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Japan · University · Reviewed 2026-10-15

Osaka University of Economics

Osaka University of Economics (OUE) is a historic private university founded in 1932 in Osaka, renowned for quantitative econometrics, corporate management, information data science, and business heritage archives.

1932Founded
7,000+ studentsCommunity
8%International
190+ Full-Time FacultyAcademics

Academic overview & excellence

Tracing its lineage to the Showa Higher Commercial School established in 1932, Osaka University of Economics is situated in the Higashiyodogawa ward of Osaka City. OUE spans four undergraduate faculties: Economics, Business Administration, Information & Decision Sciences, and Human Sciences, alongside four master's and doctoral graduate divisions. The university houses the Institute of Small Business Research and the historic Japanese Corporate History Archives, holding one of the nation's most exhaustive collections of pre-war business records.

Research admissions & criteria

Undergraduate entry requires completion of 12 years of formal education. Foreign applicants apply through the Special International Student Entrance Examination submitting EJU scores in Japanese and Mathematics. Graduate admissions require an undergraduate degree in economics, business, or related social sciences, with evaluation based on a formal research plan and oral examination.

Verified opportunities & funding programs (9)

Master's

Master of Science in Quantitative Economics and Econometric Data Science

Advanced postgraduate program in microeconometric causal inference, high-frequency time series analysis, monetary policy modeling, and computational statistics.

Funding: OUE Graduate Special Fellowship offering 50% tuition reduction and research stipend Tuition: ¥700,000 JPY annual graduate tuition Deadline: January 25, 2027
Bachelor's

Bachelor of Economics and Global Financial Markets

Four-year comprehensive curriculum in macroeconomics, securities trading, central banking systems, and international trade balance analysis.

Funding: OUE Founder's Merit Scholarship providing ¥350,000/year for top international scholars Tuition: ¥1,080,000 JPY annual undergraduate tuition Deadline: February 5, 2027
Master's

Master of Business Administration in Small Enterprise and Regional Management

Focuses on family business succession, SME digital transformation, boutique manufacturing management (Monodukuri), and regional business clusters.

Funding: Kansai Small Business Association research grant support Tuition: ¥700,000 JPY annual tuition Deadline: January 25, 2027
Bachelor's

Bachelor of Information and Decision Sciences

Combines machine learning, enterprise ERP software systems, decision analysis, and predictive marketing algorithms.

Funding: Information science merit grants up to ¥300,000/year Tuition: ¥1,140,000 JPY annual tuition Deadline: February 15, 2027
Fellowship

Doctoral Research Fellowship in Japanese Economic and Business History

Three-year PhD fellowship utilizing primary merchant archives, Meiji industrial records, and pre-war zaibatsu corporate balance sheets.

Funding: ¥1,600,000 JPY annual fellowship plus exclusive access to the historic Business Archives Tuition: Full tuition waiver Deadline: February 1, 2027
Bachelor's

Bachelor of Human Sciences and Community Welfare Economics

Explores social security economics, aging society healthcare resource allocation, and municipal community revival programs in urban Japan.

Funding: Public welfare student training grants Tuition: ¥1,080,000 JPY annual tuition Deadline: February 15, 2027
Grant

Kansai Corporate ESG Investment and Sustainable Finance Grant

Investigates corporate governance reforms, green bond issuance, and ESG risk premia among Nikkei-listed manufacturing corporations.

Funding: ¥1,500,000 JPY research grant supported by Kansai financial institutions Tuition: Not applicable Deadline: June 15, 2027
Exchange

OUE International Exchange Student Study Fellowship

Semester or academic year exchange program offering courses in Japanese economic development, corporate strategies, and business Japanese.

Funding: JASSO monthly stipend of ¥80,000 JPY and university housing subsidy Tuition: Tuition waived under bilateral institutional agreement Deadline: April 15, 2027
Certificate

Certificate in Digital Marketing Analytics and Consumer Behavior

Executive training certificate on Google Analytics, e-commerce conversion tracking, customer lifetime value modeling, and digital advertising metrics.

Funding: Corporate employee upskilling subsidies Tuition: ¥140,000 JPY total certificate fee Deadline: August 1, 2027

Distinguished faculty & researchers (4)

Dr. Masahiro Yamamoto

President of Osaka University of Economics and Professor of Econometrics · Office of the President & Faculty of Economics

Dr. Masahiro Yamamoto leads Osaka University of Economics as President, directing empirical macroeconomic modeling, data science curriculum development, and Kansai financial industry partnerships.

Applied Econometrics Macroeconomic Policy Modeling University Strategy

Prof. Dr. Kenjiro Hirayama

Director of Institute of Small Business Research · Faculty of Business Administration & SME Institute

Prof. Dr. Kenjiro Hirayama is a prominent authority on Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises, investigating supply chain resilience, craft manufacturing clusters, and regional business financing.

Small Business Economics Regional Industrial Clusters SME Innovation Policy

Prof. Dr. Yoko Shimizu

Professor of Economic History and Chief Archivist · Faculty of Economics & Corporate History Archives

Prof. Dr. Yoko Shimizu directs research in the Corporate History Archives, deciphering pre-modern merchant ledger books and analyzing early industrial corporate finance in Osaka.

Japanese Corporate History Merchant Accounting Archives Meiji Industrialization

Prof. Dr. Takashi Inoue

Dean of Faculty of Information and Decision Sciences · Faculty of Information and Decision Sciences

Prof. Dr. Takashi Inoue investigates big data clustering algorithms, financial fraud anomaly detection, and decision support architectures for retail distribution networks.

Data Mining Algorithmic Decision Support Enterprise Information Systems

Editorial & verification standards

Institution profile and program records reflect official documentation verified on 2026-10-15. OpenField is an independent student academic resource and is not formally affiliated with Osaka University of Economics.