Both the Environmental Sciences program and the Japan in East Asia program were carefully designed with the intention of educating the next generation of leaders, world experts and policy makers. Both programs take a broad view interdisciplinary approach to subjects that are and will remain essential items on the international agenda. Some specific discussion of potential career paths are provided for each of the two programs below.

The PEAK approach to the study of Environmental Sciences builds on the broad educational base provided by the Liberal Arts curriculum studied in the first two years of the degree. Considering both science and social science perspectives gives students a rare ability to tackle environmental issues in a holistic manner and thus makes them ideally placed for a wide range of careers which involve the ability to advise on environmental problems and develop innovative solutions and policy. This includes working in the consultancy arena, providing strategic solutions for a range of different clients. Working for government is another natural path and students progressing in this way can bring their knowledge and skills to bear on establishing nationwide and even international environmental policy to safeguard our planet for future generations.

Environmental issues are on the agenda of all major manufacturing firms, along with energy providers, telecommunications and so on. Important roles exist within these companies for developing and delivering their products and services in an environmentally friendly fashion and graduates will be ideally placed to take on such roles. The breadth of experience and multi-faceted approach of the course will also mean that graduates are adept in the management field and careers in environmental planning and resource management are thus also very natural career pathways.

The strong science background provided by the course always considered in the practical context of real world delivery, means that PEAK Environmental Sciences graduates will also have natural routes into both industry and research arenas. In particular, as the PEAK Environmental Sciences course launches simultaneously with the associated Graduate Programs in Environmental Science (GPES, also delivered entirely in English) there is a fantastic opportunity for graduates to continue their studies at the University of Tokyo at both Masters and PhD level.

Building upon liberal arts education in the first two years, the PEAK Japan in East Asia program is designed to provide students with academic training through which they can acquire a wide range of skills and knowledge that enhance employability in a variety of professional areas such as international/national public services, multi-national business, journalism, international NGOs, and education. First, the PEAK interdisciplinary approach, which is firmly embedded in humanity and social science studies, enables students to develop a broad, but simultaneously informed and rigorous perspective to analyse and understand a multitude of issues in Japan and East Asia. Second, the multilingual learning environment offered by the Japan in East Asia program not only helps students to become functional in plural languages, but also furnishes opportunities in which they can have hands-on experiences of transnational exchanges and negotiations in and outside of class. Finally, by locating ‘Japan’ in the East Asian and global contexts, PEAK students are encouraged to foster abilities to challenge and innovate extant ways of viewing and understanding the world and in so doing, contribute to opening up the future. As such, the PEAK program aims at nurturing the next generations of global leaders who can display excellence in critical analysis, innovative thinking and international communication - important qualities for the driving force of international organizations, national/sub-regional governments, business corporations, the mass media and INGOs.

Besides this, the strong academic foundation cultivated through the PEAK Japan in East Asia program will also be a useful asset for students who wish to pursue an academic career at increasingly more globalised higher education institutions. For those students, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo concurrently introduces a graduate program, the Graduate Program on Global Society (GSP), that offers Masters and PhD degree programs in English as a natural path of progression.