Early Completion Doctoral Program for Working People
ver. June 17, 2025
Information Seminar / Consultation Meeting
| Doctoral Program | Dete & Time | method of implementation | Contact （[at]→@） | Notes |
| Policy and Planning Sciences | At any time (need to adjust) | Individual consultation （ZOOM） | souki[at]sk.tsukuba.ac.jp | Please apply to “Contact” with your information (PDF) if you want to request a consultation. |
| Risk and Resilience Engineering | At any time (need to adjust) | Individual consultation （ZOOM） | souki-exam [at]risk.tsukuba.ac.jp | Please apply to “Contact” with your information (PDF) if you want to request a consultation. |
| Computer Science | At any time (need to adjust) | Individual consultation （ZOOM） | souki[at]cs.tsukuba.ac.jp | Please apply to “Contact” with your information (PDF) if you want to request a consultation. |
| Intelligent and Mechanical Interaction Systems | 【Summer】 At any time (by July 16) 【Fall】 At any time (by November 11) | Individual consultation （ZOOM,Skype etc) | Please apply to “Contact” with your information (PDF) if you want to request a consultation. | |
| Engineering Mechanics and Energy | At any time (need to adjust) | Individual consultation （ZOOM) | Please apply to “Contact” with your information (PDF) if you want to request a consultation. | |
| Life Science Innovation (Bioinformatics) | 【Summer】 【Fall】 Mid-November (information on website at a later date). | Online Seminar | Held in conjunction with a general information session on the Life Science Innovation (Bioinformatics) degree program. Please apply to “Contact” with your information (PDF) if you want to request a consultation. |
※Please change [at] to @ when you send e-mail.
※Dates and times follow Japan Standard Time (JST).
Table of Contents
What is the Early Completion Program?
To enroll in the Early Completion Program
Flowchart of Admission Process
Process After Admission
What is the Achievement Level Assessment System?
Early Completion Doctoral Program FAQ
Related Links
What is the Early Completion Program?
The Early Completion Program is a program for working people who have a certain level of research achievements and abilities to complete a doctoral course in one year at the earliest to earn a doctoral degree, for which the standard course of study takes three years. We, as a university, support motivated working people. In this program, students will complete their doctoral theses based on the research achievements they have made as working people with guidance from their academic advisors.
This program also adopts the Achievement Level Assessment System in which students are assessed at the milestones on the items set to be accomplished along with the preparation of their theses, so they are able to reliably check their level of achievement. In addition, the quality of the degree is guaranteed through program reviews and evaluations conducted by the Office of Management for Teaching and Learning.
Applicable Specific Doctoral Programs
Degree Programs in Systems and Information Engineering offer the following Early Completion Doctoral Programs.
| Doctoral Program | Website | Faculty Members List Research Fields | Application Guidelines (University-wide Guidelines) |
| Click | |||
Return to the Table of Contents
To Enroll in the Early Completion Program
After passing the entrance examination (Special Selection for Working People), students must submit the documents specified by each doctoral program before admission procedures begin (scheduled for early March) and undergo the selection process for the Early Completion Program.
Selection requirements for each doctoral program (Degree Programs in Systems and Information Engineering)
| Doctoral Program | Number of Academic Papers | Number of Oral Presentations |
| Policy and Planning Sciences | Two or more peer-reviewed academic papers (Being the first author is preferred) | Regardless of how many |
| Risk and Resilience Engineering | One or more peer-reviewed academic paper(s) (Being the first author is preferred) | Two or more oral presentation documents (Peer-reviewed international conference papers are preferred) |
| Computer Science | One or more peer-reviewed academic paper(s) (Applicants need to be the main author. Peer-reviewed international conference paper(s) may be accepted depending on the committee’s decision) | Regardless of how many |
| Intelligent and Mechanical Interaction Systems | Two or more peer-reviewed academic papers (One of the papers may be accepted as a peer-reviewed international conference paper. As a rule, you must be the first author) | One or more oral presentation(s) at an international conference(s) (As a rule, applicants must be the first author and have presented their work by themselves. Including poster presentations). |
| Engineering Mechanics and Energy | Two or more peer-reviewed academic papers (Being the first author is preferred) | Two or more oral presentation documents |
| Life Science Innovation (Bioinformatics) | Two or more peer-reviewed, first-authored English academic papers directly related to the doctoral dissertation (One of the two can be a peer-reviewed proceedings paper. However, the content must be independent from the other paper) | One or more presentation(s) at an international conference(s) as the first presenter (Regardless of the poster or oral presentation) |
*The above requirements are for the “Screening of Early Completion Program” and are not required for completion of the program.
- Applicant’s statement (CV, specialized area at the school last attended, and relationship between the current job and desired research area, etc.)
- List of achievements (to be used to see whether the applicant meets the requirements)
- Self-assessment of achievement
- Plan of doctoral thesis
Based on these documents, whether or not the applicants have “a certain level of research achievements” will be determined. An interview may be given if necessary. Details of the selection procedures and documents will be sent together with the letter of acceptance.
