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IGPAS (International Graduate Program for Advanced Science)

 

 

・IGPAS Application Booklet 2012
IGPAS2012_booklet
8p/1.1MB
     

Application Period

  • IGPAS 2012  
Program begins:
October 1, 2012 (Fall 2012 semester)
Application Period:
November 1 - November 30, 2011
Notification Period:
February 1-15, 2012
Status:
Closed

Introduction

      The International Graduate Program for Advanced Science (IGPAS) was initiated in October 2004 as one of the first International Priority Graduate Programs supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology (MEXT). The lecture courses are taught in English, and the students are not required to learn the Japanese language, although you are encouraged to learn it for your daily life. Scholarships and housing opportunities are available to make it easier for students from developing countries to apply. Since its establishment in 2004, 31 students from 19 countries have earned Master of Science degrees, and 24 have earned Ph.D. degrees, as of September 2011.

Program Details

     IGPAS is a 5-year graduate program combining a 2-year master’s program and a 3-year doctoral program. Each student is affiliated with one of 6 departments: Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, Geophysics, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences.
     Each department determines its own curriculum and course requirements. Availability of classes varies depending on the semester and/or departments. Students may consult their supervisor about their research plan each semester before registration.

Eigibility for IGPAS

     Applicants for IGPAS must satisfy ONE of the following conditions.
     Those who DONOT meet condition (i) must contact the IGPAS Admissions Office by November 14, 2011 to confirm if they are eligible to apply under condition (ii) or (iii). Some of them may be required to take a preliminary screening in advance of the application.

Master’s Program

( i ) Those who have graduated, or will graduate, from a university[1] by September 30, 2012.
( ii ) Those who have completed, or are expected to complete, a total of 15 years of school education[2] by September 30, 2012 and have been recognized by the Graduate School of Science to have performed well in classes related to the field of study.
(iii) Those who have reached 22 years of age by September 30, 2012 and have been recognized by the Graduate School of Science, through individual qualification examinations, to have a scholastic ability equivalent or superior to those who have graduated from a university.

Doctoral Program

( i ) Those who have earned, or will earn, a master’s degree by September 30, 2012.

( ii ) Those who have engaged in research activities for at least 2 years at an educational or research institution after graduation from a university[1] and have been recognized by the Graduate School of Science on the basis of their research performance to have a scholastic ability equivalent or superior to those who have earned a master’s degree.

(iii) Those who have reached 24 years of age by September 30, 2012 and have been recognized by the Graduate School of Science through individual qualification examinations to have scholastic ability equivalent or superior to those who have earned a master’s degree.

Financial Support

     Availability of financial supports for IGPAS students is as shown below. See 4. FINANCIAL SUPPORT of the IGPAS application booklet for the eligibility requirements of the following financial support below.


Master’s Program

Japanese government (MEXT) scholarship
Number of Positions: 8 students
Term of the Scholarship: 5 years (2 years + 3 years)*
■ Monthly stipend of 154,000 yen as a master’s student and 155,000 yen as a doctoral student.
■ Flight tickets between the country of the student’s nationality and Japan.
■Exemption from application, admission, and tuition fees.
* If a student fails to maintain a certain grade point average during the master’s program, the Ministry may cancel the 3-year doctoral scholarship.


Doctoral Program

No governmental or institutional scholarships available via IGPAS 2012.

Application

Step 1: Find a potential supervisor among the faculty members in the field of your interest.
Applications will not be accepted without the consent of at least one faculty member as a prospective supervisor. The supervisor must be a professor, associate professor, or lecturer (senior assistant professor) who is affiliated with or has eligibility to accept students of the Graduate School of Science. To look for faculty members, refer to the following websites.

Brochure of the Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University
Departmental websites
Academic Research Staff at Tohoku University


Step 2: Contact the faculty members directly via email and obtain their consent.
To contact the faculty members, it is strongly advisable to:

—gather information about the faculty members and their field of research in advance by looking at their publications, research papers, and personal websites.
—include “IGPAS” in the subject line of the email.
—provide as much of your academic background and application information as possible.
—provide the names of other faculty members if contacting more than one at the same time.
—provide the name of your current or the latest supervisor as a reference.


Step 3: Prepare the required documents for application

(see 6.APPLICATION DOCUMENTS of the IGPAS Application Booklet).


Step 4: Send application documents to the IGPAS Admissions Office via airmail.
All the application documents should be enclosed together, sent via airmail, and received by the IGPAS Admissions Office by November 30, 2011 JST.


Step 5: Inform IGPAS Admissions Office via online form.

Inform of your submitting the application and send Form1 (WORD file if possible) via Application Report Form[link closed].

Selection

     Applications will be forwarded to the examining committee of each department. The examiner will inform you of the method and schedule for the examination via email by the end of December, 2011.

     From those who have applied for a MEXT scholarship and passed screening for IGPAS master’s program, the IGPAS Committee will select and recommend 8 candidates to MEXT. The results of admission to IGPAS and the nomination for MEXT scholarships will be announced between February 1 and 15, 2012.

Download Forms

Please check out 5. APPLICATION AND SELECTION and 6. APPLICATIN DOCUMENTS of the IGPAS application booklet first, and then download required forms from the chart below. Additional documents are also required for application.


[Attention]
—Do not alter the prescribed format. Attach an additional sheet if necessary.
—Forms should be typed in English.
  Attach an English translation of the documents written in a language other than English.


All Applicants

Checklist
*Please enclose in your application.
1p
Form1: Application for Admission
*Please send the form via Application Report Form[link closed].
4p
Form2: Statement of Reason for Applying for the Program
1p
Form3: Research Proposal
1p
Form4: Summary of Past Research
1p
Form5: Recommendation Letter
*Print out 2 copies and provide 1 copy to each of your TWO references.
1p
(2 set)
Form6: Official Recommendation Letter
1p

 

Contact Information

IGPAS Admissions Office
Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University
6-3 Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578 JAPAN

Operated by
Graduate Academic Affairs Section
Division for International Research and Educational Cooperation (DIRECT)

Monday-Friday 10:30am-4:30pm JST
Tel:+81-22-795-5829
Fax:+81-22-795-6345
E-mail: direct[at mark]mail.sci.tohoku.ac.jp

Those who are inquiring by email, please:
・ Include “IGPAS” in the subject line.
・ Provide as much of your application information as possible.
・ Read the IGPAS application booklet and FAQ thoroughly before inquiring.