Abstract
The phenomenal expansion of enrollment in graduate programs has brought about various disastrous consequences the quality of postgraduate education in Japan. The "American" system of graduate education —in particular, its relatively high rate of enrollment— has often been quoted as the basis for the public policy on the expansion of graduate enrollment in Japan. On the other hand, the programs and curriculums characteristic of U.S. institutions have been hailed as the ideal model to be emulated. A close examination of the so-called American model of graduate education, however, reveals that the arguments for the American model have been accompanied by serious misunderstandings.
This paper first delineates the causes and consequences of the expansion of graduate education in Japan. It then shows some of the research findings of a comparative study on graduate education in the U.S. and Japan. This paper concludes with the argument that blind mimicry of the American model would lead to detrimental consequences for students, teachers, and the academic discipline itself.
