IMAP
Updated – October 4, 2021

Department of Economics
IMAP Program Guide

October 2021 Admission

0

IMAP

International M.A. Program - Contents
1. Type of Courses
2. Program Requirements
3. Course Offerings
4. Course Registration, Amendment, Cancellation, etc.
5. Advisor
6. Requirement for Completion (Master’s Thesis)(1) Path to M.A.
(2) Master’s Thesis(3) Admission to the International Ph.D. Program

7. Completion in March
8. Program Milestones
9. The GPA System
Appendix1IMAP

1. Type of Courses

The International M.A. Program in Economics offers two major types of classes: (1) Lectures and(2) Seminars.
(1) Lectures (2 credits per course)
Lectures are given by a faculty member (or a group of faculty members). There are three major
types as shown below.
Regular Lectures

Regularly offered in Int’l M.A. Program in Economics

Special Lectures

Irregularly offered in Int’l M.A. Program in Economics

GSISS Joint Courses

1. Thesis Writing

Offered in GSISS (Credits do
2. Presentation & Discussion Skills not count for M.A. degree)(2) Seminars (2 credits per course)
Seminars are led by your academic advisor and can include directed reading, dissertation
advising, etc.
Seminars Ⅰa, Ⅰb

Must be taken in a pair in 1st year

Seminars Ⅱa, Ⅱb

Must be taken in a pair in 2nd year If you intend to complete the program in one year, you have to take all these Seminars
in your 1st year.

2. Program Requirements
You must
Complete 32 credits, then write, submit and defend a traditional Master’s thesis.
 The credits can be roughly divided into two; those by seminars and by the others.
Credits
8 credits
24 credits

Conditions

Note

From SeminarsⅠa, Ⅰb, Ⅱa, and Ⅱb
From Lectures and Designated Special Lectures

See Table-1

At least 4 credits

See Table-1

From “core” courses

 A 2.0 or better in your GPA is also required (max: 4.5).

2

IMAP

Additional details of the Program Lectures in IPhD:
You are recommended to take the lectures offered in the International Ph.D. Program in
Economics (shown in Table - 1), and earn up to 6 credits for your Master’s degree. Such credits
counted towards your Master’s degree will not be valid towards your PhD degree (if you proceedto IPhD).
Table - 1
Course Title

Credits to be earned

Advanced International Finance
Advanced International Trade
Advanced Comparative Economic Studies
Advanced Empirical Analysis of Economic Systems
Structure and Dynamics of Developing Economies
Statistical Systems
Microeconomics
Macroeconomics
Statistics

2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

Limit

6 creditsin total Other Countable Courses:
If you are proficient enough in Japanese language, you may take and earn credits from thecourses other than in this English program (within limits) as shown in the table below.
Courses / Category

Credits (Limits)

Master’s lectures offered in the Department of Economics

Eligible for the Required
24

Designated Master’s lectures offered in Department of;Business Administration (GSISS),
International and Business Law (GSISS)

Up to 8(of the above 24)

Designated Master’s lectures offered in Graduate School of;
Education,
Engineering,
Environment and Information Sciences
Urban Innovation (up to 6 credits)
Certain upper-level courses offered by the College of Economics

Up to 6(of the above 24)
No Particular Limit

Most of the above courses are offered in Japanese. You have to obtain an approval by the course
instructor prior to your course registration.
3

IMAP
 External Courses (noncountable for Master’s):
You can take courses exterior to your program (IMAP) and earn credits, which do not counttowards the Master’s degree. Such courses are listed hereunder.
 GSISS Joint Courses
 Special Lectures (excluding those listed in Table – 1)
 Analysis Ⅲ, Measure Theory, Stochastic Models, Engineering Mathematics Probability,
Functional Analysis(offered in the School of Engineering Science’s Mathematical Science Program) Japanese Language Courses (offered by the International Student Center of YNU) - forinternational students only Foreign Language Courses and Lectures (offered in the Bachelor’s Program in Economics)
 Introduction to Linear Mathematics (Algebra)Ⅱ*, and Differential and Integral CalculusⅡ*
These courses are generally taught in Japanese.

