2024 Academic Year
Application Guideline
Global Program in Economics and Management (GPEM)
Doctoral Programfor Screening for Foreign Students Transferring from
Another University (October Entrance)

Pre-application

December 1, 2023 - March 15, 2024, 16:00(JST)Application Period

March 1, 2024 - March 29, 2024, 16:00 (JST)Result Notification

Mid May, 2024

Admission Date

October 1, 2024

Tohoku University
Graduate School of Economics and Management

Admission Policy
The Graduate School of Economics and Management at Tohoku University offers two majors. The
Department of Economics and Management seeks students who are strongly interested in economy orbusiness management, have basic academic skills in those areas, and aspire to work as researchers or
highly specialized professionals in such fields in the future. Students are educated with the aim of providingthem broad perspectives and profound knowledge, the ability to conduct original research at an international
level, and the ability to contribute to social and academic development. The Department of Accountancy(Accounting School) seeks students who have the basic academic skills for accounting and who aspire to beaccounting professionals working in international settings. Students are educated with the aim of providingthem academic and practical knowledge of accounting, international perspectives, communication skills,
and the ability to contribute to social development with strong professional ethics. The Graduate School of
Economics and Management also actively accepts working adults aspiring to learn economics or businessadministration based on new problem awareness or to improve their skills as accounting professionals while
using their real-world experience.

Department of Economics and Management, Doctoral Program
While the course is not divided into categories, the GPEM doctoral program is offered. The screening
categories below are available. In all categories, applicants having high English language proficiency,
specialized knowledge of the relevant fields, and research aptitude will be selected. Research skills will be
important criteria. Examination methods vary depending on the screening category. All categories requireapplicants to meet specified standards for admission according to the examination method.
General screening for transferred students
Examinations are conducted orally and are based on submitted documents.
Screening for working adults transferring from another university
Working adults who have research achievements are eligible to apply in this category. Examinations are
conducted orally and are based on submitted documents.
Screening for foreign students transferring from another university
Only the GPEM doctoral program is available. Examinations are conducted based on submitted
documents.
Continuation to the 3-year doctoral curriculum
Students in the master’s program of the Graduate School of Economics and Management at Tohoku
University, or a master’s program or professional degree program at Tohoku University, are eligible to apply
in this category. Examinations are conducted orally and are based on submitted documents.
Applicants are recommended to acquire specialized knowledge, skills for conducting research anddemonstrating results, international perspectives, and the ability to act at the graduate level (for a master’s
degree) before admission.

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Application Guideline
GPEM, which is taught exclusively in English, was developed as part of the Future Global Leadership
Program conducted by Tohoku University. GPEM offers high-quality learning and research opportunities
for students who aspire to take on key international leadership roles in the areas of economics andmanagement. GPEM widely welcomes applicants with such aspirations and excellent English ability,
provided that they have completed or expect to complete a master’s program. The degree of Doctor ofPhilosophy in Economics or Doctor of Philosophy in Management is conferred upon completion of the
program.
I. Major and Enrollment Quota
Major
Economics andManagement

Quota

Admission Category

few

Global Program in
Economics and Management (GPEM)

II. Application Qualification etc.
To be eligible, you must not be a Japanese citizen. In addition, you must have one of the qualifications
listed in A. Basic Qualifications and fulfill the requirements described in B. Requirements below bySeptember 30, 2024.
A.

Basic Qualifications

The applicant is required to have done at least one of the following:1.

obtained a master’s degree or professional degree.

2.

obtained a degree equivalent to a master’s degree or a degree equivalent to a professional
degree at an educational institution outside of Japan.

3.

taken distance education in Japan administered by an educational institution outside ofJapan, and obtained a master’s degree or a degree equivalent to a professional degree.

4.

completed a course of study at an international educational institution located in Japan that
holds the status of a graduate school program within the education system of that country
and which has been specially designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology of Japan (“educational institution having a graduate school
program at a foreign country”), and obtained a master’s degree or a degree equivalent to aprofessional degree.

5.

completed a curriculum at the United Nations University and obtained a degree equivalent toa master’s degree.

6.

enrolled in the educational curriculum of a foreign school, foreign educational institution that
includes a graduate school program, or a United Nations University, and passed an
examination or screening equivalent to those specified in Article 16-2 of the Graduate
School Establishment Standards (1974 Ministry Ordinance 28), and is regarded as
possessing academic abilities equivalent to those of a person who has obtained a master’s
degree.

