International Graduate Program in Language Sciences
Tohoku University Graduate School of International Cultural Studies（GSICS）

Application for the 3-year Doctoral Program
for the Academic Year of 2024
(Beginning in October 2024)
I. AimThe aim of the International Graduate Program in Language Sciences (here after, IGPLS) is to promoteinterdisciplinary education and research concerning human language from multiple perspectives of linguistics,
psychology, brain science and information science. Based on recent development in linguistics and otherrelevant disciplines, our program seeks to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of linguistics
and language sciences, with a focus on theoretical linguistics, language acquisition, psycholinguistics andneurolinguistics. The program will be conducted in collaboration with the Research Center for Language,
Brain and Cognition, which is affiliated with the Tohoku University Graduate School of International Cultural
Studies (GSICS).
Degree offered: “Doctor of Philosophy (International Cultural Studies)” or “Doctor of Philosophy”

II. Admission Policy
The Tohoku University Graduate School of International Cultural Studies provides students with the ability
to think and analyze in an international and interdisciplinary manner, advanced foreign language skills, and ahigh level of specialized knowledge and clear awareness of issues in the following three areas: (1) diverse
regional cultures of Japan and other areas seen from an international perspective, (2) global issues concerning
the environment, resources, and a sustainable society in which all humankind can coexist, and (3) language
underlying international society. Our educational goal is to train professionals, teachers, and researchers who
can play an active role on a global scale with their rich education, international perspective, and high ideal ofcontributing to the stewardship and development of human civilization and culture. To achieve this goal, weseek students who have clear aspirations of becoming creative researchers or professionals and are active in
the international community, equipped with flexible thinking skills, broad academic knowledge, andadvanced language skills.
In admitting students, we have entrance examinations in the following categories: general selection, special
selection for international applicants applying from overseas, selection for those advancing to the doctoral
program from our MA program (only for the three-year doctoral program), entrance examination for the
Global Governance and Sustainable Development Program, and entrance examination for the International
Graduate Program in Language Sciences. These are used to select applicants who have the advanced abilities
1and qualities needed to conduct research in line with the educational ideals/goals mentioned above.
The three-year doctoral program
In the category of general selection, applicants are evaluated based on (1) their MA theses, (2) their scores ina written test to assess whether they have the advanced knowledge in their specialized fields, and (3) aninterview and a review of their application materials, which are to assess their motivation, research plan, andforeign language skills needed for research at a higher level, among other things. These are given roughly
equal weight.
In the category of special selection for international applicants applying from overseas, applicants who arerecommended by their home universities are evaluated based on (1) a review of their application materials
and (2) an interview. We assess whether they have advanced knowledge in their specialized areas. We also
examine their ability to conduct research, motivation, and research plan. These are given roughly equal
weight.
In the category of selection for those who wish to advance to the doctoral program from our MA program,
we assess whether applicants have advanced knowledge in their specialized areas and high-level foreign
language skills needed for research, based on (1) their MA theses and (2) a review of their applicationmaterials and an interview. These are given roughly equal weight.
In the entrance examination for the Global Governance and Sustainable Development Program, applicants
are evaluated based on (1) a review of their application materials and (2) an interview. We examine whether
they have the high-level English proficiency needed to study in the program (as English is the medium of
instruction), the ability to think critically about today’s social issues, and the ability to solve practicalproblems. These are given roughly equal weight.
In the entrance examination for the International Graduate Program in Language Sciences, applicants areevaluated based on (1) a review of their application materials and (2) an interview. We examine whether they
have the high-level English proficiency needed to study in the program (as English is the medium of
instruction), the advanced specialized knowledge necessary in the field of language sciences, the practicalability to conduct research, and the ability to perform interdisciplinary analyses. These are given roughly
equal weight.
We expect students to possess broad knowledge in their areas of expertise, advanced foreign language skills,
and ability to conduct creative research, before their enrollment.