* You have to obtain an approval by the course instructor prior to your course registration.
 Credits earned during your Undergraduate Period:
The credits of the designated Master’s lectures (offered in the Dept. of Economics) you earned
when you were an undergraduate student can count for IMAP digree with the conditions
hereunder.
Condition(s)Credits (Limits)

As long as the credits were not counted for your Bachelor’s degree

Up to 104

IMAP

3. Course Offerings
Because of the focused nature of the program, there is very little flexibility in the courses a student
can take to complete the degree. Table - 2a and 2b below give the courses offered in the program
and the recommended courses respectively to earn 32 credits required for the graduation.
Table - 2 a
Course Title

Core Courses

Other Elective
Courses

Seminars(Compulsory)

GSISS Joint
Courses

Credits Earned

Frequency

Economic Systems

2

annualEconomic Policy

2

annualInternational Economics and Public Policy

2

annualApplied International Trade2

annualPublic Finance2biennial **International Finance2annualWorld Economy

2

biennial **Economic Development2biennial **Environment and Development2biennial **Regional Strategies of Economic Development2biennial **Seminar Ⅰa2

annualSeminar Ⅰb

2annualSeminar Ⅱa2annualSeminar Ⅱb

2annualThesis Writing †-annualPresentation and Discussion Skills †-annualCredits Earned

Frequency

Microeconomics *2

annualMacroeconomics *2

annualStatistics *2

annualTable - 2 b (Recommended Courses)
Course Title

Core Courses

Notes: * These courses are offered in the International PhD Program in Economics.
** ‘Biennial’ means ‘offered once every two years’.
† GSISS Joint Course credits do not count toward the M.A. degree.
5

IMAP

4. Course Registration, Amendment, Cancellation, etc.
(1) Procedure and Schedule You have to submit the course registration application form to the Graduate School Affairs
Office first.
and By logging into the Educational Affairs Information System, you can register for Fall 2021
courses (lectures and seminars), amend and/or cancel them if necessary during therespective periods described in the table below.
Registration

October 5 - 18, 2021

Amendment

October 25 - 27, 2021

Cancellation

November 8 - 12, 2021

Hours: 09:00 - 21:00( Last day: up until 17:00 )Note: As for the Spring and Fall courses in the following year, you will have to follow asimilar procedure (by paper and on the system) as above, for registration,
amendment, and cancellation. The periods shall be announced in due course
through the System.
You do not need to submit the course registration application form for amendment.
Please refer to the Academic Calendar 2021 via the following link.
calendar-en_2021.pdf (ynu.ac.jp)(2) Course with the Same Title
After you earned credit(s) for a course, you cannot earn any more credits by taking thesame course (course with the same title) again.

5. Advisor
 Each applicant for IMAP shall provide names of up to two preferred academic advisors in
his/her online application, after which a matching exercise will be made during the screening
for admission.
 As a general rule, the advisor of each student is chosen by the department from the full-time
faculty members of the major that the student belongs to. However, a faculty member fromanother major can also be chosen as an advisor if necessary.
 The student’s advisor is responsible for guiding the student until he/she completes the program.
 When it’s necessary to change the advisor due to an unavoidable reason, it has to be approvedby the department.
 You have to decide which courses you should take with the guidance of your advisor.

6

6. Requirement for Completion (Master’s Thesis)

IMAP(1) Path to M.A.
Conditions:

Completion of 32 credits, including 8 credits of Seminars (Ia & Ib, IIa & IIb).
GPA has to be 2.0 or above.

1st Year

October

From October 5
to 18, 2021
Fall semester
2nd Year
Spring semester

Submit the course registration application form to the Graduate School
Affairs Office and register for Fall 2020 courses on the Educational Affairs
Information System, consulting with your advisor during the period(shown on the left).
↓

You have to develop your research proposal and carry out researchunder the guidance of your advisor through these semesters.
↓
You have to present your interim progress report (open to all faculty ↓and students of the Economics dep.) No grade is assigned.
Your advisor considers the report and give you necessary guidance.
At this stage you should have made substantial progress and may ↓be approaching to completion of your thesis.

June

You are required to submit your Master’s thesis in June on condition thatyou have acquired 16 credits by the end of 1st year.

July

A committee of 2 faculty members including your main advisor shall beformed, and it will assess your thesis and give you an oral exam on thecontent of thesis in July.

(Defense)

After successful completion of thesis assessment and oral exam(defense), a copy of your thesis shall be held at the university.

(2) Master’s Thesis
A master’s thesis must contain the student’s original contribution to the relevant literature.