7.

been accredited by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ofJapan.
a)graduated from university, and has engaged in research for no less than two years, andis recognized by this school, through such research outcomes, to be equal or superior2

in scholastic attainments to a holder of a master’s degree or professional degree.
b)completed 16 years of school education outside Japan, or has completed 16 years ofschool education in Japan by taking correspondence courses offered by schools
outside Japan, and has engaged in research for no less than two years, and isrecognized by this school as equal or superior in scholastic attainment to a holder of amaster’s degree or professional degree.

8.

been recognized, through an individual screening process, to be equal or superior inscholastic attainment to a holder of a master’s degree or professional degree and is at least
24 years old.

Note 1: Applicants eligible according to “II Application Qualification” No.6 should inquire in advancewith the Instruction Section of this school.
Note 2: Applicants eligible according to “II Application Qualification” items 7 or 8 should contact us(gpem@grp.tohoku.ac.jp) in advance to screen their eligibility.
B.

Requirements
A TOEFL iBT® Test score of 79 or higher (TOEFL iBT® Home Edition and Paper Edition are
acceptable.) or an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 or higher is required.

III. Pre-application Procedure
The applicant should apply by accessing the GPEM Pre-application system on the website of Graduate
School of Economics and Management.
Please check the following first:
A. Applicants should register the required information of two referees by accessing to the
Recommendation letter system of the GPEM pre-application system. Our system will automaticallyask your referee to upload a recommendation letter. Be sure to ask and get consent from yourreferees for using his/her information prior to registration.
B. When both recommendation letters are uploaded, you will receive an email, informing you of the
URL to the GPEM pre-application system. You are required to fill in your information and uploadsome documents (PDF etc.). Important requirements are on the “V. List of Required Documents”.
C. Once we confirm all of your required documents have been uploaded to our system and confirm
you are qualified to apply, you will be notified the next steps by email from us.
D. Pre-application period
December 1 (Fri.), 2023 to March 15 (Fri.), 2024, 16:00 (JST)IV.

Online Application Procedure
A. Complete the application procedures by the online application system, The Admission Office(hereinafter referred to as TAO) by complying with the guide which is sent to you after the
pre-application within the application period. The outline is as follows.
1. Confirmation of application guidelines and obtaining necessary documents.
Please carefully check this application guideline.
2. Payment of Application Fee
Please see “l. Application Fee” of “V. List of Required Documents” for more information.
3. Apply on the TAO application website
Please visit the TAO website (https://admissions-office.net/en/portal), create an accountand enter the required information on the TAO page that you are guided after passing the3pre-application. Once you have registered, you cannot make any changes to yourregistration. When registering, please do so carefully and make sure that there are noerrors.
The temporary save function is available, please use it effectively for checking.
The application procedure is completed by both paying the application fee and registering theapplication information on the TAO. Please note that the application procedure is not completed only
by paying the application fee or registering the application information.
B. Application period
March 1(Fri.) to March 29 (Fri.), 2024 16:00 (JST).
V. List of Required Documents
Required DocumentsaAcademic Transcriptb

CertificateofCompletion(or

Expected Completion)cOnlineAdmission

Application

ProcedureO-

O（Original）

O-

O（Original）

-

-

O

-

-

O

-

△

-

-

△

-

O（Original）

O-

O（Original）

O

-

-

-

O

-

-

O

-

-

O

-

Pre Application

OnlineVerification

ReportofHigher

Education

Qualification△

Certificate or Online Verification
Report of Student RecorddResearch Plane

TOEFL®

Test

or

IELTS

(Academic) Scoref

Proof of Expected Scholarship△

Funding, etc.
g

Resident RegistrationhPledgei

Photo Data of the Applicant

j

Your

Master’s

ThesisoranEquivalent Paperk

The Abstract of Your Master’s
Thesis or Equivalent Paperl

Application Fee

O：Required，△：if applicable，-：Not requireda. Academic Transcript
Submit an official academic transcript from the graduate school or other higher
educational institution issued by the school. Submission is not necessary for (expected)
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graduates of this school.
b. Certificate of Completion (or Expected Completion)
If you are applying under item No.2 of “A. Basic Qualification” “II Application
Qualifications”, submit your master's or professional diploma (or certificate of expectedcompletion). Not required for students who graduated from the Tohoku University
Graduate School of Economics and Management.
c.

Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate or Online
Verification Report of Student Record
Only those who graduated or expected to graduate from a university in People's
Republic of China.

d. Research Plan (3,000 words in English)
Research plan should include a concise and informative title.
e. TOEFL® Test or IELTS (Academic) Score
If submitting a TOEFL® Test score, please have ETS send the Institutional Score
Report for your test, which must have been taken on or after March 1, 2022, to thisgraduate school. The Institution Code is 0232. We only accept TOEFL iBT® scoresfrom a single test date, not MyBestTM scores. If submitting an IELTS score, pleasesubmit the IELTS Test Report Form (official certificate) original or copy, for your test,
dated on or after March 1, 2022.
Neither of these tests is required if you graduated from a university in a country where
English is an official language, such as the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand. In such cases, please contact us in advance for instructions.
If you provide multiple English skill scores, we will calculate and use the highest score.
Inquiries: gpem@grp.tohoku.ac.jp
TOEFL®, TOEFL iBT® and TOEFL ITP® are registered trademarks of ETS.
f. Proof of expected scholarship funding, etc. (if applicable)
g. Resident Registration
This must be submitted only if you are a non-Japanese citizen currently residing inJapan (unless your period of residence is less than 90 days).
h. Pledge (official form)
i. Photo Data of the Applicant- The photo must be colored and be taken within 3 months prior to the application.
- With the upper half of the body, without a headband, facing front.
- No backgrounds or patterns.
- Available data must be in jpeg or jpg format and between 100 KB and 5 MB in size.
- The ratio of 4:3 (length: width)j. Your Master’s Thesis or an Equivalent Paper.
If this thesis or paper is written in a language other than English, it should betranslated into English.
k.

The abstract of your master’s thesis or equivalent paper (approx. 1,500 words in
English)l. Application Fee: JPY 30,000
We will send the payment instructions to the applicants who pass the pre-application.
Please follow the instructions and upload a copy of the receipt to the TAO.
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Note 1: All the submitted documents and information must be written in English or Japanese.
Note 2: All documents to be uploaded should be in PDF format except “i. Photo Data of the
Applicant”.
Note 3: We do not accept pre-application documents which are not completed by the due date, evenin the event we require you to resend or resubmit documents to complete your pre-application.
Note 4: Once you fill in your information and upload the required documents to the GPEM
pre-application system, your submission cannot be cancelled or altered.
Note 5: Certificates uploaded during the pre-application must be submitted in original at thetime of admission procedures. If the original cannot be verified at the time, admission will becancelled.
Note 6: After submitting the application documents (Including your registered information on the
TAO, the same hereinafter), your application documents cannot be cancelled or altered. The
application fee cannot be refunded.
Note 7: We cannot accept incomplete applications.
Note 8: If it is discovered that the application documents include any false declaration, even after
enrollment, then admission will be cancelled.
VI. Consent of the Prospective Advisor
You should obtain a prospective advisor’s consent to be your academic advisor before starting the
pre-application process in the event you pass the entrance screening.
Inquiries about the e-mail address of your expected advisor can be made below.
Contact e-mail: gpem@grp.tohoku.ac.jp
VII. Screening
Screening of applications is performed, and a comprehensive judgment made, based on the submitted
documents.
VIII. Admission Notification
The school will send an official notification of the results only to successful applicants via TAO on May 17(Fri.), 2024 (Tentative). Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified.
IX. Admission Procedures
Detailed information related to the admission procedures will be provided in the enrollment documents
sent after the announcement of successful applicants.
Follow the instructions and complete the necessary procedures by the deadline. The admission
procedure is not online but by post.
Mailing Address:
Instruction Section, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University27-1 Kawauchi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai 9808576 JAPAN
Send all the documents by registered mail, or EMS, DHL, FedEx, etc. Application materials will not
be returned.
Please note that if you do not complete the admission procedures by the deadline, you will be treatedas if you have not enrolled.
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X. Admission and Tuition Fees
A. Admission Fee: JPY 282,000 (subject to change) [to be paid in September 2024]
B. Fall Semester Tuition: JPY 267,900 (yearly JPY 535,800) (estimated) [paid in October 2024
entrance period or later]
Note 1: If tuition amounts are revised during your term of enrollment, the new tuition will become
applicable from the time of that revision.
Note 2: Information related to waivers and deferments of tuition fees will be provided in the entrance
procedure documents sent after the announcement of successful applicants.
XI. Entrance Period
The Entrance Period will be in October 2024.
XII. Important Notes
A.

If you have questions about applying, please contact: gpem@grp.tohoku.ac.jp

B.

