Social Researcher Qualification
(Starting with students admitted in 2011)
I. Certification of Social Researcher Qualification
At Tohoku Gakuin University, you can earn the “Certified Social Researcher” qualification through the following programs: Faculty of Human Sciences Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Informatics Department of Data Science, and Faculty of Liberal Arts Department of Human Science.
This qualification is an official qualification at the undergraduate level, certified by the Japan Association for Social Research. It requires the acquisition of fundamental knowledge and skills related to social research, as well as a corresponding level of applied ability and ethical awareness.
For more detailed information about Certified Social Researchers, please visit the Social Research Association's website or contact the instructors in charge of Course A or Course G in your respective department.
II. Courses required to obtain the "Social Research Specialist" qualification
It is necessary to complete courses corresponding to the standard curriculum A-G of each institution certified by the "Social Survey Association" and receive credit for them.
The standard curriculum A through G for each department specifically refers to the following:
For academic year allocations, please refer to Table 1, "List of Applicable Subjects," for each department.
Faculty of Human Sciences Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
Standard Curriculum Types
| A | A course on the fundamentals of social research (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Fundamentals of Social Research" |
| B | Course on survey design and implementation methods (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Social Survey Methods" |
| C | A course on basic data analysis and document analysis (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Social Statistics" |
| D | A course on statistics necessary for social research (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Basic Statistics" |
| E | A course on methods of multivariate analysis (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Multivariate analysis" |
| F | A course on qualitative research and analysis methods (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | Course not offered (Note 1) |
| G | A course that involves hands-on experience and learning about social research (180 minutes x 15 weeks x 2 courses) | "Social Survey Practice A" "Social Survey Practice B" (Note 2) |
- (Note 1) You only need to choose one of E or F.
- (Note 2) Obtaining credits for both A and B in the same academic year.
Table 1: List of applicable subjects
| Certified subjects type |
Applicable subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1年 | 2年 | ||
| A subject Subjects concerning the fundamentals of social research |
Fundamentals of Social Research (Second semester: 2 credits) |
||
| B subject Course on Survey Design and Implementation Methods |
Social research methods (First semester: 2 credits) |
||
| C subject Courses on basic materials and data analysis |
social statistics (First semester: 2 credits) |
||
| D subject Subjects related to statistics necessary for social research |
basic statistics (First semester: 2 credits) |
||
| E subject Course on methods of multivariate analysis |
Multivariate analysis (Second semester: 2 credits) |
||
| F subject Courses on qualitative research and analysis methods |
Classes will not be held. | ||
| G subject A course that involves hands-on experience and learning about social research. |
Social Survey Practice A * (First semester: 2 credits) |
Social Survey Practice B * (Second semester: 2 credits) |
|
- * Social Survey Practice A and B must be completed in the same academic year.
Faculty of Informatics Department of Data Science
Standard Curriculum Types
| A | A course on the fundamentals of social research (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Fundamentals of Social Research" |
| B | Course on survey design and implementation methods (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Social Survey Methods" |
| C | A course on basic data analysis and document analysis (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Social Statistics A" |
| D | A course on statistics necessary for social research (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | Applied Statistics |
| E | A course on methods of multivariate analysis (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Social Statistics B" |
| F | A course on qualitative research and analysis methods (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | Course not offered (Note 1) |
| G | A course that involves hands-on experience and learning about social research (180 minutes x 15 weeks x 2 courses) | "Social Survey Practice A" "Social Survey Practice B" (Note 2) |
- (Note 1) You only need to choose one of E or F.
- (Note 2) Obtaining credits for both A and B in the same academic year.
Table 1: List of applicable subjects
| Certified subjects type |
Applicable subject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1年 | 2年 | ||
| A subject Subjects concerning the fundamentals of social research |
Fundamentals of Social Research (Second semester: 2 credits) |
||
| B subject Course on Survey Design and Implementation Methods |
Social research methods (First semester: 2 credits) |
||
| C subject Courses on basic materials and data analysis |
Social statistics A (First semester: 2 credits) |
||
| D subject Subjects related to statistics necessary for social research |
Applied Statistics (Second semester: 2 credits) |
||
| E subject Course on methods of multivariate analysis |
Social Statistics B (Second semester: 2 credits) |
||
| F subject Courses on qualitative research and analysis methods |
Classes will not be held. | ||
| G subject A course that involves hands-on experience and learning about social research. |
Social Survey Practice A * (First semester: 2 credits) |
Social Survey Practice B * (Second semester: 2 credits) |
|
- * Social Survey Practice A and B must be completed in the same academic year.
Faculty of Liberal Arts Department of Human Science
Standard Curriculum Types
| A | A course on the fundamentals of social research (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Fundamentals of Sociology B" |
| B | Course on survey design and implementation methods (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Social Survey Methods" |
| C | A course on basic data analysis and document analysis (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Social Statistics A" |
| D | A course on statistics necessary for social research (90 minutes x 15 weeks x 2 courses) | "Basic Statistics" Applied Statistics |
| E | A course on methods of multivariate analysis (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | "Social Statistics B" |
| F | A course on qualitative research and analysis methods (90 minutes x 15 weeks) | Course not offered (Note 1) |
| G | A course that involves hands-on experience and learning about social research (180 minutes x 15 weeks x 2 courses) | "Social Survey Practice A" "Social Survey Practice B" |
(Note 1) You only need to choose one of E or F.
Table 1: List of applicable subjects
| Certified subjects type |
Applicable subject | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1年 | 2年 | |||
| A subject Subjects concerning the fundamentals of social research |
Fundamentals of Sociology B (Second semester: 2 credits) |
|||
| B subject Course on Survey Design and Implementation Methods |
Social research methods (First semester: 2 credits) |
|||
| C subject Courses on basic materials and data analysis |
Social statistics A (First semester: 2 credits) |
|||
| D subject Subjects related to statistics necessary for social research |
Basic statistics * (First semester: 2 credits) |
Applied Statistics * (Second semester: 2 credits) |
||
| E subject Course on methods of multivariate analysis |
Social Statistics B (Second semester: 2 credits) |
|||
| F subject Courses on qualitative research and analysis methods |
Classes will not be held. | |||
| G subject A course that involves hands-on experience and learning about social research. |
Social Survey Practice A ** (First semester: 2 credits) |
Social Survey Practice B ** (Second semester: 2 credits) |
||
- * Obtain credits for both Basic Statistics and Applied Statistics from Professor Tatsuya Okada in the same academic year.
- ** Social Survey Practice A and B must be completed in the same academic year.**
III. Costs and procedures for qualification application
Regular qualifications require a bachelor's degree. While enrolled, you will not hold regular qualifications; instead, you will be issued a Social Researcher (Candidate) certificate at the beginning of your third year, which can be used for job hunting. Additionally, a candidate certification examination fee of 16,500 yen and a regular qualification conversion fee of 5,500 yen * are required.
*This is required when changing from a Social Researcher (Candidate) to a regular qualification.
Please also refer to the Social Survey Association's website.