(3) Admission to the International Ph.D. Program
Those wishing to go on to the International Ph.D. Program in Economics must apply foradmission by the standard web application method. The application fee will be waived.
-------------------------------------------------7

IMAP

7. Completion in March
When you satisfy all the necessary conditions for the degree, you are not allowed to stay in the
IMAP program over the end of the academic year (September).
However, in the situations described below, if your advisors approve your completion in March,
you can opt for it.
Situation
Delayed Completion
 Being enrolled for more than 2 years, you are expected to satisfy all the necessary
conditions for completion in Fall semester in or after the 3rd year.

Note: You have to apply for this irregular ‘Completion in March’ during the application
period designated by the Graduate School Affairs Office (in early October).

8

IMAP

8. Program Milestones
Chart for Completion (in 2 Years)

for illustrative purposes only
Admission

October (1st Year)↓
Obtain Confirmation
on Advisor
From entry until
September (1st Year)

Complete 16
credits by end/ 1stYear↓

From entry until Spring
Semester (2nd Year)

Develop Research
Proposal and carryout research↓

Spring Semester(2nd Year)

P PresentInterim Progress↓
June (2nd Year)

Submit Thesis↓
July (2nd Year)

Pass Oral
Exam

Conferral of DegreeNote:

Be sure to adhere to the rules and requirements stated in the Program Catalogue.
* Dependent on intent to apply for the IPhD Program
9

IMAP

9. The GPA System
 Students will be given GPs (Grade Points) according to their academic evaluation, and their
GPA will be calculated based on the following formula.
 Calculation formula: GPA = ∑ (GPs x Number of credits) / Number of credits from all registeredcourses Only lectures are included in the GPA calculation and an overall GPA of 2.0 or better is requiredfor completion. Along with the introduction of the GPA system, academic evaluations (scores)
and GPs shall be given as follows:
Academic evaluation

ScoresGPs

Superior (S)(100 to 90 points)

4.5

Excellent (A)(89 to 80 points)

4.0Good (B)(79 to 70 points)

3.0

Fair (C)(69 to 60 points)

2.0

Failing (F)(59 and below)

0.0

Appendix(1) Classrooms(2) Forms
Course Registration Application
Pledge for Academic Conduct
Both of the above forms are attached hereto.
(3) Regulations of Graduate School of International Social Sciences

10

IMAP

(1) Classrooms
YNU Campus Map

COLLEGE OF ECONOMICS [Econ]
N4-1 Research Bldg.

N4-2
N4-3
N4-4

Lecture Hall 1
Lecture Hall 2
New Research Bldg.

1F
1F
3F
3F
4F

Department of Economics, Administration Office
MPE OFFICE
Seminar Rooms（301-317）
Center for Economic and Social Studies in Asia
IMAP/IPhD Study Rooms (413, 427)

2F Research Support Office
4F - 5F Economics Faculty Offices

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
N3-1 Business Administration Research Bldg.
N3-3 Lecture Hall 2
N3-4 Research Bldg.
1F Graduate School Affairs OfficeN3-5 Lecture Hall 1
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCES [GSISS]
N3-2 Graduate School of International Social 3F Computer Room (301)
Sciences (GSISS) Bldg.
3F Computer Room (Satellite Lab) (302)3F Library of International Social Science Studies (304)5F Doctoral Study Rooms (501, 502, 504)
5F IPhD Study Room (501)5F Photocopier Room (503)6F Seminar Rooms（602-609）
7F, 8F Economics Faculty Offices
8F Research Support OfficeN4-5 Law Bldg.
11

IMAP
International M.A. Program in Economics

Course Registration Application
Year

Semester (Circle either one of two below.)

SpringStudent ID

Name

Phone

Email

Category

Course Title

Code

Semester

Fall

Day

PeriodInstructor

LectureSeminarMisc.

※ Please submit this form to the Graduate School Affairs Office after obtaining approval from your main advisor.
※ You must also register for courses on the Educational Affairs Information System during the designated period.

Advisor’s signature:

12

IMAP
International M.A. and Ph.D. Programs at the GSISS, YNU

To the Dean of the Graduate School of International Social Sciences,

Pledgefor Academic Conduct
I hereby pledge not to plagiarize, fabricate, use a false identity, or commit any other offense
against research ethics when writing the following academic document necessary for a degreeor the permission of enrolment including: Master’s thesis, PhD dissertation, and PhD research
proposal. Furthermore, I pledge that I will proceed with the writing of all my academic documentswith a full understanding of the Regulations on Academic Degrees of Yokohama National
University.

