Graduate School of Law, Tohoku University 2015
Application Requirements for the Doctoral Programme (April)（Cross-National Doctoral Course）
The Graduate School of Law at Tohoku University has collaborated with Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon
(ENS-Lyon), University Lumière Lyon 2, the University of Sheffield’s School of East Asian Studies, the Department ofPolitical Science at Tsinghua University, the School of Law at Tsinghua University, the Institute of Law at the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Institute of Political Science at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences(CASS), the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Yonsei University, the College of Law atNational Taiwan University, and the Faculty of Philosophy at Heidelberg University (hereafter “Overseas PartnerInstitutions”) and decided to offer a Cross-National Doctoral Course in fields related to law and political science (includinghumanities and social sciences).

1. Number of Students to be accepted
We will admit up to 10 qualified applicants each year in total from the Overseas Partner Institutions.

2. Eligibility

Applicants must satisfy all of the following requirements.
(1) Those who are registered, or are expected to be registered, as PhD students at one of the Overseas
Partner Institutions by April, 2015.
(2) Those who have passed the preliminary requirements set forth by the Overseas Partner Institutions
at which he or she is registered or plans to be registered (“Home Institution”), and are agreed upon as
candidates for making an application to the Graduate School of Law, Tohoku University.
* Pertaining to (2), please make inquiries regarding the preliminary requirements to the person in charge
at each Home Institution

3. Application Period
27th June (Fri), 2014 – 1st August (Fri), 2014
All required documents must be received by the School of Law Office by 1st August (Fri), 2014deadline.
Incomplete applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Applications sent by
post will be accepted during the above application period.
Applications hand-delivered directly to the School of Law Office will be accepted during its
business hours (from 9:00 to 12:45 and from 13:45 to 16:45).

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4. Application Procedure

Applicants should prepare and submit the following documents.
Documents to be submitted

Details

Use the forms specified by the School of Law. The forms can be① Application for Admission/ CV
downloaded from the following website:
http://www.law.tohoku.ac.jp/english/admissions/graduate/
If you have written a master thesis, its submission is required. In casethere is no master thesis, other equivalent piece of written work shall beMaster thesis [(in case there is no master accepted. If the Master thesis or other equivalent piece of written work
② thesis, other equivalent piece of written to be submitted is written in a language other than English or Japanese,work)] (4 copies)
the full paper in the original language must be accompanied by anabstract written in either English or Japanese (approximately 4,000
words in English or 10,000 characters in Japanese, on A4 paper).

③

List of past research and publications(4 copies)④ Research proposal (4 copies)

In any format, on A4 paper. The list must be written in English orJapanese.
The research proposal should be a minimum of 500 words and nomore than 2,000 words on A4 paper in English or minimum of 1,200
characters and no more than 5,000 characters on A4 paper inJapanese. The research proposal must be written in English orJapanese, and should cover the entirety of research to be conducted
for the completion of the degree, but should also indicate the work to be
conducted during the one year at the Graduate School of Law, Tohoku
University.

Student Registration Certificate (or certificate The certificate must be written in English or Japanese. Use the form
⑤ of expected registration) from the Home specified by the School of Law. An official seal of the Home Institution isInstitutions
required on the form.
Recommendation letter from the student's⑥ supervisor or prospective supervisor at oneof the Home Institutions⑦The letter must be written in English or Japanese. Supervisor's orprospective supervisor's signature is required.

The certificate must be written in English or Japanese. Use the form
Certificate of Master degree (or certificate ofspecified by the School of Law. An official seal of the Home Institution isexpected Master degree)
required on the form.

