In our last blog post we wrote about the college of International Management offered at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU for short). This time we at LEAF wish to introduce to you to the other college APU has to offer which is Asia Pacific Studies (APS for short). APS gives a Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSc degree) and the duration of the study is 4 years. Because APU is an international university set in Japan, you as a prospective student can either enroll in Spring (April), or Fall (September)! As a student majoring in social science, there is a range of great opportunities for you to become a master in the many aspects of social science. If you wish to further develop your knowledge on psychology, sociology, anthropology, humanities, religions, languages, history, economics and other fields related to social science, then APU got you covered.
On another note, it may be confusing as the name of the study is Asia Pacific Studies, and it gives a degree in social science, instead of Asia Pacific Studies. To explain in simplest terms, you as a student will definitely make friends and work alongside students and faculty members that are from the Asia Pacific, but it does not mean you have to take classes related to this area. APS offers courses that focuses on global or international aspects, and then there are courses that only emphasize on the Asia Pacific. If you wish to further advance your knowledge on the Asia Pacific or not and have that shown on your diploma that is up to you as a student when you pick your classes.
Furthermore, APU offers something called Area of Study which supports students to further specialize within an area. As mentioned above, social science is a lot! That is why APU has four different area of studies that will support you to have a clear focus on what you wish to gain knowledge on and possibly work with in the future. The four Area of Studies offered are Environment and Development (1), International Relations and Peace Studies (2), Culture, Society and Media (3), and Hospitality and Tourism (4). Environment and Development is for those that wish to change the world towards sustainable development and make the planet a better place for all living species. International Relations and Peace Studies is the study for those that wish to study politics and are passionate for governmental changes. Culture, Society and Media is for those that find current and past human interactions interesting. Lastly, Hospitality and Tourism is for those that wish to work within businesses that aim to present tourists with the best travel experience ever. If you read our other blog post about international management, then please do not compare that college and APS when it comes to the choice of Area of Study. This is because the process functions differently. APS students are required to choose their Area of Study by the end of their 3rd year and that major will show on their diploma. On another note, if you have an interest to study hospitality and tourism then APU has exciting news for you! Hospitality and Tourism will become an official college at APU by 2023. So, if you wish to apply to APU and enroll in 2023, then keep in mind to apply to our new and third college Hospitality and Tourism! If you have further questions on this then please do not hesitate to contact us at the LEAF team.
Unlike APU’s other college international management, APS students do not have a lot of required subjects. After their 1st semester as a APU student, APS students can choose all of their major classes by themselves. This is because social science is a broad study so the university believes they should be able to pick themselves and be responsible with their own schedule. If you still have a good idea on what you wish to pick as your Area of Study, it is still encouraged to try a few classes from the other majors to see if you still are certain on what you wish to study and perhaps work in. Similar as international management students, APS students can also choose any class from APS, APM and all language courses that might be to your suiting. APU offers six foreign languages for you to learn which are Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian/Malay and Spanish. Keep in mind as a new student you are required to study Japanese as well, but if you are of fluent level then you can skip the mandatory Japanese classes.
As a prospective student you are probably not entirely sure on what you wish to do in the future and we at the LEAF team wants to tell you that is completely okay! The world offers a range of studies you might be interested in, and if you are unsure then we think social science might be good for you. Many students that study at APU choice this study because it offers a range of job opportunities such as economist, historian, professor, political scientist, psychologist, sociologist, flight attendant, environmental activist, and much more. Even though social science might not be to your suiting, at least it is a good start to study this massive area as it will help you grasp onto more knowledge regarding the world that we all live in. Remember if you wish to study social science, then not only do you get to study social science every day at APU, but you get to experience the aspects of it every day as well! This is because at APU you will study, work and befriend people from all around the world so every day will be a day for you to expand your knowledge on social science!
Common questions prospective students ask regarding APU’s International Management college.
Q: Social science seems to be a very broad study, isn’t it too broad?
A: Yes, social science is a lot! But it offers an opportunity for you to gain a lot of knowledge and have very differing job opportunities later. If you wish to work as a historian, but after a few years you wish to work as something else like a sociologist then it is easy for you to quickly switch jobs. If you do feel like social science is too broad and you have not gained enough knowledge within a certain area, then it is of course possible to later take a master’s degree within that area you wish to further advance in. Many APS students in fact take social science as their bachelor so that they have broader knowledge on a lot of areas and takes a specific master afterwards to then specialize within an area they want to work in. They might do this, because their dream job might require other skills. For example, if you wish to work in the hotel business in the future, besides studying hospitality and tourism, it would be smart to choose a few economics classes to further advance your knowledge as economics might be essential to know.
Q: Where do I access the APU curriculum for APS?
A: There are two links provided. One is for APS students and the other is for APM students. As mentioned above in the blog post, it does not hurt to take classes from another college as they might have classes you think will be essential for your knowledge. If you wish for further explanation on certain courses stated on either the APS or APM curriculum then please do not hesitate to contact us as we who work on this blog are all APU students.
APS curriculum: https://admissions.apu.ac.jp/course/aps/
APM curriculum:
Q: Will I be okay with just a bachelor’s in social science, or should I apply to a masters after APU?
A: There are in fact many APS students that start working after taking their bachelors. What makes APU such a special university is that the current job placement rate at this university is at 96,7%. This is for both students that applies within and outside Japan. There are APS students that work in big companies such as Amazon, Apple and UNIQLO. If you wish to start working after university then please, try to find a job and you can always ask APU for support with that. However, if you fail to succeed or you wish to further advance in your knowledge in order to get your dream job then please do not hesitate to apply to graduate school. There are quite a number of students that do so as well, and APU can help you find your graduate school. Impressive universities APU students now study their masters in are at for example Harvard University (USA), Yonsei University (South Korea) and University of Oxford (UK). If you wish to know more regarding job opportunities or graduate school, then please do not hesitate to contact us and we have also provided a link for you to read: https://admissions.apu.ac.jp/course/future_path/
If you want more information regarding the college of Asia Pacific Studies (APS), then please do not hesitate to contact us for any inquiries. You can also find more information regarding APU if you check our earlier blog posts.
You can also visit this website link if you wish to do further research on APS: https://admissions.apu.ac.jp/course/aps/
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