Academic Office

AY2024 Fall Semester 3rd-Year Seminar (Major Seminar I/II) Application Guidelines
Students interested in advancing to graduate study or finding employment in Japan are strongly encouraged tobegin their intensive specialized study in a 3rd-year seminar. Although the contents of each individual seminar vary
greatly, the main aim of all 3rd-year seminars is the same: Deepen your understanding of a specific field throughcase studies and debate, and acquire the specialized knowledge and skills necessary to write an undergraduate thesis.
The 4th-year seminar forms the culmination of a student’s four years of study at APU. This highly specialized subject
allows students to select a topic of interest and conduct focused research over a one-year period, and write a thesisin the latter semester.

1. Schedule
In order to register for a seminar (Major Seminar I), students must apply one semester in advance.
Overview

Timeframeth

Release of Seminar Information,
Seminar Class List & Syllabus

15:00～ (JST) Wed. 15 May 2024
*It is highly recommended, although not mandatory, to carefully learn theinformation.

Period for Consultation with Seminar

Wed. 15th May – Wed. 19th June, 2024

Instructors*Please refer to the schedule indicated by the instructors on their syllabus.

Wed. 5th June – Wed. 19th June* will close at exactly 16:30:00 (JST)Application Period*Applications must be submitted via RISING FDC.
*STRICTLY NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE
DEADLINE.

Announcement of Successful Applicants

Wed. 17th July, 2024

Start of Seminars

2024 Fall Semester

2. Eligible Students
Students falling into one of the following categories are eligible to submit a new application for a 3rd-year Seminar.
(1) Not currently taking a seminar(2) Currently taking a seminar, but wish to change to a different instructor’s seminar in the next semester→Apply for a new seminar. When you submit a new application for a different seminar, the original seminaris considered cancelled.
(3) Currently on exchange, but will be resuming studies at APU next semester(4) Currently taking a leave of absence, but will be resuming studies at APU next semester

Japanese-basis students on the Standard Track are required to complete “Intermediate English A/B” in order to applyfor 3rd- and 4th-year seminar subjects offered in English. Students taking seminars held in both English and Japaneseand students changing to the 2011 Curriculum due to reinstatement or readmission are not subject to this requirement.

Note that there will be a separate application period (Wed. 17th July – Wed. 31th July, 2024) for students
who fall into one of the following criteria:(1) Students re-enrolling next semester(2) Students transferring to APU next semester(3) Students from RU and from overseas coming to APU for exchange next semester**Please note that this refers only to students who will be in APU from Fall 2024; students who cameto APU in 2024 Spring or before will be treated as regular students.

3. Sub-seminars (only applicable for 3rd year seminars) (Changes from spring 22: yellow highlights)
In general, students only take one seminar subject per semester. However, under certain conditions which arelisted below, students are allowed to attend two seminar classes per semester in order to broaden their knowledge intheir field of study. If you want to take a seminar of the other college as a sub-seminar, you can take only thesub seminar. It is not possible to take only the sub-seminars of your college. If you do not apply for or takethe main seminar at the time of application, and only apply for and pass the sub-seminar of your college, theseminar you passed will be registered as the main seminar.
<Conditions for Sub-seminar Registration>(1) Your application has been approved by the sub-seminar instructor.
(2) The timetables for the both seminars do not overlap. In case of overlapping, sub-seminar courses
will be deleted.
<Application Method>
Please see No. 5 below, “Application Procedures”, for information on how to apply.

4. Important Notes(1) Classes Available for Application
For their main seminar, students can register only for 3rd-year Seminars offered by their own College. To register
for a 3rd-year Seminars offered by the other College, you can apply to register for it as a sub-seminar. Additionally,please note that there are some classes for which only students who are in their 6th semester at the time of registration
can apply. Please review the List of Seminars carefully before submitting your application.

