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Process for Acquiring a Doctoral Degree at the Graduate School of Media Design
Established May 2009
Revised June 2010
Revised December 2010
Revised January 2013
Revised June 2013
Revised September 2013
Revised December 2013
Revised April 2014
Revised October 2015
Revised April 2016
Revised April 2018
Revised July 2018
Revised March 2020
Revised March 2021
Revised November 2022
Revised March 2024
Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD)
Step 1: Selecting advisors
KMD doctoral students will have two advisors, a principal advisor and co-advisor (*1), overseeing theirstudies. The co-advisor will be selected by the principal advisor upon consultation with the student within
one month of the student’s enrollment.
Step 2: Writing a doctoral dissertation proposal and giving an interim presentation
The student must write a proposal that describes their research and provides an outline of their doctoral
dissertation. This should be written in consultation with the principal advisor and co-advisor decided uponin Step 1. Refer to the attached document (Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Instructions) for more
information about the content and length of the proposal. Also, to obtain wider feedback from other KMD
faculty members, students must present their research progress at the KMD doctoral interim presentation
session (*6).
The principal advisor will decide when to time the interim presentation, but it is recommended that it bedone the semester before the student’s doctoral dissertation proposal defense.
Allotted time: 20 minutes per person (presentation: 12 minutes, Q&A: 8 minutes)
Language for speech and presentation materials: Japanese or English (regardless of a student’s native
language)
Step 3: Forming the Dissertation Advisory Committee and doctoral dissertation proposal defense(*13)
After the principal advisor accepts the doctoral dissertation proposal, a Dissertation Advisory Committee(*2) will be formed and a doctoral dissertation proposal defense (*3) will be held to review the proposal(Form KMD-DF-1). The Dissertation Advisory Committee is appointed by the dean of the graduate school
upon application by the principal supervisor and with the approval of the Graduate School Committee.
The principal advisor must promptly communicate the results (*4) of the doctoral dissertation proposal
defense to the student and the Graduate School Committee (Form KMD-DF-2). The student must revise
their doctoral dissertation proposal based on the Dissertation Advisory Committee’s feedback, getapproval for the revised version, and submit it to the dean of the graduate school (Form KMD-DS-1). The
defense will be judged based on both the oral presentation and the submitted proposal, with final approval
given by the Graduate School Committee. Students who pass the defense become doctoral candidates
and their approved dissertation proposals will, in general, be made available within KMD.
In principle, the doctoral dissertation proposal defense must be completed one semester prior to theformation of Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee.

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Allotted Time: 60 minutes per person (presentation: 15 minutes, oral examination(Q&A): 45 minutes)
Step 4: Research review by the Dissertation Advisory Committee and writing the dissertation
At least once every 6 months, the Dissertation Advisory Committee reviews the candidate's research andrecommends a grade (*5). When the candidate expresses that they wish to start drafting their doctoral
dissertation, the Dissertation Advisory Committee will determine whether the candidate’s research is ofan appropriate level. If deemed so, the candidate will write a draft of the doctoral dissertation under theguidance of the Dissertation Advisory Committee.
Step 5: Research progress presentations
When students wish for their Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee to be formed, they should submit
a draft of their doctoral dissertation and make a research progress presentation (*6). The Dissertation
Advisory Committee, along with KMD faculty members who are potential candidates to serve on the
Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee, will review the student’s presentation and dissertation draft,
discuss the state of preparations for forming the review committee, and advise the student accordingly(*7).
Allotted time: 30 minutes per person (presentation: 15 minutes, oral examination(Q&A): 15 minutes)
Step 6: Formation of the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee (*13)
Once the draft of the doctoral dissertation has been approved by the Dissertation Advisory Committee
and the degree requirements set forth during the doctoral dissertation proposal defense have been met, thedoctoral candidate will submit their approved draft to the Graduate School Committee (Form KMD-DS2). This will prompt the formation of the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee. The dean shall appoint
the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee (*7) upon the application made by the principal advisor andwith the approval of the Graduate School Committee (Form KMD-DF-3).
