What Is Social Information Science?
Utilizing data science to solve problems in society
Our school intends to educate to be data scientists. We teach how to research various data and solve complex social problems by using scientific method of Informatics.
We produce graduates who have not only reliable knowledge about Informatics skills but also skill of data analysis. We’ll be sure that they have a good command of big data and contribute to various fields. For example, prediction of economic trend, development of social policy, business management, marketing and improvement of productivity.
Social Information Science
Data utilization to support various fields
What Is Data Science?
Data science is the academic discipline which creates the meaningful information, or valuable data, from so much data in the world. Today, advanced ICT (information and communications technology) is becoming widely used among various fields, it is necessary that we make good use of skill of high-grade data processing in all aspects of business, medical care, manufacturing, public policy and government institutions.
Path you can meet with success after graduation
Your future successes are greatly anticipated in all fields of finance, IT industry, manufacturing, mass media, general trading, civil service, research institutions, think tanks, and graduate school of Informatics.
Your skills of social information science can use in various fields which contain the following jobs:
- Business Skills
- Marketing officers who analyze big business data to predict economic trends.
- Technology Skills
- Engineers who analyze big data for work in business strategy, problem-solving, and so on.
- Social Implementation Skills
- Consultants who use data analysis techniques.
Other jobs include: product development officer; policy planning officer; management innovation officer; researcher in a university or company, etc.; and much more!
In recent years, in Japan, it is necessary to secure IT human resources such as IoT Engineers, Data Scientists, AI Scholars, and so on. They assume important roles in the world because they are in the front of science and technology (cutting-edge IT workers), but The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) makes mention of lack of worker in the IT industry. If it has been the same as the present situation until 2020, a shortage of workers will be 48,000 people in Japan.
Source: Findings of METI’s study of recent trends and future estimates concerning IT human resources released in 2016
Welcome to the School of Social Information Science
Data analysis network centered on Kobe Campus for Commerce
With such unique campuses, all with their own special qualities, as the Kobe Campus for Information Science, which is linked with the supercomputer “K” and the Harima Campus for Science linked with the large-scale synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8, we are planning data analysis research that could not be done anywhere else but the University of Hyogo.
- Coordination with other universities
- Research in Sports Medicine
(Improvement of athletes’ abilities, preventing injuries, etc.)
Basic research in data science
- Coordination with Hyogo Prefecture and other local governments
- Public data analysis
Policy statement
- Coordination with companies within and outside Hyogo
- Vendor sales data analysis
Online promotion analysis
Real estate data analysis
Improvement of manufacturing equipment
Education policy
Our graduates:
- have acquired specialized skills in data analysis and can properly apply them to real-world situations;
- have learned practical information processing techniques and can create analytical programs, etc. for tackling difficult-to-handle data and problems, and are technically minded with a focus on problem-solving; and
- understand basic business models and social structure and can freely use information processing technology and data analysis technology, in order to contribute to problem-solving and value judgment.
Diploma policy (policy on conferment of degrees)
We award degrees to students who have acquired the following skills:
- The specialized knowledge needed for information science and data analysis
- The ability to view the problems of society and organizations objectively and think logically about how to solve those problems
- The specialized knowledge and skills to handle and analyze data, and use it with an understanding of information ethics
- Not just the ability to communicate in order to solve problems more effectively as a team, but showing strong leadership potential
Curriculum policy (policy on creation and implementation of curricula)
- The curriculum of specialized education consists of both specialized fundamental courses and specialized courses, it is possible to study in stages.
- Specialized fundamental courses consist of basic subjects with math, data analysis and information science. By instructing with seminar style and lecture style, we teach basic knowledge and skills. Moreover, the courses consist of group in both introduction to economics and introduction to business administration, we educate basic approach about economic phenomenon, companies and organization in modern society.
- Specialized courses consist of related subjects with information science, data analysis, decision making, basic courses in social science and advanced courses in social science. We carry out educations of developing expertise of social information science for students.
- As a specific seminar is organized for semesters in every academic year, the students can be inculcated the flexible thinking and problem-solving skills needed to tackle the various problems of society.
- Credits for classes taken shall be awarded based on grading that takes into account, as appropriate to the content of the class, efforts made in examinations and assignments, level of contribution to the class, and so on. The grading criteria shall be made clear at the start of the course.
Admissions policy
Profile of Students Sought
We are seeking good students who are interested in information technology and data analysis and have the desire to resolve a lot of problems in society and organizations. That is to say, it is desirable that the students have decent ability to acquire knowledge or skill, have an elementary knowledge about the society creating various data and have an interest in mechanism of it, and take proactive stance to face the issues and can tackle them.
Admissions policy
It is desirable that an applicant for entrance:
- must have acquired knowledge in high school (secondary school) curriculum with good balance.
- has capacity of understanding various things for learning the special knowledge and technical skills.
- is interested in information technology and data analysis, and has a strong will to use them for society.
Rules
University of Hyogo Rules (main university website) 
Rules of the School of Social Information Science 