Ⅲ. Curriculum
All courses in IGPLS are taught in English. A minimum of 12 units of course work and completion of a
Doctoral dissertation are required for the Doctoral degree.
･Advanced Seminar in Language Sciences (independent study) (compulsory): 8 units･Advanced Lecture in Language Sciences (compulsory): 4 units

Ⅳ. Application
1. Positions available:
Around 22

2. Application Requirements
Applicants for the 3-year Doctoral Program should meet one of the following criteria:(1) Those who have received, or will receive a Master’s degree or professional degree by September 2024.
(2) Those who have received, or will receive a Master’s degree or professional degree, or an equivalentdegree from a graduate school in a foreign country by September 2024.
(3) Those who have completed, or will complete a course conducted by an educational institution of a foreigncountry via distance learning while residing in Japan, and have received, or will receive a Master’s degree
or professional degree, or an equivalent degree from that course by September 2024.
(4) Those who have completed, or will complete a graduate program of a foreign educational facility in Japan,
which (i) has been approved by the educational system of that country to operate the graduate programand (ii) is designated separately by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ofJapan (henceforth ‘the Minister’), and have received, or will receive a Master’s degree, a professional
degree, or an equivalent degree by September 2024.
(5) Those who have completed, or will complete a program at the United Nations University, and havereceived, or will receive a Master’s degree, or an equivalent degree by September 2024.
(6) Those who have been designated by the Minister. (Notification No. 118 of 1989 from the Ministry of
Education.)i) Those who have engaged in research activities for 2 years or longer in universities or research institutes,
etc., after graduating from a university, and who are judged, according to the applicants’ research
activities, to have reached a standard of achievement equivalent to or above the status of a Master’s
degree or professional degree.
ii) Those who have engaged in research activities for 2 years or longer in universities or research institutes,
etc., after completing 16 years of school education in a foreign country, or after completing 16 years ofschool education by finishing a course conducted by a foreign university via distance learning while
residing in Japan, and who are judged by the GSICS, according to the applicants’ research activities, tohave reached a standard of achievement equivalent to or above the status of a Master’s degree orprofessional degree.
(7) Those whose academic abilities are judged by the GSICS, based on GSICS’s individual qualification
examination, to be equal to or greater than those of a person with a Master’s degree or professional degree,
and who are 24 years of age or older at the end of September 2024.
Note 1: Applicants who will receive a Master’s degree from a graduate school of Tohoku University(including GSICS) shall fall under qualification (1) above, and are exempt from the fees forapplication and admission.
Note 2: Applicants that fall under qualification (6) or (7) must undergo a pre-qualification examination
and are required to submit the designated documents for this purpose to the GSICS Office ofAcademic Affairs by February 26, 2024 in order to fulfill the requirement for October 2024
admissions.
Please contact the GSICS Office of Academic Affairs for inquiries regarding application qualifications.
See page 8 for contact information.

33. Application Procedures(1) Outline of the Online Application
Applications are accepted only through the online application system, The Admissions Office(hereinafter referred to as TAO).
Please upload all of your application documents listed in (2) onto TAO during the application period
specified in (3). Your application will only be accepted if you complete the application procedures throughTAO during the application period. Please make sure that your application is complete by checking all thenecessary documents are uploaded and all the necessary information are filled. A pop-up window will ask
you to confirm again. Check the box and click the "Yes" button. By clicking the “Yes" button you cancomplete the process.

