Guidelines for Application
Doctoral Program in Informatics (Special Selection of Global Individuals in English)
Degree Programs in Comprehensive Human Sciences
Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba

1.

Objectives of Education and Admission Policy
Objectives of Program2.

This program aims at providing a comprehensive education at graduate level,
in a multi-disciplinary approach, encompassing fundamental and applied
courses in informatics.

Admission Requirements &Students are trained to develop both conceptual and technical knowledge thatis essential for managing diverse information resources in the increasinglyglobalized environment.
Applicants will be selected will be based on the following criteria:

Policy1)

Demonstrate adequate English proficiency to perform successfully in ourInformatics program;2)

Evidence of basic knowledge to perform successfully in our Informatics
program;3)

Genuine interest in studying informatics at graduate level.

Names of Degrees
Doctor of Philosophy in Informatics

3.

Application Schedules(A)

Application period via e-mail: November 20 to December 11, 2019
(Deadline for submission of printed and original documents: December 18, 2019) (See Section 8)(B)Interview via online video conference (e.g., Skype, Zoom): Specified day during January 23 to 31, 2020
or face-to-face interview at the University of Tsukuba: January 30 or 31, 2020

4.

(C)

Announcement of the final selection results: February 17, 2020

(D)

Program Commencement: October 1, 2020 (further details will be sent upon selection)

Number of Students Accepted: Several1

5.

Eligibility for of ApplicantsApplicants must meet at least one of the following criteria, in order to apply:(A)

A Master’s Degree holder, or who expects to earn a Master’s Degree by the end of September 2020

(B)

A university graduate who holds the equivalent of a Master’s Degree in a country other than Japan(C)

Individuals who are 24 years of age or older by the end of September 2020, and whose qualification isrecognized as equivalent to a master’s degree, or a first professional degree (subject to our screening process)Please contact our office no later than November 20, 2019 via contact information stated in Section 6 toinquire about your eligibility.

6.

Application Procedures
To apply for the program, please send the application documents as described in Section 7 by following theinstructions given in Section 8. The application documents must arrive on or before the deadline.
In advance, each applicant needs to contact a faculty member and get confirmation as your prospective academicadvisor. Please consult with a faculty member – to finalize your research topic BEFORE submitting yourapplication. The Faculty member list is available at:
http://www.slis.tsukuba.ac.jp/grad/english/education/faculty_e.html

If you have any questions about the application procedure, please contact us via email at:elis-info@slis.tsukuba.ac.jp

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7.

Application Documents
The following documents are necessary for completing your application. Please use the specified application
forms, which are distributed together with this guideline.

Payment for examination fee is required before sending your application documents. NO late payments will
be accepted. Please note that examination fee will not be refunded after application has been submitted,regardless of the final results.
Document

Applies toNotes

1Application FormAll

Please fill out Form 1 and attach a photo showing your fullface, neck and shoulders in frontal view. Photo must betaken within the last 6 months.

2

Certificate of Paymentfor Examination Fee

All

Please use Form 3.

Letter ofRecommendationAll

330,000 Japanese yen. Please pay before submitting theapplication
excepttheJapanese
Government(Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship students andstudents who wish to continue undertaking the Doctoral
program after completing our Master’s program. See Section
7-1 for payment procedure in details.
A Letter of Recommendation from your previous academic
advisor (i.e., Master’s thesis academic supervisor) is required.
There is NO specified format.
Please use A4/letter size paper. For details, see Section 7-2.

4(Expected)
Completion
Certificate*All

Please submit a completion certificate (or an attested document
certifying that you will graduate) issued by a university or othereducational institutions that meets the application requirements
for the Doctoral programs of this Graduate School.

5Degree Certificate*All

If you have already graduated from a graduate school outside
Japan, please submit a degree certificate of your Master’sdegree.

6Academic Transcript*

All

Submit an academic transcript (the official transcript ofprograms record) issued by a university or another educational
institution that meets the application requirements for theDoctoral programs of this Graduate School.
If any credits were transferred from another school, pleasesubmit an academic transcript from the former school.

7Research PlanAll

Describe your reasons for applying and your research plan inEnglish (1,000 words maximum). Please use Form 2.

Notes:All documents must be written in English or (in Japanese). If the certificates issued by your university are not inEnglish or Japanese, you MUST submit an official notarized translation for non-English documents with theoriginal notary seal affixed (please use A4/letter size ).
*The notary seal: To officially notarize the copied document, affixed by authorized public institutions or homeuniversity.

37-1. Payment of Examination Fee
Please pay the examination fee before submitting the application documents. Please pay by (A) credit card or(B) international bank transfer. The specific payment procedures are outlined as below:
Note: We recommend you to pay by (A) credit card.
The examination fees are exempted for those who are the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho:MEXT) Scholarship students and students who wish to continue undertaking the Doctoral program after
completing our Master’s program in September 2020.

(A) Credit card (Visa/MasterCard/JCB/AMERICAN EXPRESS) payments
Please make the payment via the following website between November 20, 2019 and December 11, 2019.
https://e-shiharai.net/english/index.html
The following instruction is valid only during the payment period.
When you access “Category Selection”, please pay attention to the following points.
1)

Choose “Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences” in the First Selection.

