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HOW TO USE THIS GUIDEBOOK
I JAPANESE GRADUATE SCHOOL SYSTEM
Graduate School consists of master's and doctoral programs.
Master's Program：2 years.
Doctoral Program：5 years, is divided into a first half(2 years, equivalent to the above-mentioned master's program)and a second half(3 years). However, the doctoral program for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine courses(after completion of medicine)is 4 years. There are graduate schools offer 5-year-doctoral program, while others offer only the second half(3 years)of the doctoral program.
Many foreign students enroll themselves as research students, auditing, or credit-course students before entering into graduate schools. However, admission of research program, auditing, and credit-course programs differ between undergraduate and graduate programs.
* Research Program：This program and its name vary with each university. This program dose not offer any degree. One must pass the entrance examination to be come a regular student of the graduate school.
* Auditing, Credit-course Programs：In these programs, one can attend any specific lecture. However, qualification and approval for attending courses vary with graduate schools. With credit course system, one can receive credits upon attending courses as well.
* According to the Immigration-Control and Refugee-Recognition Act, foreign student who allowed to enroll and attend lecture for more than 10 hours per week, based on his/her performance in the entrance selection of the education institution, would be granted "College Student" of status residence. In the past, one lecture was calculated as 2 hours, but from 1994, under the school system, applicants will be advised to attend more than actual period of 10 hours(600 minutes)of lectures per week.
Usually Japanese universities commence on April and end on next March, but there are some universities accepting research students, auditing, and credit-course students on October as well. Since lectures are held in Japanese(very few universities offer lectures in English),one must be able to understand lectures in Japanese in order to attend courses.
II QUALIFICATION
One has to be university graduate or equivalent to go for graduate school in Japan. For foreign student, one has to have one of the following qualification to be apply for graduate school. Meanwhile, due to deregulation by ministry of Education and Science in these years, there is tendency that qualification is individually judged by graduate school. Please inquires at each graduate school for further information.
Master's Program：
(1)University graduate (or prospect to graduate).
(2)One who has completed(or prospect to complete)16 years of school education in foreign country.
(3)One who considered as having scholastic ability equivalent to university graduate by this university.
Doctoral Program
(1)One who has completed(or prospect to complete)master's program.
(2)One who considered as having scholastic ability equivalent to graduate(or prospect to graduate)of master's program from foreign country.
(3)One who considered as having scholastic ability equivalent to completion(or prospect to complete)of master's program by this university.
For medicine, dentistry, and veterinary school：
(1)University graduate or prospect to graduate of medical, dentistry or veterinary school.
(2)One who has completed(or prospect to complete)18 years of school education (previous school must be medical, dentistry or veterinary school).
(3)One who considered as having scholastic ability equivalent to graduate of medical, dentistry, and veterinary school by this university.
Excerpt from the University Council's recommendations regarding the improvement of the selection of graduate school entrants, August 9,1999.
II. Specific Measures for the Selection of Graduate School Entrants
1. Greater flexibility in qualifications for graduate school entrance
(2) Accepting graduate students on the basis of separate screening of individual ability
(a) The basic mission of graduate schools is to further advance specialized knowledge grounded in basic abilities nurtured on the undergraduate level that enable the individual to work in specialized areas. As universities have developed more diverse and individual-oriented programs, however, the aims of undergraduate education and the content of undergraduate programs have come to vary widely. Moreover, depending on the area of specialization, there are differences between the content and other aspects of education on the undergraduate level, and the fundamental abilities demanded as qualification for graduate school admission. Furthermore, in view of the special nature of graduate education and research, and to enable graduate schools to develop further, it has become necessary to enable individual graduate schools to admit applicants on the basis separate assessment of individual ability in addition to the uniform stipulation, from the perspective of systemic continuity, of the specific content and scope of qualifications for graduate school admission. From the perspective of providing as broad an opportunity as possible for graduate school admission, entrance qualifications within the scope of systemic continuity have been made more flexible. As discussed above, however, it is in keeping with the future state of graduate schools not to stop at this but to open the way for graduate schools to make exceptions and recognize as qualified for admission, through the separate evaluation of individual ability, those applicants who have achieved a level where it is appropriate for them to endeavor to further develop in their field of specialization at the graduate level and who have academic ability that is at least equivalent of a university graduate.
III COMPILATION
Universities and courses (Graduate Schools)
We sent questionnaires to the national, local public and private graduate colleges and universities throughout Japan and made continuous request to answer them since March 2002. The results were collected by the end of September and this is the summary.
EXPLANATORY
◆This is mainly aimed at private foreign students.
◆It is easy to obtain information when one is progressing his/her education at the same university, therefore we introduce the universities from the point of view of an outsider.
◆As far as possible, we tried to include information for 2003 term, however, there are certain universities that have not finalized their application procedures at time of editing, in that case, the 2002 data is being used as reference.
◆Accepting of foreign students into graduate school varies with each graduate school of the university. Some universities provide special examination, while others required foreign students to take general examination-same as Japanese students, still there are some universities provide both general and special examinations. In this guidebook, we put down the priority of information that special examination is available, but, if one is undergraduate of Japanese university or has been residing in Japan for a number of years, he/she would have to take the same entrance examination with the Japanese students.
◆A detailed introduction, regarding the entrance examination, date of application, date of examination, notification of admission, and availability of previous examination papers, has been introduced for the masters program, doctoral program and research program. Qualification of Application has been omitted (see II Qualification). Points that need to take caution will be concluded as "Note" For research programs, necessity or unnecessity of approval from academic advisor, if needed, academic advisor will/will not be introduced by the school is also included. Audition and credit course programs have been omitted due to lack of space.
◆List of Universities according to divisions are also printed on the Index.
◆Please make inquires directly to each university graduate school for further information. As examination dates vary annually, be sure to get the application guides published by each university and ascertain the dates. We strongly recommend the applicants to make inquiries before application period, since some graduate schools hold qualification screening before application as well.
Sp. is printed after each program to indicate special examination available
for foreign students. Abroad is printed too to indicate that application from abroad is accepted
too for applicants reside overseas. QS is printed too to indicate that prior Qualification Screening
is necessary.
Ex. Master's Program sp., Abroad, QS
Japanese Language Proficiency Test can be taken annually on December either in Japan or abroad, it is divided into 4 levels. This Test is cosponsored by Japan Association of International Education and Japan Foundation. One will be granted certification of Japanese language ability once he/she passes the test. The Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) is used to evaluate whether international students who wish to study at universities (mainly at the undergraduate level) or other such higher educational institutions in Japan possess the Japanese language skills and the basic academic abilities needed to study at those institutions. Starting in 2002, EJU will be administered twice a year (the third Sunday in June and November) in Japan and other countries and regions.
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