After entering, you must enroll in Personal Accident Insurance for Students Pursuing Education
and Research (Gakkensai) and Comprehensive Insurance for Students Lives Coupled with PAS
for International Students (Inbound futai-gakuso). Additionally, if you expect to rent private
housing, then you must enroll in an insurance/mutual relief program, such as Comprehensive
Renters' Insurance for Foreign Students Studying in Japan.

C. No questions regarding the screening results will be accepted.
XIII. Privacy Policy on the Treatment of Personal InformationA.

All personal information gathered by Tohoku University shall be treated with due care incompliance with the relevant university regulations, such as the Act on the Protection of Personal
Information (2003, Act No. 57), and the National University Corporation Tohoku University Policyon the Protection of Personal Information, and security measures will be taken to protect it.

B.

Personal information, such as examination scores, used to screen applicants will be used
exclusively for educational purposes, such as selecting applicants, enrollment procedures,
pre-enrollment instruction, follow-up surveys, post-enrollment student support (scholarships,
tuition waivers and health management etc.) and academic advising, or in connection with tuitioncollection etc., or surveys/research (surveys/analysis related to entrance examination
improvements and reasons for applying; including analysis using the enrollees' personal
information after enrollment).

C. Tasks related to entrance examinations and academic affairs may be outsourced by Tohoku
University to third-party contractors (hereafter, "contractors"). If personal information is provided inwhole or in part to contractors, necessary measures will be taken to ensure it is handledappropriately in accordance with the relevant university regulations, such as the National
University Corporation Tohoku University Policy on the Protection of Personal Information.
XIV. Educational Data Usage
Data, including personal information, that Tohoku University collects through its education/learning
activities and stores on its information systems (hereafter, Educational Data) is analyzed with the latest
analytical and A.I. technology and is considered vital to our implementation of evidence-based education.
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Consequently, the university strives to use Educational Data effectively and appropriately in compliancewith our "Statement on Educational Data Usage," "Policy on Educational Data Usage," and "Tohoku
University's 8 Principles of Educational Data Acquisition."
After being admitted to the university, students' personal information, such as entrance exam scores etc., ismerged with the university's Educational Data.
URL：https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/japanese/studentinfo/education/08/education0801/

October 2023

Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University
27-1, Kawauchi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai 980-8576 JAPAN
Tel.: +81-22(795)6263
https://www.econ.tohoku.ac.jp/en8

Appendix: Faculty Members of Graduate School of Economics and Management,
Tohoku University
2024 Academic YearYou must choose your academic advisor among the professors and associatedprofessors listed below.
Professors
NameSpecialized Subject

Kenji MORI

Political Economy I (Marxian Economics)

Akiomi KITAGAWA

Theoretical Economics II (Macroeconomics)

Yoh KAWANA

Economic History of Western Europe

Naoki ODANAKA

History of Social Thoughts

Shinji OHSETO

Economic Planning

Akira HIBIKI

Environmental Economics

Shigemi IZUMIDA

Industrial Organization

Kazuhiro KUROSE

Economic Policy

Yasumasa MATSUDA

Economic Statistics

Ken-ichi SUZUKI

Decision Making*Masahiko FUJIMOTO

Organization and Management

Yoshifumi MUROI

Investment and Security Analysis

Fumihiko KIMURA

Accounting Information

Yuko NISHIDE

Non-profit Organization

Midori WAKABAYASHI

Welfare Economy

Hiroshi YOSHIDA

Aging Economy

Norio SASAKI

Public FinanceMichi FUKUSHIMA

Regional Enterprises*Satoru MASUDA

Regional PlanningShiro HIOKIAsian Economy

Nozomu KAWABATA

Industrial Development

Jun NAGAYASU

International Economics

9Associate Professors
NameSpecialized Subject

Yutaka FURUYA

History of Economic Thought

Kazuho SAKAI

History of Japanese Economy

Michio SUZUKI

Applied Macroeconomics

Yasunari TAKAURAManagement

Takeyasu ICHIKOJI

Marketing Management

Yuto YOSHINAGA

Financial Accounting

Yasuhiro MATSUDAManagement Accounting

Hiroaki CHIGIRA

Econometrics

Iat-Meng KO

Data Science in BusinessTsukasa ISHIGAKI

Business Statistics

Takenobu YUKI

Business History

Eriko KAMEOKA

Auditing

Shinsuke KAMOTO

Financial Management

Kiyohiro YAMAZAKIManagement Strategy

Norimasa OZEKI

Financial Reporting

Takuya ISHIHARA

Data Science in Economics

Michio YUDA

Health Economics

Ayumu SUGAWARA

Global Business History*Will resign at the end of 2024 academic year.

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