Photo/Illutration The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The education ministry plans to expand a “fast-track” framework as early as next fiscal year that allows university students to complete both bachelor’s and master’s programs in five years, sources said.

Students aspiring to earn a master’s degree normally must complete four years of undergraduate study and two years of post-graduate research.

However, some students can currently gain a master’s degree within five years, but they must be specially recognized by university officials for outstanding academic results to gain eligibility for the framework.

The ministry’s plan is to significantly increase the number of schools with such fast-track master’s courses.

Given the decline in graduate students in the humanities and social sciences, the ministry hopes to nurture more specialized professionals by easing the schooling period and encouraging students to pursue master’s courses.

The plan will require revisions to a ministerial ordinance by the end of this fiscal year concerning standards for introducing graduate schools.

The changes would enable graduate school operators to set their master’s program periods at “between one and two years,” the sources said.

These expedited courses must still be approved by the education minister to ensure the minimum essential learning time and quality of education.

Graduate schools wishing to incorporate such one-year tracks will be required to submit five-year integrated plans for their bachelor’s and master’s programs for review by the Central Council for Education, an advisory panel to the education minister.

Undergraduates will also have another option to accelerate their research: enrolling in classes for graduate students in advance.

The ministry plans to soon present these proposals to the Central Council for Education, the sources said.

The ministry will also consider shortening the duration necessary for students to complete their undergraduate studies.

According to ministry statistics, the number of students entering doctoral programs in 2024 was 15,744, down 14 percent from 20 years earlier, while 78,991 joined master’s courses, a 4-percent increase.

Enrollments in the humanities and social sciences plunged in both categories.

A ministry representative highlighted the advantage of the five-year comprehensive schooling system.

“Students will be able to study seamlessly and intensively through their undergraduate and graduate processes,” the official said.

The ministry will make every effort to “ensure high-quality education,” creating an environment in which school operators can design their own integrated bachelor’s and master’s programs in a distinctive way, the official said.

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