The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University (UGAS) is the northernmost among the six UGAS in Japan and offers Doctoral Degrees. Its major foundational organizations are graduate programs in agricultural sciences (Master’s programs) in three constituent universities (Hirosaki University, Iwate University, and Yamagata University) which are located in Tohoku, an important food production region in Japan. Through mutual cooperation beyond the boundaries of these individual universities, Iwate UGAS is working hard to develop highly specialized skills that contribute to the advancement of academic research in a wide range of agricultural fields and to promote the development of related industries and society, while at the same time fostering social and communication skills for each student.

Since its establishment in 1990 with Iwate University as its core institute, Iwate UGAS has produced more than 1000 PhD graduates who are currently working to resolve a wide range of challenges around the world. The foundation for this lies in our distinct curriculum that combines both the global and the local aspects in our Graduate School. In addition to “Science Communication in English”, “Research Internship”, and “Communication for International Conferences” aimed at fostering a global mindset, we also offer “Communication for Science Camp”, “Research Ability Improvement Seminar” and many other courses for students to cultivate their ability to unravel local problems, and aim to develop expertise in both international and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Currently, the situation of food, resources, environment, energy, etc. around the world is extremely concerning. Humanity is challenged with the need to improve this situation as much as possible in order to form a sustainable global society. Relevant to the Agricultural Sciences,   we expect that the UGAS graduates will continue to play an increasingly important role to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations at the UN Summit in September 2015. Iwate UGAS is an important advanced educational and research institution which aims to nurture leaders who will take initiative in the development of a truly sustainable society. By combining global and local perspectives, together with providing the human and research resources of the three constituent universities and their distinctive educational climates, we aim for further strengthen our institutions in order to foster and build human resources who will play key roles in contributing to a sustainable world for everyone.