The coursework for Global Communication Practices is designed to cultivate the knowledge and skills needed for advanced intercultural communication, which are vital for professionals in global business and communications, including journalists, public relations practitioners, and marketing and communications specialists in both private and public organizations.
It offers practical training in business communication and outreach, research, interviewing, correspondence, negotiation, debate, translation, and interpreting, as well as theoretical studies on global communication.
The program places an emphasis on the development of students’ perspectives on a variety of social and cultural issues to help understand the strong ties among the mass media, governments, non-governmental organizations, and business communities in the global society.
Expected Student Outcomes
- Familiarity with information gathering and research methods
- Ideation of news story ideas, reporting and composing journalistic articles suitable for publication in professional news media
- Negotiation and debate skills
- Persuasion and how to effectively change attitudes, beliefs and behaviors
- Simultaneous interpretation skills
- Knowledge and understanding of the operations of public relations activities and campaigns.
- Ethical craft of public relations and advertising, helping to inform and make better decisions
- Understanding of the ethics of professional journalism and global communication
Feature 1 - Professional Skills
With a focus on practical skills used in effective business communication such as negotiation, research, interpreting, and presentation ‒ trained through classes and field work from a required internship ‒ graduates will put their education to immediate use in their chosen field of industry.
Feature 2 - Media & Information Literacy
In the era of interactive communication, social media and digitalized mass media, citizens and media professionals alike are expected to critically evaluate the contents of mass media and information flowing from their social media circles, form rational opinions regarding public issues, and engage with the public as well as with their peers in their information network. Balanced appraisal of facts and information sources and critically evaluating news and opinions expressed on the web in blogs, tweets, web news sites as well as the traditional media are thus crucial skills that shape one’s ability to then disseminate information, opinion and media content to the public or to one’s clientele. Through coursework and field training, we cultivate skills that are an integral part of the expertise of communication specialists in media, public relations, business and organization communication.
Message from Program Head
AIU’s Global Communication Practices (GCP) is designed to train communication professionals capable of working in, and communicating across, different languages and cultures － in the areas of public relations, journalism, and organizational (business) communication.
Embedded throughout our curriculum, therefore, are dynamic, cross-cultural and cross-linguistic perspectives which go beyond the technical and theoretical exercises of learning. This is crucial, since certain types of professional communication that work in one culture may not resonate in different cultural contexts.
Our teaching faculty draw from extensive professional experiences in corporate communication, journalism and interpretation, (and advertising and PR) all within multi-cultural settings. And to this diverse expertise, students－who themselves come with multi-cultural backgrounds－richly contribute to the vibrant learning environment.
Through faculty-student and student-student interactions, we come to understand the technicality, breadth, and the nuance of international communication that characterize much of today’s challenges in international affairs and business.
Such real-world concerns are interwoven into our classes, lectures and activities (i.e. internships), which working in conjunction are intended to cultivate and inspire relevant knowledge and thinking, leading directly to a professional career in international communication. The combination of classes, internships and research projects, required for graduation typically last for two years but could be shortened to 18 months or less for the most qualified students with high performance evaluation.
Miki TANIKAWA
Head of Global Communication Practices
Associate Professor
Global Communication Practices Faculty
Message from Alumni
Completing a master’s degree at AIU is not only beneficial to people who aim to become professionals at work but also helpful to those who may consider pursuing a career in academia or may later go back to education. After joining the GCP program, I acquired professional knowledge of communication across different fields (organizational communication, intercultural communication, etc.). The GCP community itself is very diverse. Studying with students from other countries is a good opportunity to apply what we learned to real-life practice. The faculty members are experienced professionals in journalism, public relations, digital marketing, and communications.
Currently, I am a Ph.D. student researching the development of intercultural communication ability of students in Japanese higher education. My postgraduate experience at AIU bolstered my academic writing and research skills. The knowledge and skills I developed as a GCP student have been constantly helpful to my research in the doctoral program.
AIU’s faculty and staff have been supportive and responsive. Throughout the peak of the global pandemic, I still received sufficient support from professors. My days spent as an AIU student will always be something important to me. I absolutely cherish the experiences I acquired, friendships I had, and beautiful memories I brought away with me.
Yuxi GUO (Nationality: China)
- Jun. 2019
- Graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast
- Sep. 2019
- Enrolled in Graduate School of Global Communication and Language at AIU
- Mar. 2022
- Completed Master of Global Communication Practice (Professional)
- Currently enrolled in the Doctoral program of Global Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Students’ Voice
As a graduate of AIU’s undergraduate program, I was excited to continue my studies in a diverse and supportive environment that I loved over the past few years. In the GCP program, I learned practical skills in journalism, public relations, and interpreting through thoughtful discussions and real-life applications during my internship at Akita Television. I believe that AIU’s unique environment and curriculum have prepared me to excel as a professional in communications and become a global citizen.
Juri KUROSAWA
(Nationality: Japan / Undergraduate: Akita International University)
What I like most about the GCP program is how up-to-date they are to keep up with the shifting global politics and economy. The curriculum, for instance, includes courses regarding emerging fields, such as metaverse marketing. Furthermore, students are encouraged to design and develop projects applicable to real-world business, by which I could advance problem-solving skills for my future career. Besides its solid program, diversity is another reason I chose GCP. Students with various cultural backgrounds create a vibrant international community where everyone’s voice is valued and respected. I firmly believe that, in this global society where transnational cooperation is becoming crucial, every piece of experience at AIU will provide me with a lifelong basis of proficiency in global communication.
Yu-Hua HSU
(Nationality: Taiwan / Undergraduate: National Taiwan University)
Example Career Opportunities after Graduation
- Hokkaido University
- Suzuki Motor Corporation
- Cable Networks AKITA
- Mainichi Broadcasting System
- TAISEI CORPORATION
- Tohoku Hakuhodo Inc
- Custom Media KK
- BlueCurrent Japan
- Kewpie Corporation
- Kikkoman Corporation
- Inoue Public Relations
- Weber Shandwick
Example Career Paths after Graduation
- Journalist
- News Producer
- Global Relations Specialist
- Public Relations Practitioner
- Diplomat
- Public Policy Analyst
- International Communications Consultant
- Marketing and Communications Specialist
- Community Relations Specialist
- Communications Outreach Specialist
- Translator
- Interpreter