II. Education Program
1. Diploma and Curriculum Policies
1.1. Diploma Policy
A student who completes this program can take one of the following degrees, “Doctor ofEngineering”, “Doctor of Science”, or “Doctor of Philosophy”. In any of these cases, the term“Completed Advanced Graduate Program in Global Strategy for Green Asia” is added.
Diploma policies of this program are shown as follows.
(1) Degrees are granted to those who have been enrolled in the course for the stipulated period,
who have undertaken education and research activities aligned with curricula that are based on
the course’s principles and goals, and who have fulfilled all the following conditions within the
stipulated length of time.
Condition 1: Have successfully passed all doctoral thesis screenings and examinations
Condition 2: Have taken courses on developing the abilities of research, practice, global
perspective and system landscape, and have obtained the requisite number of credits for eachcourse.
(2) In addition to the research ability based on advanced, specialized knowledge, the standard forcourse completion is based on whether students have been able to combine the aforementioned
abilities of research, practice, global perspective and system landscape, as well as master theabilities and knowledge needed to contribute to the industrial, economic, and social
development of Japan and other Asian countries as international leaders in industry, academia,
and government.
(3) Other aspects considered when evaluating course completion include whether students’ researchin the later stages of the program is conducted with a sophisticated sense of morality and a firm
sense of responsibility in accordance with the principles of Green Asia, and whether thosesubmitting doctoral theses have the ability to explain concepts logically.
(4) Those deemed to have acquired superlative skills and research results during the course of theirstudies are eligible to complete the course as much as half a year early
1.2. Curriculum Policy
The course and research works to acquire the abilities of research, practice, global perspective,
system landscape, and leadership are shown in Table 2-1, which should be equipped to complete
Green Asia Program (Figure 2-1). As will hereinafter be described in detail.
This degree program is a 5-year integrated doctoral program. For course students to develop theabilities of research, system landscape, global perspective, practice, and leadership to drive theGreen Asia Strategy, the program has been designed so that they obtain a well-rounded balance of allthese qualities, and simultaneously can demonstrate their personal growth to others. This program
operates on the assumption of fall enrollment (initial entry), in line with the international standard.
Students who enroll in a master’s program in April can take a 6-month pre-program and a 4.5-years
actual program (0.5 years × 9 semesters), totaling to 5 years (Figure 2-2). On the other hand,10students who enroll in the fall become regular program students with a total program duration of 5
years. This system, therefore, enables international students unfamiliar with Japan’s research
environment to have sufficient preparation and time to undertake doctoral research. Students who
enroll in Master’s program in April acquire basic academic abilities during the pre-program and arethen tested through the entrance examination.
Table 2-1. Ways and Classes to Acquire Five Abilities
Ability

Research

Practical
Understanding

GlobalPerspective
SystemLandscape

Leadership

Way to acquire(1) Research activity in three laboratories
in different areas; (2) Acquisition of highlevels of specialized knowledge throughadvanced researches; (3) Taking Special
Classes from more than one department(1) Practical activities in research anddevelopment workplaces in Japan andoverseas; (2) Classes by invited
individuals associated with a company(1) Practice in expression, discussion,and description in English; (2)Acquisition of economics andsociological knowledge(1) Learning economics, sociology, andenvironmentology; (2) Consilience ofarts and sciences(1) Acting as a leader in International
Exercises; (2) Practice with leadresearchers and/or developers in Japanand overseas; (3) Exercise for researchguidance to younger students

Class(1) Fundamental Research (laboratory
rotation); (2) Doctoral Researches under
the stage gate system; (3) Special Classes(1) Practice School, and Domestic andInternational Internships; (2) Industrial
Systems(1) Two types of International Exercises(A and B); (2) Social, Environmental,
and Economic Systems(1) Social, Environmental, and Economic
Systems; (2) International Exercise A(Green Asia Forum) and a free article(1) Two types of International Exercises(A and B); (2) Practice School, andDomestic and International Internships;(3) Research Guidance Exercises(1) Admission
Students enrolled in this program undertake a course of education based on a standard of either
4.5 years (0.5 years × 9 semesters) or 5 years (0.5 years × 10 semesters). For those enrolled in amaster’s course at a Japanese university, including this university, the 6 months prior to the entrance
examination constitute a period during which students can develop the requisite abilities to pass the
program’s entrance examination. They also provide a period during which those hesitant to commit
to 5 years of study at graduate school can carefully consider whether enrollment is the correct pathfor them. While the entrance examination is based on traditional master’s course entrance
examinations, the introduction of the following 5 items ensures the quality of students selected forthe program: (1) Students are required to submit multiple letters of recommendation from teachersand others who have taught the candidate in the past. (2) Those who recommended the candidates
will be interviewed. (3) Written and oral examinations are administered in English. (4) In the written
examination, candidates are tested on their logical thinking, English skills and descriptive abilities
through a small writing assignment; they also take a science and technology examination in their
specialty area, with an increased difficulty level relative to traditional master’s program entrance