In the case that registration for the Early Completion Program is determined to be unsuitable in this selection, it will be handled as a regular admission; provided however, that even in the case of regular admission, if it is recognized that students have made superior research achievements during the regular program, it is possible for them to complete the course of study in less than 3 years (from one year and several months to two years and several months).
In the event that students enrolled in the Early Completion Program are unable to complete the Program in one year due to their work circumstances etc., it is possible for them to continue the Program and aim to complete it. Even in this case, students may complete the Program in less than three years. Also, it is possible for students to take a leave of absence to complete the Program depending on circumstances at their current workplace.
Return to the Table of Contents
Flowchart of Admission Process
Admission Schedule
After passing the entrance examination (Special Selection for Working People), students will become eligible to apply for the Early Completion Program.
| July Selection Process | August Selection Process | January to February Selection Process | |
| Application guidelines release | End April | End April | End April |
| Information session (optional) | October – November of the previous year | June – July | October – November |
| Acceptance of application | May-June | July | December |
| Entrance exam | July | August | January to February |
| Announcement of successful applicants | July | September | February |
| Selection for Early Completion Program | July | September or February | Enrollment in April: March Enrollment in October: February or July |
| Admission Procedures | August | March | Enrollment in April: March Enrollment in October: August |
Admission Period, Admission Fee and Tuition (as of April 2025)
〈Admission Period〉 April or October
*Enrollment in October: Only those who pass “July, Janurary to Feburuary Selection Process”
〈Admission Fee〉282,000 yen (Payment should be made at the time of admission)
〈Tuition〉 Pay by bank transfer after admission
- First term (April to September): 267,900 yen
- Second term (October to March): 267,900 yen
Annual total: 535,800 yen
Note: In the event of revision of the admission and tuition fee, the new fees will be applied from the time of the revision.
Please click here for more information about tuition payment etc.
Please click here for more information about admission fees, tuition exemption and scholarships.
Entrance Examination Schedule and Research Fields
Entrance examination schedules vary depending on each degree program, so please be sure to refer to the application guidelines.
Examination Period: July (Admission in October 2025)
| Exam | Application guidelines release | Acceptance of application (Web entry) | Academic achievement test * | Announcement of successful applicants |
| July | End April | May 23, 2025 -June 6,2025 | July 4, 2025 -July 7,2025 | July 18, 2025 |
Entrance Examination Schedule for academic year 2026
| Exam | Application guidelines release | Acceptance of application (Web entry) | Academic achievement test * | Announcement of successful applicants |
| August | End April | July 9, 2025 -July 22,2025 | August 20, 2025 -August 22,2025 | September 11, 2025 |
| January to February | End April | December 1, 2025 -December 11,2025 | January 29, 2026 -January 30,2026 | February 13, 2026 |
About Prior Consultation with a Faculty Member Who You Want As a Supervisor
Return to the Table of ContentsProcess After the EnrolmentBased on the student’s self-assessment and faculty member’s assessment on both generic and specialized competences defined by each degree program, students will be assessed on whether their achievements have reached an appropriate level for the doctoral degree program. The assessments will be implemented through three stages: assessment at the time of admission, mid-term assessment (within four months after admission), and preliminary assessment (within eight months after admission).
Flowchart for post-admission in the Early Completion Program
Please note that the application period for the February examination is very short, so be sure to make arrangements with the faculty member you want as a supervisor in advance
*The same Achievement Level Self-Assessment Sheet, Achievement Level Assessment Sheet, and Achievement Level Assessment Records used for the assessment at the time of admission will be also reused for the mid-term assessment and preliminary assessment.
| Student | Prospective Supervisor |
|---|---|
|
|
Although you are not required to submit “Students Portfolio” and “Academic Record”, please consult with your academic advisor and make preparations so that you can present it upon request.
| Student | Supervisor |
|---|---|
|
|
The mid-term assessment is planned to be implemented within four months after admission.
| Student | Supervisor |
|---|---|
|
|
The preliminary assessment is planned to be implemented within eight months after admission.
| Student | Supervisor |
|---|---|
|
|
| Student | Supervisor |
|---|---|
|
|
Since the assessment contents vary depending on each degree program, please confirm with your degree program’s office to find out if there are any documents that must be submitted at the time of the public presentation and final examination.
You will earn a doctoral degreeReturn to the Table of ContentsWhat is the Achievement Level Assessment System?The purpose of our Achievement Level Assessment System is to provide students with detailed academic support. Students’ achievements are regularly assessed according to the method defined by each degree program to ensure that students have acquired both generic and specialized competences between the time of admission and program completion.
The Early Completion Program allows students to complete their program at an earlier stage (one year at the earliest) than standard students because they are considered to have obtained “certain research achievements” and abilities at the time of admission, and their level of both competences defined by each degree program is assessed throughout the course of study.
For example, one degree program assesses whether a student has reached an appropriate level for the doctoral degree based on the student’s self-assessment and faculty member’s assessment on both competences defined by the degree program at three or more assessment stages, including admission, mid-term assessment (within four months after admission) and preliminary assessment (within eight months after admission).Return to the Table of ContentsEarly Completion Program FAQ
Return to the Table of ContentsRelated Links