If we have any questions about your application, our admissions staff will contact you via TAO. Please
follow their instructions.
TAO: https://admissions-office.net/en/portal(2) Application Documentsa) Photograph: The photo must have been taken within 3 months prior to the date on which you
submit your application. It must not be edited or altered in any way.
b) Certificate of Graduation (or Expected Graduation)c) Academic Transcript: A transcript issued from the graduate school where your Master’s degree
was conferred. The transcript must bear the graduate school’s formal seal on it.
d) Research Plan: Describe your research plan in English using A4 size sheets of paper in 2,000
words or less.
e) Sample Research Paper written in Englishf) Master’s Thesis (if it is written in a language other than English, a summary in English with alength of approximately 10 pages using A4 size sheets of paper should be attached to the thesis) orStatement of Master’s Thesis Plan (the statement should be written within 10 pages (around 300
words per page) using A4 size sheets of paper.).
g) Photocopy of Formal Certificate of TOEFL® or TOEIC® test score or IELTS™ Band Scoreh) Letter of Reference: The letter should be written by one of your academic advisors who canaccurately evaluate your research ability. Applicants must use TAO to send a request for a letter ofreference to their referee. An email will be sent to your referee from the email address
no-reply@admissions-office.net, requesting a letter of reference. Applicants are recommended to
ask their referee in advance to submit a letter of reference according to the instruction given in theemail from TAO.
i) Statement of Financial Security
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j)Certificate of Residence: For applicants who are foreign residents of Japan at the time of
application and who have lived in Japan for more than 90 days. The certificate is to be issued by thehead of the local municipality, must contain your resident status and must have been issued within
3 months prior to the date on which you submit your application.
k) Application Fee ¥30,000:
1) Application residing in Japan are to pay the application fee via ATM or online bank transfer.
The account information is as follows:
Bank: MUFG bank (Bank code: 0005)
Branch: Wakatake branch (Branch code: 809)
Account type: Savings account (普通)Account number: 2259370
Account holder’s name: 国立大学法人東北大学 (Kana: ﾀﾞｲ)ﾄｳﾎｸﾀﾞｲｶﾞｸ)*Please make sure to enter “KD” and your name in the payer's column.
e.g., KD ******* ******* (Your name in katakana)
Family nameFirst name

