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International Doctoral Program

The Graduate School of Engineering, the Graduate School of Information Sciences, the Graduate School of Environmental Studies and the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering are pleased to announce the Tohoku University International Doctoral Program in Engineering, Information Sciences, Environmental Studies and Biomedical Engineering and invite applicants for 2013 entry. The program was launched in 2001 and is now in its thirteenth year. In this program, a wide variety of elective courses are being offered in English. 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 24 departments listed below:

List of departments

  1. Mechanical Systems and Designexternal website
  2. Nanomechanicsexternal website
  3. Aerospace Engineeringexternal website
  4. Quantum Science and Energy Engineeringexternal website
  5. Bioengineering and Roboticsexternal website
  6. Electrical Engineeringexternal website
  7. Communication Engineeringexternal website
  8. Electronic Engineeringexternal website
  9. Applied Physicsexternal website
  10. Applied Chemistryexternal website
  11. Chemical Engineeringexternal website
  12. Biomolecular Engineeringexternal website
  13. Metallurgyexternal website
  14. Materials Scienceexternal website
  15. Materials Processingexternal website
  16. Civil and Environmental Engineeringexternal website
  17. Architecture and Building Scienceexternal website
  18. Management Science and Technologyexternal website
  19. Computer and Mathematical Sciencesexternal website
  20. System Information Sciencesexternal website
  21. Human-Social Information Sciencesexternal website
  22. Applied Information Sciencesexternal website
  23. Environmental Studiesexternal website
  24. Biomedical Engineeringexternal website

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

Twenty-four students can be admitted per year into the program. 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

It depends on the rules of each Graduate School.

Students should complete the necessary credits according to degree requirements given by the department where they belong. Example: Graduate School of Engineering (for students in the departments 1 through 18)

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 ; (3) submission of a Doctoral dissertation; and (4) oral defense of the dissertation.

Note that students should complete 2 or more credits of subjects provided by the course group (A/B/C) they chose, preferably by the department where they belong.

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, the Master of Environmental Studies degree and the Master of Biomedical Engineering 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.

APPLICATION

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

Candidates should submit all the materials except recommendation letters (items 6) together in a single envelope. The envelope should be addressed as given in the forward pages and should contain: three copies of items 7 and 10; originals of items 4 and 5; and one original plus two copies of all other items, except items 6. GRE and English test scores (items 4 and 5) should be provided in sealed envelopes as supplied by the responsible organization. The following are the materials to be submitted:

  1. APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION (Form #1PDF)
  2. Certificates of Bachelor´s Degree and Master´s Degree
  3. Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
  4. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. (GRE General Test is preferable)
  5. 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.
  6. RECOMMENDATION LETTER #1 and #2 (Form #3PDF)
  7. Census register or other proof of citizenship
  8. Copy of passport
  9. 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.
  10. Master´s dissertation or equivalent (1000 words in English, 2000 characters in Japanese). A cover is required.
  11. Personal statement on why the applicant desires to pursue the Doctoral Degree in Engineering, Information Sciences, Environmental Studies or Biomedical Engineering
  12. Supporting material (optional) such as thesis, journal, conference, and submitted publications

NOTE: To be eligible for admission, please be sure to submit ALL of the above materials.

SELECTION AND ADMISSION

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. The program begins on October 1, 2013 .

TUITION AND FEES

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

  • (a) Documents submitted become the property of Tohoku University and cannot be returned.
  • (b) Candidates should locate a possible research advisor at Tohoku University before application.
  • (c) 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 May 31, 2013. Candidates will be notified of results of selection by the beginning of July, 2013. 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, Environmental Studies and Biomedical Engineering
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
HOME PAGE: http://www.eng.tohoku.ac.jp/english/

2013-2015 Course Groups

Period I corresponds to the period from October 2013 to September 2014, Period II and III are 2014 to 2015 and 2015 to 2016, respectively.

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

Group A: Life Science
Period I
(6)(24) Advanced Bioelectromagnetics
(19) Advanced Topics in Neuroscience
Period II
(5) Advanced Bio-Mechanics
(12) Advanced Biomolecular Engineering
(16) Advanced Environmental Hydraulics and Water Quality Engineering
Period III
(4) Medical Molecular Engineering
Group B: Green Innovation
Period I
(9) Quantum Material Physics
(11) Advanced Process Analysis and Modeling
(17) CFD modeling for building environment design
(23) Advanced Environmental Resources Chemistry
Period II
(18) Advanced Energy Systems and Society
(23) Advanced Environmental Studies on Geothermal Energy
Period III
(10) Advanced Course in Atoms and Molecules Control Engineering
(13) Advanced Course on Materials Physical Chemistry
(14) Advanced Topics on Highly Sophisticated Materials
(14) Advanced Topics on High Performance Materials
Group C: Safety and Security
Period I
(3) Shock Wave in Complex Media and their Interdisciplinary Applications
(16) Advanced Civil Engineering Structures
(18) Advanced Topics on Science & Technology Policy
Period II
(1) (2) Advanced Damage Tolerance and Design
(7) (8) Advanced High-Speed Communication Engineering
(13) Metallurgical Process Engineering
Period III
(4) Advanced Quantum Science and Energy Engineering
(8) Advanced Electronic Device Engineering
(15) Advanced Materials Processing
(17) Geological Environment and Earthquake Disaster
Note:
Please refer to "DEGREE REQUIREMENTS" in the previous pages.