(2) Grades and Credits(a) Number of Credits and Subject Fields for 3rd- and 4th-year Seminars
3rd- and 4th-year Seminar subjects are graded each semester.
*Completed credits for 3rd- and 4th-year seminar subjects taken from one's own college will count towards theMajor Education Subject field.
*Sub-seminars taken from the other college will count towards the “Other College Subjects/General Electives”
field.
(b) Japanese-basis Domestic Student Graduation Requirements
Japanese-basis domestic students must complete at least 20 credits of subjects held in English (excludingLanguage Subjects).

Please note that seminar subjects held in both English and Japanese (E/J) will not becounted towards this total.

(c) Listing of Areas of Study on Diplomas<For AY2017 Curriculum Students>

To have their Area of Study listed on their diploma, students in the College of International Management mustcomplete 12 or more credits of the designated subjects for the Area of Study. Up to 4 credits earned from seminar
subjects can be included in this requirement.
Students in the College of Asia Pacific Studies must complete 2 credits from the required subjects (CommonLiberal Arts Subjects) from the Area of Study they have registered for, and 28 credits from the Major Education
Subjects for the Area of Study. Not only are these necessary for APS students to have their Area of Study listedon their diploma, these are also included in the graduation requirements. All credits earned from seminar subjects
will count toward the required 28 credits.
Note that regardless of the Area of Study the seminar falls under, credits earned from the subject will counttoward all Areas of Study. (Applies to both APM and APS)
<For AY2011 Curriculum Students>
Students in the College of International Management who have completed at least 30 credits of Course Subjects,Core Subjects and Seminar Subjects will have their Area of Study listed on their diploma (See the Undergraduate
Academic Handbook: Page 176 for details). Credits earned for all APM 3rd and 4th year seminars will counttowards this requirement regardless of the Area of Study. Please note that for APS students, credits earned fromseminar subjects do not count towards any Area of Study.

(3) Continuing Registration, Cancelling or Changing a Seminar (Changes from spring 22: yellow highlights)
Once accepted into a seminar, students will be automatically registered each semester under the same instructor
through to ‘Undergraduate Thesis/Graduation Research II’. Sub-seminars will also be automatically registeredfor up to 6 semester. Students who wish to cancel their registration for a seminar need to cancel during Course
Registration Period (until Correction Period I) on Campusmate by themselves. Students who wish to take adifferent seminar in the next semester, need to submit a new application for the seminar you wish to takeduring the application period. When you submit a new application for a different seminar, the original
seminar is considered cancelled. If you fail the seminar you applied for, you will not be able to take the originalone. If you are enrolled in both main/sub seminars and cancel the main, the following adjustments will bemade by the university.
■ The sub-seminar is a seminar of your enrolled college⇒ That course will be changed to be taken as a main seminar.
■ The sub-seminar is a seminar of the other college.
⇒ That course will be taken as a sub-seminar.
For more details, please check the Academic Office website “3rd / 4th year Seminars” APS and APM page underthe “Seminar Subjects” tab. (*Note, however, that even after cancelling the course, ‘Undergraduate Thesis/Graduation Research II’ will automatically be registered again every semester the student remains enrolled at APU.)(4) Schedule Conflicts with Required Subjects
If a student's major seminar class schedule overlaps with that of their college's required subjects or their required
language subjects, the required subjects will take priority and their major seminar registration will be cancelled.

5. Application ProceduresStudents must undertake the below procedures to apply for a 3rd-year seminar.
※Students wishing to apply for a sub-seminar, must apply using the same application procedures as outlined below.
Order
1

Item
Check which seminar classes are available.

Schedule(Information available on the Academic Office Website, APSAPM) *You can apply for up to 2 main seminars (1st choice and 2nd choice)

15 May ～Check the details of your desired seminars provided in the respective syllabi.
2*Be sure to check the details provided in the syllabus on individual consultations (venue, schedule, etc) as
well as the requirements for application (Application Essay, Assignment(s)).

