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Department of Behavior Informatics
Educational principles of the Department of Behavior Informatics
The Department of Behavior Informatics fosters students’ ability to make practical use of information in various forms based on today’s information technology. Amid the rapid advancement of information technology, there is a great demand for people who can take a leadership role in a wide range of fields to plan, design and develop optimal social environments, public services and new business models. Students at the Department of Behavior Informatics develop the skills to creatively design information services and to use data science to analyze big data and rich data. Furthermore, the department gives students the solid grounding they need to formulate corporate and other organizational business strategies and to plan, implement and build information services that are highly attuned to daily life.
Our curriculum
In systems, analysis and strategy courses, students learn about information technology and information systems design and development, as well as how to identify and define problems, propose and implement solutions, and verify results. In management courses, students learn the science of setting targets and formulating and implementing action plans based on a solid foundation of knowledge about business and information technology. In services courses, students explore the significance of information services in various fields such as manufacturing, finance, medicine, education and the public sector, and learn how to build and develop those services. The senior year dissertation is an opportunity for students to integrate the concepts learned in their classes. The Department of Behavior Informatics prioritizes practical work in classes, with many small-sized classes and group work opportunities.
Practical research fields involved in creating cutting-edge information services
Based on the knowledge and experience acquired in lectures and practical work during the previous three years, the senior year dissertation helps students develop the skills required for real-world research and development. Students in the Faculty of Informatics join labs at the end of the first semester of their third year so that they are able to get an early start on preparations for the dissertation.
Investigations into creation of information services using information technology take place across diverse fields with varied approaches. The department faculty conduct research in a wide range of fields, including information technology-integrated social systems and public services; management of business organizations, behavior, and administration; psychology, cognitive science and learning theory—sciences that deepen our understanding of human behavior; and artificial intelligence and data mining capable of advanced automatic analysis and taking over work performed by people. A genuine mix of humanities and sciences with engineering provides students with ample opportunity to discover—and even create—their own areas of interest from among cutting-edge research topics and new topics merging traditionally separate fields. Many of the faculty have experience working in the private sector, and students benefit from the guidance these instructors provide in real-world research and careers. Through their investigations, students learn information systems planning and design technologies, consensus building and collaborative work, skills fundamental to careers in the information service industry and a wide range of other industries that use information technology.
Progression after graduation
Graduates of the Department of Behavior Informatics labs go on to postgraduate studies and careers requiring advanced expertise in the application of information technology, such as information service planning and development or project management. Increasing numbers of students also go on to public service work or career-track positions in various fields at corporations that use information systems. With the large number of teaching staff comprising this new department, the future is full of even more diverse possibilities