11

examinations. (5) Students are required to submit their grades from undergraduate study. Successful
candidates are also given the option of transferring some of the credits obtained through priorgraduate-level study to meet requirements specified by this program. This is an effective way of
increasing the number of candidates from outside this university and recruiting outstanding students.

Figure 2-1. Green Asia Program Education Model(2) Master’s Course: Cultivation of Fundamentals of Five Abilities in Organized Course Works
In addition to majoring in either system engineering, material science, or resources engineeringand taking subjects (majors) in one of these fields, students in this course are required also to taketwo extended specialty courses in fields besides their major fields. Through such activities, they
develop the abilities of research and system landscape. Studies for environmentology, sociology, andeconomics, practical works in industry, and practical English are all essential for giving students a
firm grounding in the abilities of system landscape, global perspective, and practice.

12

Figure 2-2. Stage Gates

In Practice School, emphasis is placed on developing practical skills and leadership ability.
Students spend a month identifying issues of interest under the instruction of the mentoring care unit
(MCU) and spend the following 1-2 months participating in a business internship or industry–
academia joint research project with the goal of solving their issues in association with a leader(technical mentor) through research and development at a company. The laboratory rotation systemapplies to the first through the third stages gates of research activities. Here, each student conducts
approximately 3 months of Fundamental Research at three different laboratories. Students areencouraged to choose laboratories at two or more faculties as long as this does not hinder theirstudies. In contrast to traditional master’s thesis research, this arrangement provides researchguidance with an emphasis on acquiring research methodologies from different fields.
(3) First Stage Gate: Qualifying Examination
Students sit for the qualifying examination (QE) at the end of the master’s course. Only those
who have met all the requirements relating to their subject grades thus far are eligible to sit for thisexamination. During the QE, students give an oral presentation and answer questions in English on
what they have learned from (1) subjects they have taken and (2) their research in multiple majors,
along with (3) their activities in Practice School.
In the written examination, students are tested on their abilities relating to their specialty area
and their understanding of the nature of science and technology through a short essay in English.
Grades for the QE are determined through evaluations of these examinations and reports by the13student’s MCU (a mentor and a technical mentor). Only those who receive a grade of “Pass” on the
QE can progress to doctoral course.
(4) Second Stage Gate: Research Review and Proposal
In the first semester of the doctoral course, students commence work on their doctoral researchunder the guidance of an advisor who is not their MCU mentor. Here, students preparecomprehensive and exhaustive review papers, write a research proposal based on these review essays,
and undergo a screening at the end of the period. Screening is conducted to gauge whether these
proposals and reviews are of suitable quality and originality to support cutting-edge research. While
those who pass the screening stage acquire credits for Doctoral Research (I), only those who haveachieved the requisite number of credits, overall GPA, and GPA in individual competency areas
through the fourth period are permitted to proceed to the next stage.
(5) Third Stage Gate: Interim Report
Students submit an interim report and undergo screening. During the screening, students are
given scores out of a possible 10 points on individual items, with the main criteria consisting of (1)originality, (2) scientific significance, (3) significance from the perspective of green engineering, and(4) technical qualities of the report. Only those who have passed this screening stage and achieved
the requisite number of credits, overall GPA, and GPA in individual competency areas are permitted
to proceed to the next stage.
(6) Forth Stage Gate: Green Asia Article
In International Exercise A, students combine the knowledge that they have developed throughdebates and discussions on science, technology, and industrial structures for achieving Green Asia,
as well as on industrial cooperation in Asia and on the nature of societies and economies, with theirown specialist knowledge. Using all this knowledge, students write a paper on a topic of their own
choosing, and submit it an international journal.
(7) Fifth Stage Gate: Doctoral Thesis and Final Qualifying Examination
At the end of the final year, a doctoral thesis screening is conducted, and these form the final
requirement for the conferral of degrees. Here, in addition to a doctoral thesis screening from theperspective of whether the student has acquired the requisite expertise to earn a degree, students arealso screened as Final QE. This includes the addition of one or more international researchers who
are active overseas as a referee and the requirement for students to have had the researchachievements contained in their doctoral thesis published or accepted for publication in an academic
journal with an impact factor over a specified value. In addition to passing these screenings,
eligibility for degree conferral through this program requires completion of 77 or more credits, and a
total GPA of 3.0 or more. These requirements are designed to assure that graduates possess researchskills, multifaceted perspectives, international competencies, practical skills, and overall ability at orin excess of the level specified thereby ensuring the degree conferral according to the admission
policy. One of the characteristics of this program is that, while students accumulate credits and14

