Rikkyo University has been known for its tradition of both commerce study and liberal arts education for over 100 years. In the Department of Business, business is viewed not only as a way of pursuing utility and effectiveness, but also as an ethical activity. The curriculum is organized around basic and specialized fields of business administration, as well as various related fields such as economics, sociology, psychology, information science, and statistics. Study of commerce is deepened with study of Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, and of the complicated world that has made such subjects important. The curriculum is as varied as is todays business environment.

Moreover, the progressive structure of the curriculum, centered on the Business Leadership Program (BLP) makes for a manageable, efficient, and effective pathway to mastery of business skills and knowledge, tempered by values learned from the liberal arts.

Keypoints of the department

Leadership experience through group work:
Students, through their experiences of working in small groups, learn roles and abilities required for business leaders and team members.

Creativity for business through goal-oriented project work:
Students experience the process of planning, action, and result in their projects, which nurture the creativity needed in business today.

Combining class lessons with experience in business:
Second and third year students will visit companies and experience business first hand, reconfirming knowledge and skills from their classes. This will provide students with a tangible image of their future in business.

In the first year, study skills and the foundations of business are learned:
In learning Business Administration, a required first-year course, students see what they are will learn over the next four years, as they acquire basic knowledge. For example, students will understand the flow of the four major factors of business: people, product, money, and information through a business simulation game in which they become entrepreneurs.

Elective Courses from the Department of Global Business:
Some courses of the Department of Global Business are transferable, which allows students to take specialized courses, such as the Bilingual Business Leader Program (BBL), Leadership in International Organizations, or International Accounting, based on their own interests. In addition, students have opportunities to join study-abroad programs.

The Department of Global Business produces international business leaders with a strong command of English. The key areas of study in the department are: 1) Global Business, 2) International Finance, and 3) Business and Cross-cultural Communication. Lecture series by corporate professionals, internship programs, BLP (Business Leadership Program), and study abroad programs are effectively integrated into the curriculum to help students develop capabilities to think critically, to take initiatives, and to work within a team effectively.

Keypoints of the department

Progressive Support for Developing English Proficiency:
About two-thirds of specialized courses are offered in English. Courses targeted at students proficiency level start immediately in the first year, preparing students for solid understanding of the specialized courses taught in English.

Intercultural Communication:
Courses such as Intercultural Communication, International Business Communication, and Intercultural Management provide knowledge and skills for negotiation with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Bilingual Business Project for Practical International Skills:
The Bilingual Business Project (BBP) will give third-year students experience in planning, proposal and implementation of a business project. Students will be trained for business in Japanese/English and other bilingual environments.

Study Abroad Programs:
“EAP (English for Academic Purposes) Abroad” programs are offered to first and second-year students, providing opportunities for English communication and intercultural experiences. In their third and fourth years, students will have the chance to participate in study abroad programs at partner universities in the United States, Canada, UK, Australia, Hong Kong, etc., for one semester or a full academic year.

Elective Courses in the Department of Business:
Students may take such elective courses as “Corporate Social Responsibility” and “Leadership in Organizations” which are offered in the Department of Business, according to their interests.

The Graduate School of Business was newly formed in 2006 as a parent body for the existing graduate program in business administration of the Graduate School of Economics and the applied sociology course of the Graduate School of Sociology. The educational and research mission of the Graduate School of Business is to cultivate researchers and highly skilled professionals who are able to apply their analytical skills and knowledge in new business environments through a variety of approaches to such issues as globalization and modulization of production processes, and the emergence of global networks within corporate bodies.

Currently there is a significant need in society to understand the dynamic changes in the business environment that companies face and for response measures to be identified. Such understanding and responses are required not merely in practical terms, but also in theoretical aspects of business management. The Graduate School of Business aims to emphasize interdisciplinary business-related education from a broader perspective than before, responding to the expectations of society for academic graduate school education considering the new business environment from a variety of approaches.

The College of Business aims to "cultivate business persons with a global perspective and values required in the new era of the 21st century", through providing a balanced education that incorporates (1) specialization in business studies, (2) leadership, (3) a global perspective, and (4) foreign language skills.

In today's world, where business is becoming increasingly globalized and knowledge ever more concentrated, the aim in providing a five-year BA/MA Program in which four years of undergraduate study are combined with a one-year Master's program is to respond to a need in society to enable students with particularly strong potential in both academic and leadership aspects and who are highly motivated, to take their education to a higher level than would be possible within the confines of a four-year undergraduate course. This course is being run on a trial basis in response to similar courses being developed in Europe and the United States, where broader and more analytical study is now being called for as a means of enabling students to flourish as outstanding business persons.

On the five-year BA/MA Program of the College of Business, the specific aims are to provide an advanced level education comprising a combination of the items described below, and to cultivate "global business persons with advanced knowledge and practical skills" that is only possible through the five-year BA/MA Program.

1. Leadership skills: Provide a variety of programs that would normally be difficult to experience in a standard four-year undergraduate course, including long-term internships and volunteer experiences in Japan and overseas during the third year, thus further boosting leadership potential.
2. Global perspective and language skills: Provide a one-year period of overseas study in the middle of the five-year BA/MA Program, starting from the second semester of the third year. This is not simply an overseas experience as students receive a more advanced and specialized education in business studies during their overseas university placement, as well as broadening their global perspective and deepening their understanding of different cultures.
3. Specialist professional skills: Gain more advanced and specialized knowledge at the graduate level, and develop skills that enable students to contribute to society as outstanding work-ready business persons.

Students registered at COB who are selected through a screening process based on the above criteria will start to audit the first semester courses of the Graduate School of Business during their fourth year of undergraduate study. After graduating from the College of Business they will continue on to their first semester of graduate school and be able to complete the graduate module of the program in one year.