Global Communication Practices (GCP)
The coursework for Global Communication Practices is designed to cultivate the knowledge and skills essential for advanced intercultural communication. These skills are crucial for professionals in global business and communications, including journalists, public relations practitioners, and digital marketing and communications specialists in both private and public organizations.
The program provides practical training in business communication and outreach, research, interviewing, correspondence, negotiation, debate, translation, and interpreting. It also incorporates theoretical studies on global communication.
An emphasis is placed on developing students’ perspectives on a variety of social and cultural issues. This approach helps students understand the intricate relationships among mass media, governments, digital platforms, non-governmental organizations, and business communities in a global society.
Expected Student Outcomes
- Familiarity with information gathering and research methods.
- Knowledge and understanding of the operations involved in public relations activities and campaigns, including the digital dimension of communication and marketing.
- The ability to ideate news story ideas, report, and compose journalistic articles suitable for publication in professional news media.
- Proficiency in negotiation and debate skills.
- Developing cultural sensitivity and the ability to communicate cross-culturally. Grasp of Japanese culture and its communicative logics is emphasized.
- Ethical practice in public relations, advertising, and journalism, enabling students to make informed and sound judgments with a full view of the various stakeholders.
- Simultaneous interpretation skills.
Feature 1 – Professional Skills
With a focus on practical skills essential for effective business communication—such as negotiation, research, interpretation, and presentation—graduates are trained through classes and hands-on fieldwork, including a required internship. This ensures they can immediately apply their education in their chosen industry.
Feature 2 – Media & Information Literacy
In the era of interactive communication, social media, and digitalized mass media, both citizens and media professionals are expected to critically evaluate the content of mass media and the information flowing through their social media circles. This involves forming rational opinions on public issues and engaging with the public as well as peers within their information networks. A balanced appraisal of facts and information sources, along with critical evaluation of news and opinions found in blogs, tweets, web news sites, and traditional media, is a crucial skill. These abilities shape an individual’s capacity to disseminate information, opinions, and media content effectively to the public or their clientele.
Through coursework and field training, we cultivate these skills as an integral part of the expertise required for communication specialists in media, public relations, business, and organizational communication.
Internship Program
As part of the dynamic GCP curriculum, students complete internships in various media and corporate organizations. By immersing themselves in real-world experiences, students acquire fundamental knowledge and practical skills in journalism, public relations, and advertising. Combined with GCP’s rigorous academic curriculum, these internships prepare students for successful professional careers in the future.
Global Communication Practices Facebook Page
The Facebook page of the Global Communication Practices introduces the daily activities of the students.
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 as well as the new and constantly evolving technology.
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
Professor
Messages from Alumni
Studying at GCP at AIU broadened my horizon in various ways. The courses and the faculty members are flexible and are very supportive in tailoring my needs and interests which helped in reaching my academic and professional goals. The learning and living facilities are more than adequate for my growth; the international environment opened up new things to learn while practicing the intercultural communication skill as instructed in classes.
Since graduating in 2020, I have been working in the Public Relations Division of Hokkaido University, one of the oldest universities in Japan. Out of all my responsibilities, I enjoy creating written and digital coverage of the research activities the most – where I still employ everything I have learned from the courses that I have taken at AIU.
Aprilia Agatha GUNAWAN
(Nationality: Indonesia)
| Feb. 2018 | Graduated from University of Indonesia |
| Sep. 2018 | Enrolled in Graduate School of Global Communication and Language at AIU |
| Mar. 2020 | Completed Master of Global Communication Practice (Professional) |
| Currently working in the Public Relations Division at Hokkaido University |
Students’ Voice
During my time in the GCP program, I have developed the ability to view things from a diverse range of perspectives, which has been invaluable in preparing me for the Japanese business world. My interest in global marketing communication and PR has deepened, fueled by our professors who incorporate real-world examples into our discussions. Furthermore, the varied cultural backgrounds of my classmates enrich our conversations, allowing me to appreciate different viewpoints. This experience has not only broadened my understanding but has also enhanced my professional skills in a global context. I got an offer for a full-time position from a major Japanese public relations company called SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP Inc. and will start working there in April 2025.
CHAN Sum Yi（Nationality：Hong Kong／Undergraduate：Yamanashi Gakuin University）
Example Career Opportunities after Graduation
- Anheuser-Busch InBev Japan
- Mercedes-Benz Japan
- Deloitte (U.S.A.)
- Hokkaido University
- Suzuki Motor Corporation
- Cable Networks Akita
- Inoue Public Relations
- Weber Shandwick
- CyberAgent, Inc
- Prestige International Inc
- Setsu Niseko
Example Career Paths after Graduation
- Social Media Manager
- Digital Marketing Specialist
- Content Marketing Specialist
- Journalist/Media Writer
- News Producer
- Public Relations Practitioner
- Public Policy Analyst
- International Communications Consultant
- Marketing and Communications Specialist
- Community Relations Specialist
- Communications Outreach Specialist
- Translator
- Interpreter