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International Doctoral Programs

The Graduate School of Engineering, the Graduate School of Information Sciences and the Graduate School of Environmental Studies are pleased to announce the Tohoku University International Doctoral Program in Engineering, Information Sciences and Environmental Studies and invite applicants for 2010 entry. The program was launched in 2001 through the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho) and is now in its tenth year. In this program, a wide variety of elective courses are being offered in English. Two types of scholarships are being offered as part of the program for international students with outstanding scholastic ability: Premium Doctoral Scholarships, aided as a support program of the Institute for International Advanced Research and Education (IIARE), Tohoku University, and Monbukagakusho Scholarships, aided by Monbukagakusho. Also, students enjoy some of the world's best experimental facilities and study along with distinguished faculty and associates to develop creative and original research that is published in highly reputed international journals.

Candidates should submit application materials and choose a department for enrollment from the 22 departments listed below:

Table 1. List of departments

Candidates should also choose one from the following course groups (A-E):

Group A: Environmental Engineering
Group B: Information and Communications
Group C: Medical Engineering
Group D: Energy
Group E: Materials

Twenty-five students can be admitted per year into the program, with 5 students being selected from each course group (A-E). Up to fourteen students with outstanding scholastic ability will be awarded scholarships (Figure 1)-from among applicants received, two students who have enrolled in the departments 1 through 17 (Table 1) with extraordinary scholastic ability can be specially awarded Premium Doctoral Scholarships; twelve other students enrolled in departments 1 through 22 with outstanding scholastic ability can be awarded Monbukagakusho Scholarships.

Scholarships offered for international students.

Lectures in English are arranged in areas of students' research specialty. However, depending on the students' language ability, research supervision may be in English or Japanese. Students may also attend lectures given in Japanese to fulfill their requirements.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The main requirements for Ph.D. degree are (1) three years of residency, which may be shortened for special cases in which outstanding research performance is demonstrated; (2) successful completion of a minimum of 16 credits for students in the departments 1 to 17 and 22, or 12 credits for those in the departments 18 to 21; (3) submission of a Doctoral dissertation; and (4) oral defense of doctoral thesis.

For students in the departments 1 to 17 and 22, the above 16 credits consist of 8 credits of basic interdisciplinary courses and research seminar, and 8 credits of thesis preparation and submission.

For students in the departments 18 to 21, the above 12 credits consist of 4 credits of basic interdisciplinary courses, and 8 credits of research seminar. In addition to these requirements, students are required to acquire 2 or more credits from the courses of one's course group (A/B/C/D/E) in the last page.

CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY

Eligible candidates are:

Those who have Master´s degree, or master´s students who are expected to hold a Master´s degree before the admission date of the International Doctoral Program. The Master´s degree acquired or to be acquired must be equivalent to the Master of Engineering degree, the Master of Information Sciences degree or the Master of Environmental Studies degree awarded by Tohoku University, which include both research and thesis components.
Those who have been involved in research for a minimum of two years in internationally accredited College, University or Research Institute after acquiring a Bachelor´s degree from a Japanese accredited College or University, or those who have the same or higher level of academic ability than a Master´s degree holder.

To be eligible for scholarships, candidates must be under 35 years of age as of April 1, 2010 (born after April 2, 1975) and citizens of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. Military personnel and employees from military institutions are not eligible.

APPLICATION

All application materials, as listed below, must be written in English or Japanese.

Candidates should submit all the materials except recommendation letters (items 8 and 15) together in a single envelope. The envelope should be addressed as given in the forward pages and should contain: three copies of items 9 and 12; originals of items 6 and 7; and one original plus two copies of all other items, except items 8 and 15. GRE and English test scores (items 6 and 7) should be provided in sealed envelopes as supplied by the responsible organization. The following are the materials to be submitted:

APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION (Form #1)
APPLICATION FOR JAPANESE GOVERNMENT (MONBUKAGAKUSHO:MEXT) SCHOLARSHIP (Forms #2 and #3). Forms #2 and #3 will also be used for the selection of candidates of Premium Doctoral Scholarships.
CERTIFICATE OF HEALTH (Form #4)
Certificates of Bachelor´s Degree and Master´s Degree
Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. (GRE General Test is preferable)
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) score. The TOEFL institution code of the Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University is 8958.
RECOMMENDATION LETTER #1 and #2 (Form #5)
Census register or other proof of citizenship
Copy of passport
Curriculum Vitae with passport photos (6×4cm) taken within the past 6 months. An original photo is required on each copy of the curriculum vitae.
Master´s dissertation or equivalent (1000 words in English, 2000 characters in Japanese). A cover is required.
Personal statement on why the applicant desires to pursue the Doctoral Degree in Engineering, Information Sciences or Environmental Studies
Supporting material (optional) such as thesis, journal, conference, and submitted publications.
OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION LETTER (Form #6).

NOTE: To be eligible for admission and a possible scholarship, please be sure to submit ALL of the above materials. Only applicants applying for the scholarships need to submit Forms #2, and #3.

SELECTION AND ADMISSION

Preliminary selection is carried out by the International Doctoral Program Evaluation Committee, based on recommendations from the above-mentioned departments and scholastic aptitude of candidates, according to transcripts, GRE and English language test scores, direct or internet interview, and materials submitted. Then, the Committee determines 2 Premium Doctoral Scholarship recipients from among students who have applied (Table 1). Tohoku University recommends 12 other selected candidates to Monbukagakusho who makes the final determination of Monbukagakusho Scholarship recipients. The program begins on October 1, 2010.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Premium Doctoral Scholarships (aided as a support program of IIARE, Tohoku University)-Tohoku University awards 3-year special scholarships, instead of Monbukagakusho Scholarships, to 2 students who enroll in departments 1-17 (Table 1) who have extraordinary abilities (see Figure 1). The scholarships cover living expenses (200,000 yen/month), subsidies to cover entrance examination fees, admission fees, tuition fees for 3 years, and a round-trip air ticket (discounted economy) between the nearest international airport in the country of the student's nationality and the New Tokyo International Airport (NRT). Students awarded Premium Doctoral Scholarships will also be registered in the IIARE and are requested to complete their doctoral studies within three years of financial support.

Monbukagakusho Scholarships (aided by Monbukagakusho)-Monbukagakusho awards 3-year scholarships to 12 students who enroll in departments 1-22 (Table 1) with favorable evaluations (see Figure 1). The scholarships cover living expenses (approximately 170,000 yen/month), include a round-trip air ticket (discounted economy) between the nearest international airport in the country of the student's nationality and the New Tokyo International Airport (NRT). Students awarded with Monbukagakusho Scholarships are exempt from all admission fee and tuition fee. Monbukagakusho requests students who are admitted to the program to complete their doctoral studies within three years of financial support. According to the regulations of Monbukagakusho, the Monbukagakusho Scholarships will be awarded to a maximum of three students for each country.

For non-scholarship students, entrance examination fee is 30,000 yen and admission fee is 282,000 yen. Tuition fee is 535,800 yen per academic year. Fees can be revised during the enrollment period. In that case, the new rates are applicable and become effective from the date of the revision.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Documents submitted become the property of Tohoku University and cannot be returned.
Simultaneous applications for Monbukagakusho Scholarship to more than one university are strictly prohibited and will result in cancellation of all scholarship applications being made by the candidate.
Candidates should locate a possible research advisor at Tohoku University before application.
Scholarship students must depart their country on the 1st of October 2010 or later, and arrive in Japan between the 1st of October and 7th of October 2010. Scholarships may be canceled if recipients of Monbukagakusho scholarships fail to arrive in Japan within the above time frame. Non-Scholarship students must arrive in Japan by 25th of September.
All candidates for the program must have finished at least 16 years of primary and secondary education and must have graduated from a university or equivalent. In principle, a degree from another country should have corresponding number of years of formal education to be considered as equivalent to a Japanese degree. However, the Japanese government and universities, considering the differences in educational systems of different countries, have established criteria and schemes that allow international students to attain equivalence to Japanese educational system. Candidates are strongly advised to contact the Admission Office of the Faculty of Engineering with regards to matters on eligibility prior to application.
Candidates are encouraged to become acquainted with Japanese language, culture, and customs. Knowledge of Japanese is essential for daily life and will help to make the stay in Japan productive and also culturally enriching.

