peace that has guided its growth into one of Japan's largest and most comprehensive universities, comprising 12 schools, 4 graduate schools, an attached research institute, a university hospital, and 11 attached schools. The university was named one of 13 universities in the 2014 Top Global University Project and one of 13 universities in the 2018 WISE Program. Doctoral study in this field generally addresses questions at the intersection of transportation infrastructure and environmental systems, including traffic flow modeling, sustainable transport planning, pollution and emissions analysis, and infrastructure resilience, with candidates completing a dissertation based on original research. Programs of this kind typically pair theoretical coursework with applied projects that use real transportation and environmental data, preparing candidates to work on complex, systems-level problems. Graduates commonly move into careers with transportation authorities, environmental agencies, engineering consultancies, and research institutions, applying specialized knowledge of transportation and environmental systems to policy and infrastructure decisions. Doctoral candidates joining this program from outside Japan benefit from Hiroshima University's formal recognition under national programs aimed at deepening its international doctoral education network.