Date (Month/ Day/ Year)
Graduate School of International Social Sciences, Yokohama National
University
Specialization
Student ID
Name (print)
Signature

13

IMAP

Regulations of the Graduate School of International Social Sciences at Yokohama
National University(Regulations No.33, March 28 2013)(Purpose)
Article 1

Subject to the provisions of Articles 11 and 12 of the School Regulations of Yokohama National University(Regulations No. 202 ( 2004); hereinafter referred to as “Graduate School Regulations”), the purpose of these Rules
shall be to regulate courses, the numbers of credits, and methods of undertaking courses, etc., for specialties of
the Graduate School of International Social Sciences at Yokohama National University (hereinafter referred to as
the “Graduate School”) and necessary matters for the Graduate School, provided, however, that matters related to
the Law School/ Graduate School of International Social Sciences at Yokohama National University shall be subject
to the provisions of the Detailed Regulations for the Law School/ Graduate School of International Social Sciences,
Yokohama National University.
(Courses, etc.)
Article 2
1 Courses and the number of credits for departments at the Graduate School shall be separately regulated by the
Dean of the Graduate School of International Social Sciences at Yokohama National University (hereinafterreferred to as the “Dean”) with input from the faculty council (hereinafter referred to as the “ Faculty Council”).
2 15 hours of classes in courses (lectures and seminars) at the Graduate School shall constitute a single credit.
3 The term “academic dissertation(s)” refers to master’s theses and doctoral dissertations and includes theresearch outcomes of specific assignments given in connection with master's theses (hereinafter referred to as“Theses for Specific Assignments” in plural form or “Thesis for Specific Assignment” in singular form).
(Flexible Curriculum across Departments )Article 3
1 Systematic educational programs related to multi-specialty fusion fields and specific assignments (hereinafterreferred to as the “Flexible Curriculum across Departments”) shall be assigned in Ph.D. Programs.
2 The Flexible Curriculum across Departments regulated under the previous paragraph shall include those under
the following Items.
(1) International Public Policy Education Programs(2) Tax Law and Accounting Educational Programs
3 Matters necessary for the Flexible Curriculum across Departments shall be separately regulated by the FacultyCouncil.
(Advisors, etc.)
Article 41 In order to teach classes for Master’s Programs and provide guidance for courses and the writing of academic
dissertations, (hereinafter referred to as “Research Guidance”), an advisor shall be allocated to each student.
2 In order to teach classes and provide Research Guidance for Ph.D. Programs, a single thesis advisor and twoother advisors (hereinafter referred to as “Thesis Advisor” and “ advisors”) shall be allocated to each student.
3 Thesis Advisor and advisors shall organize an advisors’ committee for the student.
4 Matters necessary for advisors, Thesis Advisors, etc., and advisors’ committees shall be separately regulated by
the Faculty Council.
14

IMAP
(Progression of the Program)
Article 5Students must obtain the credits prescribed by the Faculty Council, with the guidance of the advisors and Thesis
Advisors.
(System for Extending the Period of Registration)
Article 6
If students desire to extend the Period of Registration subject to Article 14 of the Graduate School Regulations, theymust apply for permission from the head of the Graduate School in accordance with separate regulations.
(Undertaking of Courses at Graduate Schools of Other Universities, etc.)
Article 7
1 Students may take courses at graduate schools belonging to other universities (throughout, this includes foreign
graduate schools) or at other graduate schools of this university after obtaining the approval of the FacultyCouncil.
2 Credits obtained for courses undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the previous paragraph may be
accepted toward the completion of relevant programs, up to a prescribed number of credits.
(Undertaking Courses at Foreign Graduate Schools During Leaves of Absence)
Article 8
1 If it is deemed useful, credits obtained for courses undertaken at foreign graduate schools during leaves ofabsence may be accepted toward the completion of specific courses at the Graduate School after obtaining theapproval of the Faculty Council.
2 The number of credits deemed to have been acquired in accordance with the provisions of the previous
paragraph shall not exceed 10 credits per student, including the number of credits under the provisions ofparagraph 2 of the previous Article.
(Research Guidance of Graduate Schools of Other Universities, etc.)
Article 9
1 Students may undertake research guidance at graduate schools of other universities or research institutes(hereinafter referred to as “Other Graduate Schools, etc.”) after obtaining the approval of the relevant faculty;
provided, however, that if students in a Master’s Program are allowed to receive such Research Guidance, theperiod in which they may undertake the corresponding Research Guidance shall not exceed one year.
2 Subject to the provisions of the previous paragraph, it shall be possible to recognize Research Guidance
undertaken at Other Graduate Schools, etc., as a part of the research guidance necessary for completion of therelevant Program.
(Requirements for Completion)
Article 10
1 With regard to the requirements for completion of a Master’s Program, a student must be enrolled in the Programfor more than two years, obtain 32 or more credits, satisfy the separately set standard of a Grade Point Average(GPA) of 2.0 or higher, undertake the relevant Research Guidance, and, thereafter, pass an examination on
research outcomes concerning the student’s master’s thesis (i.e., the Thesis for Specific Assignment) andspecific assignment, as well as a final exam; with regard to the period of enrollment, it shall be sufficient for a
student who has achieved particularly superior research performance to be enrolled in the Graduate School fora minimum of one year.