grades in various subjects, their process of acquiring and integrating skills can also be apparent, bothby the students and others, through their coursework and research as a result of the many
submissions and achievements completed over the duration of the program.
The practice subjects characterizing this program are summarized as follows.
(8) International Exercise A
Members of the teaching staff in the social sciences assumes overall leadership and holds
lectures (including guest lecturers) and seminars or discussions on issues related to the principles ofGreen Asia on a monthly basis. Through them, students come up with their own research topics (inscience and technology or social/industrial studies) and conduct research while receiving support
from the overall leader and their MCU. In International Exercise A4, in addition to presenting theirown research, students take charge of a seminar on their topic and guide the discussion, creating a
Green Asia paper based on the results of this seminar, and thereby fulfilling a requirement of the
fourth stage gate. The papers are submitted to international journals such as the program’s journal,“EVERGREEN”. Another goal is for teaching staff in the social sciences and students to publish
papers in journals under joint authorship.
(9) International Exercise B
Students present progress reports for their doctoral researches in annual “International Forumfor Green Asia” organized by this program. In addition, they play specific roles as participants in theplanning and implementation of this forum.
(10) Domestic and International Internship Program
By participations in the internship programs, students will gain valuable work experience inindustrial and/or research institutes throughout Japan and in key overseas locations, thus fostering
their practical and internship abilities. The various activities will be organized as a sequence of thePractice School lasting from 1 to 2 months, the Overseas Internship lasting from 2 to 3 months, andfinally the Domestic Internship of short duration from 2 to 3 weeks. During the Practice School,
each student is free to choose from a range of organizations and potential technical mentors, and thenmake detailed plans regarding the execution of the project under the guidance of their chosen
mentors. After approximately 2 years, the student will have the opportunity to acquire a second
period of work experience with the same host organization and technical mentors as chosenpreviously.
(11) Administrative LeadershipThis program is designed to enable students to develop an ability to have a strong initiative, aquality essential to leadership in all specialties. In the Practice School and the International
Internship, students tackle relevant tasks alongside leaders in research and development. These
leaders are involved in the MCU as technical mentors and overseas mentors, and they provide
students with guidance along the way. Students study theories of leadership under industry leaders in
Industrial Systems. In International Exercise B, students participate in the planning and15

implementation of the International Forum for Green Asia, which is held once a year. In particular,
students in the 4th year assume a leadership role in planning and directing this event as part of anorganizing committee. Research Guidance Exercises are held during the doctoral course, andstudents assume partial responsibility for providing research guidance to junior students who areunder the guidance of their doctoral research advisors, thus giving them experience in providing
instruction to others in their specialty area.

Figure 2-3. Internship Programs and International Exercises(12) Mentoring and Support System for Students: Mentoring Care Unit
A mentoring care unit (MCU), comprising a world-class senior researcher (mentor: program
leader), a junior researcher (tutor: program assistant), an overseas mentor (advisor on theInternational Internship) and a technical mentor (supervisor in the Practice School), guides andsupports each student consistently (Figure 2-4). The technical and overseas mentors join the MCU
in picking a theme for Practice School and guiding the student’s progress through the doctoral courseof study, respectively. A professor cannot act as both a supervisor of the main research and a chiefreferee of the doctoral thesis. With such support individual areas of specialization, students canacquire a breadth of knowledge that leads to the development of system landscape ability.
Master’s degree students attend a serious internship, Practice School, in domestic companies or
institutes to gain experiences in research developments under the guidance of the technical mentors.
As the students may have heavy workload in Practice School, mentors conduct interviews with theirstudents and the technical mentors, and provide the necessary support. In the International Internship,
the students are supported through partnerships between mentors and overseas mentors, and between
the Green Asia Education Center and the administrative office of the Program for Leading Graduate
Schools.