Step 7: Preliminary review and submitting the doctoral dissertation (for final assessment)
The Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee will read through the draft of the doctoral dissertation andinform the candidate and Dissertation Advisory Committee of the results (*8). The candidate shall thenmake edits on sections indicated by the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee to prepare the final
version of the doctoral dissertation. The Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee shall do a preliminary
review (*9) of the revised doctoral dissertation and determine whether the candidate will proceed to their
public doctoral dissertation defense. If the doctoral candidate is permitted to advance to the next step,
they will submit a copy of their doctoral dissertation (for final assessment) (Form KMD-DS-3) that has
been approved by the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee and Degree Application Documents(Form KMD-DS-4) to the dean of the graduate school. For details, refer to Appendix A: List of Forms to
be Submitted (for students).
Step 8: Public doctoral dissertation defense and final assessment (*13)
The Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee chair will apply to hold a public doctoral dissertation
defense (Form KMD-DF-4) (*10) after receiving the doctoral dissertation (for final assessment). The
public doctoral dissertation defense will be held with the approval of the Graduate School Committee. As
soon as the public doctoral dissertation defense has ended, the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee
will consult with the Dissertation Advisory Committee and hold their final assessment to decide whether
the candidate has passed. The chair of the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee will then present theresults at the first meeting of the Graduate School Committee held after the public doctoral dissertation
defense (Form KMD-DF-5) (*11). They shall also inform the doctoral candidate of their decision.
Allotted time: 80 minutes per person (presentation: 40 minutes, oral examination (Q&A): 40 minutes
Step 9: Submitting the doctoral dissertation (approved version) and award of the doctoral degree
The candidate who passed the public doctoral dissertation defense should submit the final version of theirdoctoral dissertation to the review committee. Once all members of the Doctoral Dissertation Review
Committee have given their approval, the chair will submit a report of the results (Form KMD-DF-6)

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along with the doctoral dissertation (approved version) to the Graduate School Committee. The Graduate
School Committee will then deliberate on these materials. The doctoral degree shall be awarded based on
the approval of the Graduate School Committee.
Step 10: Submitting the bound hard copy of the doctoral dissertation (approved version)Once the doctoral candidate passes and is approved to receive their degree, their doctoral dissertation that
was approved in Step 9 (approved version) should be printed, bound, and submitted to the Office ofStudent Services (*12). In principle, the PDF version of the dissertation will be made available throughthe Media Center. The hard copy and the approved PDF version must be the same.
Notes:*1. In general, the principal advisor shall be the faculty member who the student contacted when taking
the entrance examination. If a student wishes to switch their principal advisor in the middle of theirprogram, they must receive permission from the Graduate School Committee (Form KMD-DF-0).
In these situations, some students may have to begin again from Step 1 in the process. The principal
advisor and co-advisor 1 must be Graduate School Committee members at KMD.
*2. A Dissertation Advisory Committee shall be composed of at least three faculty members: thestudent’s principal advisor and first co-advisor as determined in Step 1, as well as a second coadvisor. This second co-advisor must be a member of the Graduate School Committee. However,
KMD full-time faculty members (irrespective of qualifications and including project faculty
members) can be considered to be the second co-advisor with the approval of the Graduate School
Committee. Additional external co-advisors can be invited to serve as fourth members with theapproval of the Graduate School Committee.
*3. The principal advisor, in consultation with the student and the Dissertation Advisory Committee,
can set the date for the doctoral dissertation proposal defense at their discretion, but the date should
be approved at the Graduate School Committee at least one week prior to the scheduled date. The
doctoral dissertation proposal defense begins with the student’s oral presentation, lasting no morethan 15 minutes. This is followed by the oral examination, which generally lasts about 45 minutes.
KMD faculty and students can observe the proceedings.
