International Joint Education Program

for Science and Technology (IJEP)

Master’s Course

Application Information for

General Admission in April / October 2021

Graduate School of Science and Technology

Kumamoto University
2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Phone: +81-96-342-3020
[email protected]
https://www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/gsst-en/admissions/
The Graduate School of Science and Technology (GSST) at Kumamoto University offers the International
Joint Education Program for Science and Technology (IJEP) for international postgraduate students pursuing
to Master’s degrees in the following research and educational fields. Enrollment is either in April or in
October. The main language of this program for classes and research is English. Basic Japanese language
courses are offered at the Center for International Education.

Research and Educational Fields

Department of Science
Course: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture
Education program: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning and Design,
Architecture and Building Engineering
Department of Mechanical and Mathematical Engineering
Education program: Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Systems, Applied Mathematics
Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Education program: Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Computer Science
Department of Materials Science and Applied Chemistry
Education program: Chemistry and Bioscience, Chemistry and Materials, Materials Science and
Engineering

Number of Students for Admission

Several students for each admission

Date of Enrollment
April 1, 2021 for April admission
October 1, 2021 for October admission

Degrees
Master of Science, Master of Engineering, or Master of Philosophy will be conferred.

Fees and Tuition

Examination fee: ¥30,000
Enrollment fee: ¥282,000
Tuition: ¥267,900 per semester (¥535,800 per year)

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Qualifications of Applicants
1) Nationality: must have a non-Japanese nationality.
2) Education:
Applicants must fulfill one of the following conditions from ① to ⑤.
When one’s application is based on ④ or ⑤, qualification will be subjected to prior screening. For
application to prior screening, follow the guidelines on page 6.
① Hold a Bachelor's degree from a Japanese university or are expected to complete the degree at a
Japanese university before the date of enrollment in GSST.
② Completed or are expected to complete 16 years of formal education outside of Japan before the
date of enrollment in GSST.
③ Hold or are expected to complete a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from a three-year or
longer program at a foreign university or other foreign educational institution before the date of
enrollment in GSST. Universities or educational institutions from which applicants obtained or
will obtain a degree must be accredited by a respective foreign government or someone certified
by an appropriate foreign governmental agency, or so designated by MEXT.
④ Completed 15 years of formal education outside of Japan and are recognized to have excellent
academic records by GSST.
⑤ Are recognized by GSST to have attainments equal to or higher than university graduates, and
must be aged 22 years old or older before the date of enrollment in GSST.
3) Language: must have good English communication skills. The applicants should have an official score
of either TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS. The preferred minimum scores are 530 for TOEFL-PBT (71 for
TOEFL-iBT), 700 for TOEIC, and 6.0 for IELTS.

Note:
1) Military personnel and military civilian employees are excluded.
2) The admission will be revoked if successful applicants fail to submit all necessary paperwork for
admission by the designated date.
3) The admission will be revoked if successful applicants fail to fulfill the educational requirements
as stated before the date of enrollment in GSST.

Application Procedure
Step 1
Check whether you fulfill the qualifications of applicants (See above). When your educational qualification
is based on ④ or ⑤, prior screening must be conducted. For application to prior screening, follow the
guidelines on page 6. If you are not sure whether you need prior screening or not, please contact us at gsst-
[email protected].

Step 2
Contact a prospective supervisor in Kumamoto University and ask whether you can apply for IJEP Program

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under his/her supervision. It is highly recommended that applicants contact the prospective supervisor at least
three weeks before application deadline.

Please refer following website when you search for a prospective supervisor;
https://www.fast.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/gsst-en/res_act/
If you have a problem contacting a prospective supervisor, please contact following email address;
[email protected]

Step 3
After obtaining confirmation from the prospective supervisor in Step 2, please have face-to-face interviews
with the prospective supervisor and at least two more faculty members from the related field(s). Online
interviews are acceptable. Interviews must be completed within one year prior to the application deadline.
For more details about interview procedure, please contact your prospective supervisor.

Step 4
Submit the following documents to the Academic / International Affairs Section via express postal mail.
*Please note that all the documents must arrive at the office during the application period.