3Consult with desired seminar instructor.
*Sub-seminar applications also require a consultation with the instructor.
Prepare your ‘Application Essay’ and/or ‘Assignment(s)’.
*Applicants will be required to enter the ‘Application Essay’ and/or ‘Assignment(s)’ in the application

4

form on RISING FDC during the Seminar Application Period (5 June – 19 June). Make sure to prepare

15 May ~the above requirement(s) using a word processor (MS Word, etc) or a text editor (notepad, etc.)

19 June.

beforehand.
*The same apply to students applying for a sub-seminar.
*Please refer to “Figure 1. Requirement for Seminar Application” for details on the submission of theabove requirements.
Complete the Seminar application form (survey) on RISING FDC*For details on the application procedures, check the “Undergraduate seminar (3rd/4th-year) APS, APM”

5page on the Academic Office Website.

5 June ~*Applicants are required to enter the ‘Application Essay’ and/or ‘Assignment(s)’ in the application form.

19 June*The same apply to students applying for a sub-seminar.
Figure 1. Requirement for Seminar Application*Students Currently on Exchange or on a Leave of Absence
For students currently on exchange or on a leave of absence who wish to register for a seminar upon their return to APU, please be
sure to submit a new application in accordance with the procedures shown above. However, as it may be difficult for these students

to have a face-to-face consultation with seminar instructors (item (3)), students may contact the instructors and request for aconsultation via email or online. For more details, please check the Academic Office website “Undergraduate seminar (3rd/4th-year)”page under the “Seminar Subjects” tab, APS, APM*Students who Plan to Participate in an Exchange Program
It is not possible to participate in an exchange program and a seminar at the same time. Please choose either one or the other.
Students who hope to participate in an exchange program in the following semester, but who think that they would like to take aseminar if they are not accepted into the exchange program after all, should apply for a seminar according to the schedule shown
above. However, if after applying for a seminar they receive notification they have been accepted into an exchange program, theyshould immediately submit a cancellation application to the Academic Office. For more details, please check the Academic Officewebsite “Undergraduate seminar (3rd/4th-year)” page under the “Seminar Subjects” tab, APS, APM*Students who Plan on Applying to Transfer Colleges within APU
Students can apply for a seminar offered by the college to which they will belong to after the transfer.

The application schedule isthe same as the one shown above. However, please be sure to consult with the Academic Office during the application period.
Additionally, because the seminar application period occurs before the procedures for transferring colleges, it is recommended thatstudents also apply simultaneously to a seminar offered by their current college in case they do not receive permission to transfercolleges. For more details, please check the Academic Office website “Undergraduate seminar (3rd/4th-year)” page under the“Seminar Subjects” tab APS, APM*Students on the Accelerated Graduation Program
Students on the Accelerated Graduation Program must also apply for 3rd-year seminars according to the schedule above. The students
will take 3rd and 4th-year seminars at different times than regular students. Please consult with your desired instructor and ensure
you have room for these subjects in your study plan before applying. Please refer to the Undergraduate Academic Handbook (page169) or the Academic Office website for details on the seminar enrollment application period. For more details, please check theAcademic Office website “Undergraduate seminar (3rd/4th-year)” page under the “Seminar Subjects” tab, APS, APM

Reference： 3rd- and 4th-year Seminar Application Process(See the Undergraduate Academic Handbook for details)
3rd Year
4th Semester

NewApplication

SeminarApplication
Period5th Semester

Major Seminar I/II
2 credits

CourseRegistration
PeriodContinueContinue(automaticregistration)



New Application

CancelMajor Seminar I/II
2 credits

4th Year
CourseRegistration
PeriodCourseRegistration
Period7th Semester

ResearchContinue(automaticregistration)

Cancel

Seminar/Graduati

Pass (automaticregistration)

Cancelon Seminar I
2 credits(P or F)

Continue(automaticregistration)

Fail (ineligible toregister)×Seminar
Application
Period

6th Semester

8th Semester

Undergraduate
Thesis/Graduation
Seminar II
4 credits

Continue

New
Application

（Source: Undergraduate Academic Handbook）
Academic Office Undergraduate Seminar Team
Email: seminar1@apu.ac.jp