*4. If the student passes the doctoral dissertation proposal defense, the Dissertation Advisory
Committee will discuss and agree on what revisions should be made to the doctoral dissertation
proposal and what degree requirements shall be put in place. If the student fails the doctoral
dissertation proposal defense, the Dissertation Advisory Committee discusses and agrees on whatrevisions are needed for the doctoral dissertation proposal and what needs to be accomplished inorder to pass in the future.
*5. In the time between when a student passes their doctoral dissertation proposal defense and when
they complete their doctoral dissertation draft, the Dissertation Advisory Committee must have atleast 2 review meetings to give thesis-writing advice to the student. If major revisions (changes tocategories, etc.) to the research content described in the doctoral dissertation proposal is unavoidable
following the doctoral dissertation proposal defense, the student must obtain approval from theDissertation Advisory Committee and submit a revised doctoral dissertation proposal to the
Graduate School Committee (Students are to resubmit Form KMD-DS-1/Faculty members toresubmit Form KMD-DF-2). Only if the revised doctoral dissertation proposal is approved by the
Graduate School Committee will the student be permitted to continue writing the dissertation.
*6. Interim presentations and research progress presentations shall be held on predetermined dates(hereinafter referred to as D-Presentation Meetings) in order to obtain feedback from as many anddiverse faculty members as possible.
*7. The Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee shall be composed of one chairperson and at least
three other members. Half or more of these members, including the chair, should be Graduate School
Committee members. At least one of the committee members must be external from KMD and must
hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent background. The principal advisor shall select who shallserve as the chair of the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee. The principal and the chair must
agree on who shall serve as the other members of the committee, but the primary advisor shall not
hold a position on the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee themselves. If the principal advisor
is no longer a “Graduate School of Media Design Committee member” due to resignation, etc., after

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the formation of the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee, the chair of the Doctoral Dissertation
Review Committee may be permitted to concurrently serve as the principal advisor upon theapproval of the Graduate School Committee.
*8. After sufficient deliberation, the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee must submit their final
report (Form KMD-DF-6) to the Graduate School Committee within one year of receiving thedissertation (for final assessment). The Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee may suggest
revisions for the final version of the doctoral dissertation to the Dissertation Advisory Committee
and the doctoral candidate as necessary. The Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee shall bedissolved once they have submitted their final assessment or when reporting that a candidate has
failed their public doctoral dissertation defense. A minimum of three months must be allowed
between when the review committee is formed and when they submit their assessment report.
*9. The date of the preliminary examination shall be determined at the discretion of the doctoralcandidate, the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee, and the principal advisor. In most cases,
this examination shall not be open to the public. The format of the preliminary review, such as thecriteria for passing or failing it, shall be left to the discretion of the Doctoral Dissertation Review
Committee. However, the preliminary review must be held and candidates are expected to pass it
before applying to hold a public doctoral dissertation defense. Multiple preliminary reviews are also
allowed.
*10. The chair of the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee, in consultation with other members of
the committee and the doctoral candidate, can set the date for the public doctoral dissertation defenseat their discretion. However, the date should be approved at least one week prior to the scheduled
date at a meeting of the Graduate School Committee. The public doctoral dissertation defense begins
with the candidate’s oral presentation, lasting no more than 40 minutes. This is followed by the oral
examination, which generally lasts about 40 minutes. As a general rule, doctoral dissertation
defenses are open to the public.
*11. The Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee will report the results of the public doctoral
dissertation defense, either pass or fail, within the same semester in which the hearing was
conducted. If they fail, students can resubmit a revised dissertation draft to form another Doctoral
Dissertation Review Committee and hold another public doctoral dissertation defense, but the publicdefense cannot be held more than twice a semester.
*12. A bound hard copy of the doctoral dissertation (approved version) must be submitted to the Officeof Student Services once approved. If a student’s dissertation contains a section that cannot be madepublic, they will need to submit two bound hard copies. For details about what must be submitted,
the chair of the Doctoral Dissertation Evaluation Committee or principal advisor should be
consulted.