⑧ Certificates of Residence

Foreign residents in Japan who wish to enroll in the Programme must
submit the official Certificate issued by a local municipal office (thisexcludes those staying in Japan for less than 90 days.)⑨ Mailing label

Labels will be provided by the School of Law (EMS label or addresslabel).
*These labels will be used to send applicants their notification of resultsalong with registration forms. If the applicant's address is in Japan, theaddress label should be used. If the applicant's address is outside ofJapan, the EMS label should be used. (Applicant should enter his/her
name, address and phone number in the label's destination box.)
Should an applicant change addresses after applying to theProgramme, the applicant should notify the School of Law Office of
Educational Affairs Section immediately.

* Applicants who need assistance or other consideration in taking the entrance examination or completing thecourse of study should contact the School of Law Office of Educational Affairs Section. Applicants will not be
discriminated against based on such inquiries made to the School of Law.
Inquiries should be made by 11th July (Fri), 2014.
-2-5. Selection Process

Selection will be determined by the following two criteria.
(1) Screening by a Selection Committee based on the submitted documents(2) Interview* Each applicant will be informed of the time and place of the (2) Interview.

6. Notification of Results
Notification of Results: Around 11:00 a.m., 17th October (Fri), 2014
All applicants will be notified of the selection results by post. The results will also be posted on thewebsite of the School of Law. (http://www.law.tohoku.ac.jp/english/) Please note that notices of results
will be sent on 17th October, 2014 and it will take some days for delivery.

7. Status and Research Activities as Registered Students of Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Law(1) Graduate students accepted to the Cross-National Doctoral Course will become registered doctoral
programme students of the Graduate School of Law at Tohoku University and their Home Institution.
While registered at Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Law, students are required to spend aminimum of one year at the institution and to conduct research during that time.
(2) Graduate students on the Cross-National Doctoral Course will submit their dissertations to theGraduate School of Law at Tohoku and their Home Institution. By successfully defending theirdissertations, students will receive a double doctoral degree from the two institutions. The awarding of a
doctoral degree from Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Law will be in accordance with theGraduate School of Law’s regulations.
(3) Graduate students on the Cross-National Doctoral Course will conduct research under the jointsupervision of supervisors from Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Law and their overseas homeinstitution from the time of enrollment at Tohoku University until they receive their doctoral degrees.

8. Expenses and Financial Support for Research(1) Students applying to and enrolling in the Cross-National Doctoral Course will be exempt from theadmission, matriculation, and tuition fees of Tohoku University.
(2) Travel fees to Japan, living expenses including utilities and rent, insurance, and other expenses willbe the student’s responsibility.
(3) Those who are in the Cross-National Doctoral Course will be employed as Research Assistants orFellows for one academic year from April 2015. By assisting at research workshops and with tasks suchas translation, Research Assistants or Fellows may receive a monthly stipend of around 130,000 yen(subject to change). In addition, they may be eligible for an annual research grant of up to 100,000 yen(subject to change) to facilitate their research activities.

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9. Additional Information(1) Applications sent by post should be sent by registered mail with “School of Law Application(Cross-National Doctoral Course)” written in red, to:School of Law, Tohoku University27-1 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku,Sendai, Miyagi 980-8576
Japan(2) Those with inquiries regarding the application process or with requests for application materials by
post should enclose a stamped and self-addressed envelope.
(3) Changes cannot be made to documents once submitted.
(4) Submitted documents will not be returned.
(5) Regarding personal information
1) The Graduate School of Law, Tohoku University handles personal information in strict
compliance with regulations such as the “Act on the Protection of Personal Information Held byIncorporated Administrative Agencies etc.” and the “National University Corporation Tohoku
University - Policy on the Protection of Personal Information”, taking every precaution to protect
personal information.
2) Personal information, such as examination scores, used to screen applicants will be used
exclusively for educational purposes, such as selecting applicants, enrollment procedures,
follow-up surveys, post-enrollment student support (scholarships, tuition waivers and healthmanagement etc.) and academic advising, or the purpose of tuition collection.

June 2014
School of Law, Tohoku University27-1 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku,
Sendai, Miyagi 980-8576
JapanFax +81-(0)22-795-6249
E-mail law-kyom@bureau.tohoku.ac.jp-4-