Application Period
April 2021 admission: October 12 to November 26, 2020
October 2021 admission: April 6 to May 21, 2021

Required Documents
1) Application Form for IJEP in the Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University
(format available on website).
2) Statement of objectives written by the applicant. It should include reasons for application to the Graduate
School, how the applicant qualifies to be a graduate student, and the applicant’s academic, research, and
professional goals.
3) A certificate of Bachelor’s degree (or a certificate of anticipation of completion), or a copy of a diploma
(original and English translation).
4) Official transcripts of academic records in English from each college and university attended, including
information such as GPA and ranking.
5) A summary of Bachelor’s thesis or an equivalent in English. An interim report is acceptable for applicants
who have not yet graduated at the time of application.
6) A copy of the applicant’s passport, or an official certificate of citizenship (original and English
translation).
7) A letter of recommendation in English from the head of the faculty or graduate school of the applicant’s
home university.
8) A letter of recommendation in English from a professor or a research supervisor who can evaluate the
applicant’s ability in study and research.

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9) A letter in English from the employer indicating knowledge and consent of this application, if the
applicant is employed at the time of application.
10) An official score of TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS, if the applicant’s native language is not English. Scores
are valid only if dated within two years of the application deadline.
11) Proof of remittance of the examination fee (¥30,000 Japanese yen).
All bank charges (at least ¥2,500 yen or more) should be paid by the applicant. When you process the
wire transfer to the following bank account, please be sure to tell your bank that you will pay for all
charges of foreign banks. Inform us at [email protected] when you made a payment.
Beneficiary: Kumamoto University
Bank: MUFG Bank, Ltd. (Swift Code: BOTKJPJT or BOTKJPJTXXX)
Branch: Kumamoto Branch (Branch No. 655)
Account No: 0667419
Bank Address: 1-26 Shinshigai, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto 860-0803, Japan
*If you wish to make a payment from Japan, please contact us at [email protected].
12) Application Checklist (format available on website).
Please make sure to confirm that you have all the documents by using the Application Checklist before
sending the documents.

Note:
1) Applicants are advised to discuss research plans with their prospective supervisors beforehand.
2) All the documents should be typewritten on A4 size paper (21 x 29.5 cm).
3) Incomplete applications or applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
4) All application documents will not be returned to the applicants.

Where to Submit the Required Documents

Academic / International Affairs Section
Graduate School of Science and Technology
Kumamoto University
2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Phone: +81-96-342-3982
E-mail: [email protected]

Selection Procedure
The GSST selection committee will examine the application documents and the result of the interview. The
University will notify the selection results to the applicants within 2 months after the deadline.

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Notes
Applicants are advised to become familiar with Japanese culture, customs, climate, and the university system
before coming to Japan. Japanese language skills for daily life would be advantageous.
For further information, please contact:
Graduate School of Science and Technology
Kumamoto University
2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
Phone: +81-96-342-3020
Email: [email protected]

Prior Screening

<Guidelines for prior screening of qualification for application>

When your educational qualification is based on ④ or ⑤ on page 3, prior screening is required. Contact
us at the Academic / International Affairs Section ([email protected]) first and then submit
the required documents via email during the submission period indicated below. If you pass the screening,
submit the application documents on page 4 and 5 during the application period.

(1) Required documents for prior screening

 Application Form for IJEP in the Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University
(format available on website).
 A certificate of Bachelor’s degree (or a certificate of anticipation of completion), or a copy of
a diploma.
 Official transcripts of academic records in English from each college and university attended,
including information such as GPA and ranking.
 A summary of Bachelor’s thesis or an equivalent in English. An interim report is acceptable for
applicants who have not yet graduated at the time of application.
(2) Period of submission
April 2021 admission: November 7 to 13, 2020
October 2021 admission: May 7 to 12, 2021
(3) Where to send
Academic / International Affairs Section
Graduate School of Science and Technology
Kumamoto University
E-mail: [email protected]
(4) Result of the screening
The results will be informed to the applicants after the screening.