*13. The normal candidature period is about 3 years for a doctoral degree. For students who plan toobtain their doctoral degree in March, the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee must be formedby early October of the previous year, and the public doctoral dissertation defense must be held bylate-January. For students who plan to obtain their doctoral degree in September, the Doctoral
Dissertation Review Committee must be formed by mid-April, and the public doctoral dissertation
defense must be held by late-July. For students who plan to withdraw from the doctoral program
after completion of course requirements in March, the doctoral dissertation proposal defense mustbe held by late-January. For students who plan to withdraw from the doctoral program after
completion of course requirements in September, the doctoral dissertation proposal defense must be
held by mid-July. However, these dates are a rough guide for the minimum amount of time required
and may differ on a case-to-case basis. The student should consult well in advance with theirprincipal advisor about the time needed to complete the instructions and evaluations required by the
program. Likewise, it is recommended that students check the “Schedule for Withdrawal from theDoctoral Program with the Completion of Course Requirement /Extension of Enrollment Period orAward of the Degree” for further details on scheduling requirements.
Appendix A: List of Forms to be Submitted (for students)(Forms)● KMD-DS-1: Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Submission Form (to be approved by the Dissertation
Advisory Committee)

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●
●
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KMD-DS-2: Draft of the Doctoral Dissertation Submission Form (to be approved by the Dissertation
Advisory Committee)
KMD-DS-3: Doctoral Dissertation (for Final Assessment) Submission Form (to be approved by the
Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee)
KMD-DS-4: Degree Application Documents
1) Degree Application Form
2) Dissertation Index
3) Dissertation Abstract3-2) English Version of Dissertation Abstract (Only necessary if the doctoral dissertation is
written in Japanese)4) Curriculum Vitae
5) Request for Approval Regarding Release of Doctoral Dissertation (to be approved by theprincipal advisor)
6) Consent Form relating to the Doctoral Dissertations at Hiyoshi Media Center(Submitting the forms)
Students should submit their doctoral dissertation proposals, doctoral dissertation drafts, and doctoral
dissertations (for final assessment) as PDFs along with the accompanying designated forms (KMD-DS1, DS-2, DS-3) by email to kmd-office@adst.keio.ac.jp. When sending these files, the student must use a
KMD email address, a keio.jp email address, or an email address registered to the KMD e-learning
website. If the submission exceeds 20MB, please upload the files to a cloud storage service that the KMD
Office can reliably access and share the relevant information (a URL, etc.) via email.
When using cloud services, make sure that the sharing preferences for the URL are set so that anyone
with the link can access the file. When using cloud services, make sure that the sharing preferences for
the URL are set so as to allow anyone to access the file. Please note that even if kmdoffice@adst.keio.ac.jp is given permission to access the shared file, the Office of Student Services will
not be able to do so. After filling out DS-4, students should sign the final version and submit the original
and PDF (the PDF is only needed for DS-4(3)) to the Office of Student Services.
Students should get approval for DS-1/DS-2/DS-3 via email or explicit verbal permission at a meetingand note the approved dates, enter them into the forms, and save the information as PDF files. The students
should then have their primary advisor or primary reviewer sign the PDFs electronically and submit thesigned version. Emails or similar correspondence does not need to be shown as evidence when submitting
the forms.