16

Figure 2-4. Mentoring Care Unit

2. Admission Policy and Results
2.1. Admission Policy
In this program, which aims to develop doctoral degree holders with a global perspective thattranscends national borders and is based on the fields of resource engineering, material science,system engineering, and environmentology, the goal of course entrance examinations is to selectstudents who possess not only a fundamental grounding in specialized research fields but also
excellent language and communication skills. As such, in the half year between university
enrollment and course entrance examinations, all students at the university are made entirely awareof this program’s goals and what the program entails. In this way it is possible not only to recruit
outstanding and motivated students but also to generate awareness among all students regarding the
program’s aim of developing an elite group who will go on to make future contributions to society.
Furthermore, the course entrance examination should instill a strong sense of responsibility andawareness in the candidates through a series of experiences, such as interviews in examinations.
2.2. Domestic Admission: Recruitment of Graduate Students at Kyushu University(1) 2014 Academic Year (for the 3rd batch students)
We improved recruitment of the 3rd batch Green Asia course students who would join theGreen Asia Program in October 2014 because the number of the applicants who applied in 2013 waslower than that we expected as follows. (1) We started to provide information about the Green Asia
Program as part of a guidance for the new 1st-year master’s degree students in April. (2) We
employed students who joined the Green Asia Program as a research assistant student, and they
could understand more about the Green Asia Program, check their aptitude, and prepare for theenrollment actually by attending lectures and events of the Green Asia Program until September. (3)We significantly improved our website, and clearly showed many important information for making
a decision, such as comparison of the Green Asia course work with the normal one, financial support,
and daily activity of a course student.
17

In the entrance examination, the applicants addressed written examinations for specialized
subjects, a short essay, and an interview, and all of them were conducted in English. They were
evaluated by using TOEIC score and grade point average (GPA) score for the undergraduate course
in addition to scores for them.
The schedule and the results of the entrance examination are shown in Tables 2-2 and 2-3,
respectively.
Table 2-2. Schedule of Domestic Entrance Examination in 2014
Date
April 8
April 9April 23
April 30
July 2
July 15
August 5
August 6
August 19
August 20
October 1
1

Contents
Information session for M1 students (GSE)1
Information session for M1 students (IGSES)2
Due date of the application for a research assistant student (IGSES) 2
Due date of the application for a research assistant student (GSE)1
Information session for M1 students
Due date for submission of application form for admission
Entrance examination
Assessment meeting in each graduate school
Assessment meeting
Announcement of successful applicants
Enrollment

Graduate School of Engineering; 2 Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science
Table 2-3. Results of Domestic Entrance Examination in 2014
Department
Molecular and Materials Sciences1
Applied Science for Electronics and Materials1
Energy and Environmental Engineering1
Earth Resources Engineering2
Total

1

Applicant
1
8
0
1
10

Candidate
1
8
0
1
10

Matriculate
1
6
0
1
8

Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science; 2 Graduate School of Engineering(2) 2015 Academic Year (for the 4th batch students)
We conducted recruitment and entrance examination of the 4rd batch Green Asia course
students who would join the Green Asia Program in October 2015 at the similar schedule as that in2014. The schedule and the results of the entrance examination are shown in Tables 2-4 and 2-5,
respectively.
Unfortunately, there was a shortage of students, and we continued our recruitment during the
2nd semester, but no student applied.

18

Table 2-4. Schedule of Domestic Entrance Examination in 2015
Date
April 9April 20
June 26
July 2
July 15
August 4
August 6
August 19
October 1
1

Contents
Information session for M1 students
Due date of the application for a research assistant student
Information session for M1 students (GSE)1
Information session for M1 students (IGSES)2
Due date for submission of application form for admission
Entrance examination
Assessment meeting
Announcement of successful applicants
Enrollment

Graduate School of Engineering; 2 Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science
Table 2-5. Results of Domestic Entrance Examination in 2015
Department
Molecular and Materials Sciences1
Applied Science for Electronics and Materials1
Energy and Environmental Engineering1
Earth Resources Engineering2
Total

1

Applicant
1
0
0
2
3

Candidate
1
0
0
2
3

Matriculate
1
0
0
2
3

Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science; 2 Graduate School of Engineering

