Graduate Program in Global Governance and Sustainable Development (G2SD),
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 this graduate program is to enhance students’ ability to advance global governance andsustainable development. Since the challenges associated with these tasks are complex and inter-linked,
what is needed to deal with them are the abilities to question conventional wisdom and to design innovative
analytical frameworks on the basis of inter-disciplinary knowledge. This program intends to develop suchabilities through a combination of critical reviews of theories, on the one hand, and problem-oriented
empirical studies, on the other.
II. Admission Policy
The Tohoku University Graduate School of International Cultural Studies provides students with theability to think and analyze in an international and interdisciplinary manner, advanced foreign language
skills, and a high 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 of contributing to the stewardship and development of human civilization andculture. To achieve this goal, we seek 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, and advanced 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 thedoctoral 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 theInternational Graduate Program in Language Sciences. These are used to select applicants who have theadvanced abilities 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 scoresin a 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,and foreign 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 are1

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 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 the Graduate Program in Global Governance and Sustainable Development are conducted
in English. A minimum of 12 units of course work and completion of a Doctoral dissertation are required
for the Doctoral degree.
IV. Degree
The degree offered is a “Doctor of Philosophy (International Cultural Studies)” or “Doctor of Philosophy.”Students will also be offered a certificate recognizing completion of the program.
V. Application
1. Positions Available:
Around 2 for the academic year 2024
Note: Admission to the program takes place every April and October. The descriptions in this document
are applicable only to October 2024 admissions. For April 2025 admissions, please refer todocuments published in the future.
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 anequivalent degree 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 institutionof a foreign country 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 thegraduate program and (ii) is designated separately by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology of Japan (henceforth ‘the Minister’), and have received, or will receivea 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, andhave received, 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 theapplicants’ 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 of school 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, to have reached a standard of achievement
equivalent to or above the status of a Master’s degree or professional 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’s2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.
Please contact the GSICS Office of Academic Affairs for inquiries regarding application qualifications.
See page 7 for contact information.
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
through TAO during the application period. Please make sure that your application is complete bychecking all the necessary documents are uploaded and that all the necessary information is 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 can complete 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) Application for Admission: Please download the form from the GSICS website and write inEnglish.
b) Photograph: The photo must be taken within 3 months prior to the date on which you submit yourapplication. It must not be edited or altered in any way.
c) Certificate of Graduation (or Expected Graduation): A certificate written in either English or
Japanese. If the original certificate is in a language other than English or Japanese, attach theoriginal as well.
d) Academic Transcript: A transcript must be issued in either English or Japanese from the graduate
school where your Master’s degree was or will be conferred, and it must bear the graduate school’s
official seal on it. In the case where the original transcript is in a language other than English or
Japanese, attach the original as well.
e) Research Plan: Describe your research plan in English in 2,000 words or less.
f) Sample Research Paper Written in English:- Note that, as a Sample Research Paper, you can submit the full text of your Master’s Thesis
if it is written in English. In this case, you can substitute g) for f).

3g) Both the (A) Full Text and (B) Abstract of your Master’s Thesis: The Abstract shall be written
in English in 2,000 words or less.
g-1) In case you have not yet completed your Master’s Thesis, you are requested to submit theStatement of a Master’s Thesis Plan written in English. Its word count must be between
3,000 and 5,000 words, and a summary of each chapter must be included.
g-2) In case your Master’s Thesis is not written in English: You need to submit the following
two items: your Master’s Thesis in the original language and a Statement of a Master’s
Thesis in English (between 3,000 and 5,000 words, including a summary of each chapter).
If you have not yet completed your Master’s Thesis, all you need to submit is a Statementof a Master’s Thesis in English.
g-3) If your graduate program does not require a Master’s Thesis, please see the FAQ section
on our website.
h) Formal Certificate of TOEFL® Test Score (iBT or ITP) or TOEIC® Test Score (Listening &Reading Test or Listening & Reading IP Test) or IELTS™ Band Score (academic): Forapplicants for whom English is a foreign language.
Applicants who attended middle/high schools for four years or longer where the primary languageof teaching is English in one of the countries specified below may present a document to that effectfrom the school's principal or guidance counsellor, in place of the test scores described above.
Applicable countries: Australia, Canada, the Caribbean Islands (Not all Caribbean Islands are
eligible. Please inquire in advance.), Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, and the US. In case
you completed an undergraduate university program in these countries, please inquire in advance.
Please download the form from the GSICS website.
i) Two Letters of Reference: The letters shall be written in either English or Japanese. One of theletters shall be written by one of your academic advisors at the university where your Master’s
degree was or will be conferred. Applicants must use TAO to send a request for letter of reference
to their referees. An email will be sent to your referee from the email address no-reply@admissionsoffice.net, requesting a letter of reference. Applicants are recommended to ask their referees inadvance to submit a letter of reference according to the instruction given in the email from TAO.
j) Statement of Financial Position: For foreign applicants living abroad at the time of application;
examples: a tax return, bank certificate, or a personal financial statement showing a sufficientfinancial base for studying abroad.
k) 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
the head 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.
l) Certificate of Government-sponsored Foreign Student Status: For foreign applicants who are
studying in another Japanese university as a foreign student sponsored by the Japanese Government.
m) Application Fee ¥30,000:
1) Applicants 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 pay 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 the online
payment system. “e-shiharai.net”.