*Please cover the bank transfer fee yourself.
*Foreign remittances cannot be made to this bank account.
*If you have paid the application fee but decide not to apply for any reason, please contact
the GSICS Office of Academic Affairs by April 12, 2024.
*Please submit a copy of the receipt, ATM receipt or a screenshot of online banking thatshows your bank account, the amount you paid, the date of transfer and the payer name.
2) Applicants residing abroad are to pay the application fee online via credit card, using theonline payment system “e-shiharai.net.”
URL: https://e-shiharai.net/ecard/
When you make a payment in the system, please proceed as follows:* You are to pay the transfer/handling fees in addition to the application fee.
* The application fee is nonrefundable once the application has been accepted. However, if
the application is not accepted, or the application fee is accidentally paid twice, it will be
refunded to the payer’s credit account via the credit card company three months after theapplication deadline. Please contact the GSICS Office of Academic Affairs by April 12,2024. At that time, transfer/handling fees will be charged in addition to the application fee.
Refunds cannot be made if the payer’s credit card is not valid or a prepaid credit card is used.
5* Please submit an image of the “Results” screen on the e-shiharai.net page.
3) Applicants sponsored by the Japanese government are exempted from paying the application fee.
l) Letter of Approval: If you have a full-time job at the time of application, you must submit a letterof approval for your application and enrollment in GSICS issued by a supervisor or manager atyour place of employment.
Note 1: Application documents cannot be changed once they have been accepted.
Note 2: Current GSICS students those who wish to apply for this program are not required to submit
application documents e), g), h) and k).
Note 3: We do not accept an IELTS™ Band Score (academic) older than two years at the time of
application. We accept a TOEFL® or TOEIC® test score older than two years at the time of
application. Applicants are strongly recommended to submit their most recent scores. We only
accept TOEFL iBT® scores from a single test date, not MyBest™ scores. We accept TOEFL
iBT® Home Edition, but we do not accept IELTS Indicator.
(3) Application Period
All application documents must be uploaded onto TAO between February 26, 2024, and April 12, 2024.
If any of them is found to contain fraudulent information, the application will be automatically rejected. In
the case that applicants make a false statement in their application documents, they may have theiradmission revoked even after admission.
Note 1: It is strongly recommended that applicants, prior to application, contact and consult theirprospective supervisors about their research plans.
Note 2: Applicants must submit the original copies of their transcripts and certificate of graduation, etc.
upon admission. Failure can result in the withdrawal of their admission.
4. Screening Method
Applicants are screened on the basis of a comprehensive evaluation of their application documents(including their academic transcript and research plan), English proficiency (TOEFL® or TOEIC® test scoreor IELTS™ Band Score) and an interview conducted on-location or online by Tohoku University faculty
members. Applicants will be notified of the details of the interview including the time and date after we haveaccepted their application documents.
5. Announcement of Acceptance and Enrollment(a) The results of the screening will be posted on the GSICS website at 5:00 pm JST on June 12, 2024.
(http://www.intcul.tohoku.ac.jp/english/admission/successful_applicants.html)(b) Documents needed for enrollment will be sent to successful applicants. All enrollment procedures are to
be completed by mid-September, 2024.
(c) Successful applicants are requested to pay the following fees at the time of registration:①Admission Fee: ¥282,000
Note: Successful applicants who are currently enrolled in GSICS are not required to pay theadmission fee.
②Tuition Fee: ¥ 267,900 (half of the annual tuition fee ¥535,800)
Note 1: In the case that the tuition fee is revised during your period of study, you will be charged
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the revised tuition fee from the date of revision.
Note 2: Information on exemption of admission or tuition fees is included in document (b).
③Insurance and other expenses: There is a ¥3,620 fee for Gakkensai and Gakkenbai insurance.
There is also a ¥33,370 fee for the foreign student insurance. In addition, there is a ¥8,000 fee forjoining the Tohoku University Alumni Association (¥6,000 for those who completed theirundergraduate studies or graduate studies for Master’s degrees at Tohoku University). Further details
will be provided in the admission documents. All fees are current as of October 1, 2023 and indicate
the total for three years.
6. Long-Term Course Program
We have adopted a Long-Term Course Program for students who have difficulty completing the course in
the normal 3 years due to concurrent employment, housework, caregiving and so on. Though the Doctoral
Program normally lasts 3 years, it can be extended to 6 years. Those who wish to extend their period of study
from 3 years to 6 years may apply to enroll as Long-Term Course Students. Note that the maximum period ofresidency for the Doctoral Program is 6 years. Those who wish to enroll in the Long-Term Course Program
must follow the instructions in the notification of acceptance, which will be delivered by mail after theannouncement of acceptance, and submit the prescribed documents when conducting the other entrance
procedures.
Coursework for students who are deemed eligible for the Long-Term Course Program is set in accordancewith the curriculum and time schedule for regular students.
The annual tuition fee for long-term course students is calculated as follows: the total amount of tuition fees
for the standard term of study (3 years) is divided across full length of the extended term of study (6 years).
For details, please contact the GSICS Office of Academic Affairs.
7. Handling of Personal Information(1) Personal information held by Tohoku University is handled in strict compliance with the "Act on theProtection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of 2003)", the "Personal Information Protection
Regulations of Tohoku University" and any other relevant regulations.
(2) Personal information such as examination results used for the selection of applicants will be used for thefollowing purposes: (a) selection of applicants, (b) admission procedures, (c) pre-enrollment support, (d)follow-up surveys, (e) post-enrollment support (scholarships, tuition exemption, health care, etc.), (f)academic guidance, (g) tuition collection, (h) surveys and research (for improving the entrance exam andanalyzing application trends). For applicants who are admitted to the university, personal informationfrom before and after the entrance examination may be analyzed together.
(3) Work related to entrance examinations and educational affairs may be performed by contractors entrusted
by the University. In the event that all or part of the personal information of applicants is provided to thecontractor, necessary measures will be taken to ensure that the information is handled appropriately inaccordance with the "Personal Information Protection Regulations of Tohoku University" and any otherrelevant regulations.
8. 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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Educational Data will be used effectively and appropriately in compliance with 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 their entrance exam scoresetc., is merged with the university's Educational Data.
URL：https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/japanese/studentinfo/education/08/education0801/
9. Other Information(1) Please note that incomplete applications will not be accepted. Once your application documents arereceived, no corrections are permitted. The application fee is non-refundable.
(2) Disclosure of the examination results is available at the request of applicants during the fiscal year of theexamination.
(3) Appropriate support shall be provided for physically handicapped applicants. Please contact the GSICS
Office of Academic Affairs at your earliest convenience to let us know how we can help you.
10. Contact Information
If you have any questions, please contact us at:
Office of Academic Affairs
Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Tohoku University
E-mail: int-kkdk@grp.tohoku.ac.jp8