2.3. International Admission(1) The 3rd batch students who enrolled on October, 2014
For the 2nd batch Green Asia course international students who joined the Green Asia Programin October 2013 from overseas, the application was closed on April 2013, and the screening was
conducted from late May to early in July. However, for the international students, this screening
doubles as an entrance examination to graduate schools of Kyushu University, and thus the scheduleshould be accelerated. Therefore, we improved recruitment of the 3rd batch international students
who would join the Green Asia Program in October 2014 from overseas as follows. (1) We
accelerated the screening schedule to decide whether the applicants passed or fell by early in April.
(2) We prepared a matching service between applicants without a connection with Green Asia
Program academic staffs and professors who could accept them. (3) We significantly improved our
website, and clearly showed many important information for making a decision, such as a financial
support from the program, and living cost and taxes in Fukuoka. We also explained about Japan,
Fukuoka, and Kyushu University with photographs. (4) We introduced a system to directly submit
application forms on the web to reduce their burden. (5) We advertised the Green Asia Program aswell as the entrance examination on a paid website.
Thus the application for the 3rd batch students exceeded that for the 2nd batch students
substantially (24). The screening was conducted by following the similar process as that for the 2ndbatch students: the 1st screening based on the submitted documents, and the 2nd screening based on
the written examination for two specialized subjects, a short essay examination, and an interview ineach applicant’s current location.
19

Figure 2-5. Poster of the Recruitment for the 3rd batch students who enrolled on October, 2014

The results of the entrance examination are shown in Table 2-6.

20

Table 2-6. Results of Admission for the 3rd batch international student
Department
Molecular and Materials Sciences1
Applied Science for Electronics and Materials1
Energy and Environmental Engineering1
Earth Resources Engineering2
Total
1

Applicant

2nd Screening

35

22

12
47

9
31

Matriculate
2
2
2
3
9

Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science; 2 Graduate School of Engineering(2) The 4th batch students who would enroll on October, 2015
We conducted recruitment and entrance examination for the 4th batch Green Asia course
international students who would joined the Green Asia Program in October 2015 from overseas at
the more accelerated schedule than that in 2014 to decide whether the applicants passed or fell by theend of March, 2015. Since the scholarship for the 4th batch international students had not beenguaranteed for 3.5 years after enrollment (until March 2019), we recruited the course students withdisclosing this situation. Fortunately, 91 application forms were submitted from 25 overseas
countries and regions.
The results of the entrance examination are shown in Table 2-7.
Table 2-7. Results of Admission for the 4th batch international student
Department
Molecular and Materials Sciences1
Applied Science for Electronics and Materials1
Energy and Environmental Engineering1
Others1
Earth Resources Engineering2
Total
1

Applicant91

2nd Screening
6
5
2
1
1
15

Matriculate
3
4
1
1
1
10

Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science; Graduate School of Engineering
2(3) The 5th batch students who would enroll on October, 2016
We conducted recruitment and entrance examination for the 5th batch Green Asia course
international students who would joined the Green Asia Program in October 2016 from overseas
from September, 2015. Since the scholarship for the 5th batch international students had not beenguaranteed for 2.5 years after enrollment (until March 2019), we recruited the course students withdisclosing this situation. We received 29 application forms from 12 overseas countries and regions in
total. Through the 1st (based on the application form) and the 2nd screening (written examination forthe specialized subjects and a short essay, and an interview), 14 candidates from 6 overseas countries
passed the entrance examination.
The results of the entrance examination are shown in Table 2-8.

21

Figure 2-6. Poster of the Recruitment for the 4th batch students who enrolled on October, 201522

Table 2-8. Results of Admission for the 5th batch international student
Department

ApplicantMolecular and Materials Sciences1
Applied Science for Electronics and Materials1
Energy and Environmental Engineering1
Others1
Earth Resources Engineering2
Total
1

29

PassedCandidates
2
6
1
3
2
14

Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science; Graduate School of Engineering
2

2.4. Transfer Admission
We have actively accepted students to the 3rd year of the Green Asia Program from the“Cooperational Graduate Education Program for the Development of Global Human Resources inEnergy and Environmental Science and Technology” (EEST or Campus Asia Program) that is adouble degree program for the master’s course between the Kyushu University (Interdisciplinary
Graduate School of Engineering Science), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Pusan National
University. Therefore, we conducted the transfer admission examination for the students whocompleted the Campus Asia Program along with regular qualifying examinations for the Green Asia
course students (II 3.10). In 2014 academic year, 2 Japanese students could move to the 3rd year of
the Green Asia course from the Campus Asia Program as the 2nd batch domestic student. In 2015, 1
international student passed the examination and started his activity in the Green Asia Program as
the 2nd batch international student.

23

Figure 2-7. Poster of the Recruitment for the 5th batch students who will enroll on October, 201624