About Program in Economic and Public Policy (PEPP)
Program in Economic and Public Policy (PEPP) is a program taught in English, offering an
MA in International Public Policy. The program aims to provide training and the necessary
skills for the conception, design, analysis, and implementation of public policies. Our faculty
members are experts in applying economics to public policy using cutting-edge knowledge
of big data analysis, econometrics and statistics. Faculty members of PEPP work on a
variety of issues of economics, development and public policy, including economic growth,
poverty reduction, health economics, agricultural economics, education, international trade,
taxation, and environmental issues in developing countries. We endeavor to contribute to
the creation of an international community of highly trained professionals addressing the
daily challenges of economic and social development.
PEPP alumni are active contributors to development throughout the world. Our alumni
have gone on to take up impressive positions in various countries, including: minister of foreign affairs, permanent secretaries in important ministries,directors in several international organizations such as the IMF, professors and department
heads of several universities. Some have also become trained economists in the USA,Canada,and New Zealand. Click on the Career Paths link below to find out some of the
notable roles taken up by former graduates:
Click here to find out some of the notable roles taken up by our former graduates
There are two systems available to apply to PEPP: WB/ADB Scholarship admission and General admission. WB/ADB Scholarship admission is for those who wish to also apply for a scholarship from the Asian Development Bank or the World Bank; whilst General admission is for all other applicants who may be self-funded, or who have obtained a scholarship from the Japanese government (MEXT scholarship), JICA, or any other organization. The academic program is the same for students who enter via the Scholarship admission and General admission, the only difference being the source of funding.
Short History of PEPP
PEPP (PEPPM as its predecessor) is the oldest partner program in Japan of the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program, a large scholarship program for young professionals from developing countries funded by the Government of Japan and managed by the World Bank in Washington, DC. During the past twenty years, more than a hundred students from over forty developing countries have graduated from PEPP. The University of Tsukuba PEPP is also one of many academic institutions which participate in the Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP).
Program Outline
In the program, students are required to write a master’s thesis based on solid quantitative analysis, and to periodically present their progress to faculty members and other students. Although most students have an undergraduate background in economics, we have accepted students with a strong desire to study economics at graduate level who completed their undergraduate studies in different disciplines, such as engineering, science, statistics, law, business and sociology. Indeed, with twenty years of experience in managing the program, we can say with confidence that students from different academic backgrounds can eventually learn all the essential elements of modern economics as well as related quantitative skills and become well-trained and extremely competent economists.
The program starts in October with introductory classes, which are followed by more advanced courses. Following this, students can take a variety of applied economics and policy-oriented courses. In addition to these classes, they are also required to attend weekly research workshops, during which each student is expected to present their research progress towards their master’s thesis. Students who successfully pass the master’s thesis oral examination and obtain 30 credits or more of mandatory courses offered by our program will be awarded the degree title: MA in international public policy.