2)

Then, choose “Doctor, Program Jan. 2020” in the Second Selection.

3)

Finally, choose “Dr PG in Informatics” in the Fourth Selection.

After the payment process is complete, a “Receipt Number” will be displayed. Please make sure to take a recordof the receipt number, along with the copy of the payment receipt. Then attach the printed copy of the payment
receipt in Form 3.

(B) International bank transfer
1)

Transfer the 30,000 Japanese yen (JPY) examination fee into the following bank account before
submitting the application documents.

2)

All charges and fees for the money transfer must be paid by the applicant. Please note that Japanesebanks charge a Japanese yen currency exchange fee (about 2,500 JPY). Also, if the transfer isthrough another bank, an additional transfer fee will occur through the routing bank. These fees
must also be paid by the applicant. When sending the bank transfer, please inform the transferringbank that “the payer will pay any and all kind of transfer charges and fees involved in thistransaction.”

43)

Be sure to secure a receipt of the transfer and attach it to Form 3.
Bank Name:MUFG Bank, LTD.

Branch Name:

HEAD OFFICE

Type of Account:

Ordinary account

Account Number:

7862425

Account Name:
Currency:
SWIFT Code:

7-2.

University of Tsukuba GAKUNOUKINGUCHIJPYBOTKJPJT

Letter of Recommendation
A Letter of Recommendation from your previous academic advisor (or the Head of the Department, Dean of theFaculty, etc.) is required for the application. This Letter of Recommendation should be written in either English
or Japanese. It must be signed by your previous academic advisor. There is no specified format for this letter ofrecommendation. Please use A4/letter size .

8.

Submission of Application Documents(A)

Submission method1)

Send an e-mail to the address: tosyoss-daigakuin@un.tsukuba.ac.jp, with an attachment file which
includes all scanned application documents (PDF files) except Letter of Recommendation andCertificate of Payment for Examination Fee. Please use the subject “ELIS Application” in the e-mail.
We will review your application and may request some modification on it. Please send the original
copies of application documents only when we complete our review.

2)

Please send all printed application documents and original certificates by registered mail or packagewith tracking number to the following address by December 18, 2019 after the completion of ourreview.
Graduate Affairs Section,
Academic Service Office for the Library, Information and Media Sciences
Area
University of Tsukuba
1-2 Kasuga, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Postal Code: 305-8550
Phone:81-(0)29-859-1120
Failure to do so will result in disqualification of the application.

3)

You will be notified by e-mail about the receipt of your application.

5Please register the e-mail address including “xxx@un.tsukuba.ac.jp” not to end up in spams or anyothers.

(B)

Notes
1)Please register the e-mail address including “xxx@un.tsukuba.ac.jp” and “xxx@slis.tsukuba.ac.jp”
not to end up in spams or any others.

2)

If any document are missing or not filled out correctly, your application will not be accepted. Pleasecheck carefully the documentation thoroughly before submission.

3)

Application documents will not be returned.

4)

Those who require special considerations for study due to disabilities or other issues should consult
with the University via e-mail to the address: elis-info@slis.tsukuba.ac.jp

5)

If any factual discrepancies are found in the application documents during the application process orafter admission to the University, admission may be revoked.

9.

Selection Method
During the interviews (via video conference or face-to-face), a comprehensive evaluation will be made for English
proficiency, basic knowledge, and interest in studying informatics.

・Oral Examination (500 points)
The selection process will be carried out based on the research plan which you submitted upon application.
You will be giving a presentation about the outline of your previous research and the future research plan (for theinitial 15 minutes), and you will be questioned about the content of your presentation for the remaining 40 minutes.
Additionally, you may be asked about basic academic skills in the related subject fields.

10.

Announcement of Examination Result
All applicants will be notified via EMS regarding the result -- on the announcement day of the examination results,
and also by e-mail as a matter of convenience. “Documents Required for Enrollment” will be sent to all thesuccessful applicants. See Section 3 for the date of the announcement of the final selection results.

11.

Enrollment Procedures(A) Documents Required for Enrollment
An admission package includes documents required for enrollment would be sent until the end of June, 2020.

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(B) Enrollment Period
1)Students must accept the offer of enrollment by the end of August 2020 (further details will be sent uponselection).

2)

Send all documents required for enrollment by mail or courier before the deadline.

(C) Fees and Waiver1)

The admission fee is 282,000 JPY.

2)

The tuition is 535,800 JPY / Year.

3)

If the tuition is revised at the time of admission or while students are enrolled, the updated tuition fee
will be applied only to the subsequent payments after the time of revision.

4)

Application documents for the admission fee waiver will be enclosed in the admission package.

5)

The University offers full or partial tuition waivers to students who, for reasons of financial difficulty,
are deemed eligible.

6)

12.

Students can apply for the tuition waiver only after they have enrolled in the program.

Handling of Personal Information(A) Personal information provided to the University of Tsukuba through the application documents will be used
exclusively for selection purposes.
(B) Personal information from tuition waiver application documents will be used during the selection process.

13.

Security Export Control
University of Tsukuba has established the University of Tsukuba Rules on Security Export Control in accordancewith the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, and conducts strict examinations for acceptance of international
students, etc. International applicants who fall under any of the conditions set out in said regulations may be unable
to enter their desired course or program.

(November 11, 2019)7