(How to format the approved version of a doctoral dissertation)
PDF versions of a student’s doctoral dissertation (approved version) should follow the guidelines below:
1. Set the PDF properties as follows:
Title: Input dissertation title
Author: Keio University Graduate School of Media Design
2. Save as “PDF/A” (ISO 19005-1)
Appendix B: List of Forms to be Submitted (for faculty members)(Forms)● KMD-DF-0: Application for Changing Advisors (to be submitted by the principal advisor)● KMD-DF-1: Forming a Dissertation Advisory Committee and Conducting the Doctoral Dissertation
Proposal Defense (to be submitted by the principal advisor)● KMD-DF-2: Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Defense Results (to be submitted by the principal
advisor with approval from the Dissertation Advisory Committee)● KMD-DF-3: Forming a Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee (to be submitted by the principal
advisor)● KMD-DF-4: Conducting the Public Doctoral Dissertation Defense (to be submitted by the chair of
the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee)● KMD-DF-5: Public Doctoral Dissertation Defense Results (to be submitted by the chair of theDoctoral Dissertation Review Committee with the approval of the committee members)● KMD-DF-6: Summary of the Doctoral Thesis Evaluation and the Evaluation Committee Members

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(to be submitted by the chair of the Doctoral Dissertation Review Committee)(Submitting the forms)
Faculty members can submit the prescribed forms by emailing them to kmd-office@adst.keio.ac.jp using
their KMD email address, keio.jp email address, or an email address registered to the KMD e-learning
website.
(Approval)
DF-2 and DF-5 must be approved by the members of the committees listed above. However, it is theapplicant (primary advisor or reviewer) who must get approval from these parties via email or explicit
verbal permission at a meeting. Upon doing so, they should indicate the date that they received approvalin the supplied forms and sign a digital PDF of the form. Emails or similar correspondence does not need
to be shown as evidence.
(Electronic signatures)
Faculty can approve of forms (whether DF or DS) by using electronic signatures. Approved methods
include using certified digital signatures, inserting an image of hand-written signature into a PDF, orscanning a physical document with a signature. In exceptional cases, emails may also be acceptable as
proof of approval. However, the email must contain the full name of the sender and state explicitly what
they are approving. The sender’s email address must be a KMD email, a keio.jp email, or an email address
registered to the KMD e-learning website(Submission)
The PDF of the approved version of the doctoral dissertation should be submitted along with thedesignated form (KMD-DF-6) by email to kmd-office@adst.keio.ac.jp. If the submission exceeds 20MB,
please upload the files to a cloud storage service that the KMD Office can reliably access and share therelevant information (a URL, etc.) via email. When using cloud services, make sure that the sharing
preferences for the URL are set so that anyone can access the file. Please note that even if kmdoffice@adst.keio.ac.jp is given permission to access the shared file, the Office of Student Services will
not be able to do so.

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Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Instructions
Established April 2009
Revised June 2010
Revised September 2013
Revised October 2015
Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD)
1． Purpose
A doctoral dissertation proposal is to review the research topic, and survey and outline a student’s research
before they begin writing their doctoral dissertation. Students will be officially allowed to begin research
for their doctoral dissertation after getting approval for their doctoral dissertation proposal and passing
the doctoral dissertation proposal defense.
2. Format●
Paper size: A4●
Length:Summary: approximately 300 characters in Japanese or approximately 150 words in English(If the body text is written in Japanese, a summary in both English and Japanese must be
submitted. If the body text is in English, only an English summary needs to be provided.)
Body text: between 5 and 25 pages (not counting the bibliography)●
Font size: 12 point●
Language: Japanese or English
3. Content
The doctoral dissertation proposal must demonstrate the following:1) That the research is innovative and describes what issues or problems it addresses
2) That the issues addressed are done so in a thorough and thoughtful manner
3) That the research methodology is clearly communicated
4) That it contains a literature review of the research topic through the bibliography, related work,and case studies
The proposal must also indicate which of the following categories the dissertation research falls under:a) Science / Engineeringb) Social Sciences / Humanitiesc) Action Researchd) Design
The doctoral dissertation proposal will form the framework of a doctoral dissertation. Students shouldchoose an appropriate style guide* by consulting with their principal advisor.
*Examples of style guides
a The Chicago Manual of Styleb APA (American Psychological Association) Stylec. MLA (Modern Language Association) Styled. CSE (Council of Science Editors) Stylee. Other (formatting style adopted by relevant academic societies)

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