4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 theapplication 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 the application
deadline. Please contact the GSICS Office of Academic Affairs by April 12, 2024. At thattime, transfer/handling fee will be charged in addition to the application fee. Refunds cannot
be made if the payer cancels the credit card, or uses a prepaid credit card not attached to an
account.
* 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.
n) 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: Incomplete applications will not be accepted. After we accept your application, no corrections
are permitted. The application fee is non-refundable.
Note 2: Current GSICS students who wish to apply for this program are not required to submit

application documents h), i) or m).

Note 3: We do not accept an IELTS™ Band Score (academic) older than two years at the time of
application. We accept a TOEFL® (iBT or ITP) or TOEIC® test score (Listening & Reading
Test or Listening & Reading IP Test) 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.
Note 4: After admission, students will be assigned to one of four GSICS departments (the Departmentof Asian and African Studies, the Department of International Politics and Economy, theDepartment of International Environment and Resources Policy, or the Department ofMulticulturalism) based upon their choice on the application form and will be granted use ofthat department’s facilities. In principle, applicants are expected to choose the department thatis overseen by their prospective supervisor.
(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 automaticallyrejected. In the case that applicants make a false statement in their application documents, they may
have their admission revoked even after admission.
Note 1: Prior to submitting an application, applicants are strongly recommended to contact and consult
their prospective supervisors about their research plans after admission.
Note 2: Applicants must submit their original copies of their transcripts and certificate of graduation,etc. upon admission. Failure can result in the withdrawal of their admission.

54. Screening
Applicants are screened on the basis of a comprehensive evaluation of the application documents(including their academic transcript and research plan), English proficiency, and an interview conducted
via an online video conferencing system in May or June 2024. The interview will be conducted in English
or Japanese depending on the applicant’s preference, although some or all questions may be asked in
English. Applicants are required to make an oral presentation on their previous research achievements,
such as their Master’s Thesis, and their future research plans, and they may also be asked some questions
regarding their basic knowledge of their research topics in the interview. Applicants will be notified ofthe details of the interview such as the time and date after we have received your application documents.
5. Announcement of Acceptance and Enrollment(a) Screening results 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:① Admission Fee: ¥282,000
Note: Successful applicants who are currently enrolled in GSICS are not required to pay theadmission fee.
② Tuition Fee: ¥ 267,900 (half of the annual tuition fee of ¥535,800)
Note 1: If the tuition fee is revised during your period of study, you will be charged the revised
tuition fee as of the date of the revision.
Note 2: Information on exemption of admission or tuition fees is included in document (b).
③ Insurance and other expenses: There is a \3,620 fee for Gakkensai and Gakkenbai insurance. Thereis also a \33,370 fee for foreign student insurance for foreign students. In addition, there is a \8,000
fee for joining the Tohoku University Alumni Association (\6,000 for those who completed theirundergraduate studies or graduate studies for Master’s degree 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 fee for all three years.
6. Long-term Course Program
We offer a Long-term Course Program for students who have difficulty completing in the course in
the normal 3 years due to concurrent employment, family duties, caregiving duties, or the like. Although
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. Please
note that the maximum period of residency for the Doctoral Program is 6 years. Those who wish toenroll in the Long-term Course Program must follow the instructions in the notification of acceptance,
which will be delivered by mail after the announcement of acceptance and submit the prescribeddocuments when following other admissions procedures.
Coursework for students who are deemed eligible for the Long-term Course Program is set inaccordance with the curriculum and 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 by the entire 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 forthe following purposes: (a) selection of applicants, (b) admission procedures, (c) pre-enrollment
support, (d) follow-up surveys, (e) post-enrollment support (scholarships, tuition exemption, healthcare, etc.), (f) academic guidance, (g) tuition collection, (h) surveys and research (for improving theentrance exam and analyzing application trends). For applicants who are admitted to the university,
personal information from before and after the entrance examination may be analyzed together.

6(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 isprovided to the contractor, necessary measures will be taken to ensure that the information ishandled appropriately in accordance with the "Personal Information Protection Regulations of
Tohoku University" and any other relevant 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.
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 Principlesof Educational Data Acquisition."
After being admitted to the university, students' personal information, such as their entrance exam
scores etc., is merged with the university's Educational Data.
URL：https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/japanese/studentinfo/education/08/education0801/
9. Other Information(1) Disclosure of the examination results is available at the request of applicants during the fiscal yearof the examination.
(2) 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.jp7