15

IMAP
2 Notwithstanding the provisions of the previous paragraph, with regard to the requirements for completion of a
Master’s Program by a student who has been allowed to extend the Period of Registration under the provisionsof Article 6, such a student shall be enrolled for the corresponding period while undertaking the same, obtain 32
credits or more, satisfy the separately regulated standards for a GPA of 2.0 or higher, undertake the relevant
Research Guidance, and, thereafter, pass an examination on research outcomes (i.e., the Thesis for Specific
Assignment) related to a master’s thesis and specific assignment, as well as a final exam.
3 For a student who desires to take the Qualifying Exams, instead of passing an examination on research outcomesfor a master’s thesis and specific assignment (i.e., the Thesis for Specific Assignment) and a final exam as
described above, such a student shall be allowed to take a test and examination on basic research skills to earna doctoral dissertation given by the Graduate School, as described in (1) and (2) below. In such a case, theexpression “....obtain 32 credits or more...” above shall be changed to read “...obtain 36 credits or more....” andthe expression “...undertake the relevant Research Guidance, and, thereafter...” shall be changed to read“...undertake the relevant Research Guidance, successfully gain acceptance for a doctoral dissertation research
project plan or pass a term paper, and, thereafter....”(1) The test will ascertain the candidate’s advanced expertise in relation to the relevant specialty field and basic
background knowledge in associated fields, which should be acquired or cultivated in the corresponding
Master’s Program.
(2) The examination will assess abilities necessary to carry out research on the student's own initiative at a levelappropriate for doctoral dissertations, which should be acquired in the corresponding Master’s Program.
4 With regard to the requirements for completion of Ph.D. Programs, a student must be enrolled in the program for
more than three years (or only two for a student who has completed a professional degree program such as Law
School), obtain 20 credits or more, have a GPA of 2.0 or higher, undertake the relevant Research Guidance,
and, thereafter, pass a doctoral dissertation examination as well as a final exam; however, for a student who has
achieved particularly superior research performance the minimum period of enrollment shall be one year.
5 Subject to the proviso in paragraph 1, with regard to the requirements for completion of a Ph.D. Program for a
student who has competed a Master’s Program in a period of less than two years due to particularly superior
research performance (including students with a period of enrollment in another graduate school), the term “oneyear” in the previous paragraph shall be changed to read “more than the period resulting when the period ofenrollment in the corresponding Master’s Program (and limited to a period of no more than two years) is deductedfrom three years.”
6 With regard to the requirements for completion of a Ph.D. Program for a student who has completed a Master’s
Program, or a professional degree program at another graduate school for which the standard period is between
one and two years, the term “one year” in paragraph 4 shall be changed to read “ the period resulting when the
period of the Master’s or professional program is deducted from three years.”
7 Notwithstanding the provisions of the previous three paragraphs, with regard to the requirements for completionof a Ph.D. Program for a student who has been allowed to extend the Period of Registration under the provisionsof Article 6, that student shall be enrolled for the corresponding period while undertaking the same, obtain 20
credits or more, maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher, undertake the relevant Research Guidance, and, thereafter,
pass a doctoral dissertation examination as well as a final exam.
8 Examinations for academic dissertations shall be subject to the Regulations on Academic Degrees of Yokohama
National University.

16

IMAP
(Period for Submission of Academic Dissertation)
Article 11
Academic dissertations and documents required by the Faculty Council must be submitted within a period
determined by the Graduate School.
(Administration Affairs)
Article 12
Administration affairs for the Graduate School shall be handled by the Social Science Administration Department.
(Miscellaneous Provisions)
Article 13
In addition to the information provided hereunder, matters related to the Graduate School shall have additional
requirements set by the Faculty Council.
Supplementary Provisions
These Regulations shall become effective on April 1, 2013.

17