SCHEDULE AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Candidates should submit the required materials so that they arrive no later than February 2, 2010. Candidates will be notified of results of the preliminary selection stage around the end of April 2010. Results of the final selection stage authorized by Monbukagakusho will be announced by July 2010.

The application forms can be obtained from the office of college or university that have a signed academic agreement with Tohoku University, or the homepages listed below. Further information for the application may be requested by writing to:

International Doctoral Program in Engineering, Information Sciences and Environmental Studies: c/o Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Aramaki Aza Aoba 6-6-04, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579
TEL: +81-22-795-5820
FAX: +81-22-795-5824
E-MAIL:
HOME PAGE: http://www.eng.tohoku.ac.jp/english/

2010-2012 Course Groups

Numbers in parentheses "( )" refer to departments offering the courses listed on page 1.

Group A: Environmental Engineering: (1)(2) Advanced Damage Tolerance and Design, July and/or August, 2012; (9) Advanced Process Analysis and Modeling, July and/or August, 2011; (14) Advanced Environmental Hydraulics and Water Quality Engineering, July and/or August, Every other year; (15) Geological Environment and Earthquake Disaster, July and/or August, 2013; (16) Advanced Topics in Technology Policy, October 2011 to February, 2012; (22) Advanced Functional Materials for Environment-friendly Systems, August, 2012; (22) Advanced Environmental Biotechnology, August, 2013; (22) Advanced Earth System and Global Change, August, 2011

Group B: Information and Communications: (5)(6)(20)(21) Advanced High-Speed Communication Engineering, April to September, 2012; (6)(19) Advanced Electronic Device Engineering, July and/or August, 2013; (7)(18) Quantum Material Physics, February, 2011; (12) Advanced Topics on High Performance Materials, July and/or August, 2013; (18) Optical Networking, October, 2011

Group C: Medical Engineering: (4) Advanced Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, August and/or September, 2013; (4) Medical Molecular Engineering, August, 2013; (5) Advanced Bioelectromagnetics, October and/or November, 2010; (6) Advanced Biomedical Electronics, July and/or August, 2013; (10) Advanced Biomolecular Engineering, July and/or August, 2012; (11) Advanced Course on Materials Physical Chemistry, July and/or August, 2013; (17) Advanced Bio-Mechanics, March, 2011

Group D: Energy: (3) Shock Wave in Complex Media and their Interdisciplinary Applications, July and/or August, 2011; (4) Advanced Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, August and/or September, 2013; (8) Advanced Course in Atoms and Molecules Control Engineering, July and/or August, 2013; (9) Advanced Process Analysis and Modeling, July and/or August, 2011; (13) Advanced Materials Processing, July and/or August, 2013; (14) Advanced Civil Engineering Structures, July and/or August, Every other year; (15) Energy and Indoor Environment of Residential Buildings, April to July, 2013; (16) Advanced Energy Systems and Society, October to December, every year; (22) Advanced Functional Materials for Environment-friendly Systems, August, 2012; (22) Advanced Environmental Biotechnology, August, 2013; (22) Advanced Earth System and Global Change, August, 2011

Group E: Materials: (7) Quantum Material Physics, February, 2011; (8) Advanced Course in Atoms and Molecules Control Engineering, July and/or August, 2013; (10) Advanced Biomolecular Engineering, July and/or August, 2012; (11) Metallurgical Process Engineering, July and/or August, 2012; (11) Advanced Course on Materials Physical Chemistry, July and/or August, 2013; (12) Advanced Topics on Highly Sophisticated Materials, July and/or August, 2013; (13) Advanced Materials Processing, July and/or August, 2013

Note:: Please refer to "DEGREE REQUIREMENTS" in the previous pages.