Early Completion Doctoral Program for Working People – Degree Programs in Systems and Information Engineering

ver.May 24, 2024

Information Seminar / Consultation Meeting

Doctoral Program	Dete & Time	method of implementation	Contact （[at]→@）	Notes
Policy and Planning Sciences	【Summer】【Fall】	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	【Summer】 July 22, 2023 from 13:00 【Fall】 November 18, 2023 from 13:00 –	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)	souki[at]imis.tsukuba.ac.jp	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)	souki[at]kz.tsukuba.ac.jp	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	life-innov[at] un.tsukuba.ac.jp	Held in conjunction with a general information session on the Life Science Innovation (Bioinformatics) degree program. Please apply to “Contact” with your information if you want to request a consultation.

※Please change [at] to @ when you send e-mail.
※Dates and times follow Japan Standard Time (JST).

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)
Policy and Planning Sciences	Click	Click	Click
Risk and Resilience Engineering	Click	Click
Computer Science	Click	Click
Intelligent and Mechanical Interaction Systems	Click	Click
Engineering Mechanics and Energy	Click	Click
Life Science Innovation (Bioinformatics)	Click	Click

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To Enroll in the Early Completion Program

The Early Completion Program is for working people who have a certain level of research achievements and abilities.

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 can be a peer-reviewed international conference paper depending on the committee’s decision)	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.

The main documents requested by the doctoral program are listed below. (For more information, please refer to the “Guide to the Early Completion Program for Working People” posted on each Degree Program’s website.

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.
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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 2023)

〈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

Please visit the “Faculty Members List and Research Fields” section of each degree program’s website to confirm the research field and the faculty member who you want as a supervisor.
Entrance examination schedules vary depending on each degree program, so please be sure to refer to the application guidelines.

Entrance Examination Schedule for academic year 2025

Exam	Application guidelines release	Acceptance of application (Web entry)	Academic achievement test *	Announcement of successful applicants
August	End April	July 7, 2024 -July 21, 2024	August 21, 2024 -August 24, 2024	September 12, 2024
January to February	End April	December 2, 2024 -December 12, 2024	January 30, 2025 -January 31, 2025	February 14, 2025

*The special selection for working people for the Degree Program in Risk and Resilience Engineering (Doctoral Program) will be held at the Tokyo Campus Bunkyo School Building in addition to the main Tsukuba Campus. [August Selection Process] August 24, 2024. [January to February Selection Process] February 1, 2025.

*Life Innovation Degree Program (Bioinformatics)Academic achievement test [August] 8/26/2024 (Mon.) – 8/28/2024 (Wed.) [January-February] 1/28/2025 (Tue.) – 1/31/2025 (Fri.)

Examination Period: July (Admission in October 2024)

Exam	Application guidelines release	Acceptance of application (Web entry)	Academic achievement test *	Announcement of successful applicants
July	End April	May 24, 2024 -June 3, 2024	July 5, 2024	July 18 , 2024

About Prior Consultation with a Faculty Member Who You Want As a Supervisor

About Prior Consultation with a Faculty Member Who You Want As a SupervisorIf you wish to enroll in the Early Completion Program, please consult with the faculty member who you want as a supervisor before making your application in regard to your research field, requirements for the selection, and the specific teaching method during the program.For the consultation, please contact the faculty member directly through e-mail etc. You do not need to obtain prior permission to contact the faculty member. Please refer to the contact information for each faculty member on each degree program’s website.
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
Assessment at the Time of Admission

Only those who have passed the special selection process of the doctoral program for working people and who wish to apply for the “Early Completion Program for Working People” can undertake the assessment at the time of admission. The Early Completion Program application guidelines will be sent to successful applicants after the announcement of acceptance.
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
Guidelines for the Early Completion Program For reference: a letter sent to successful applicants who passed the February examination in 2020 Schedule for the applicants of the Early Completion Program August selection process or January to February selection process Achievement Level Self-Assessment Sheet *The form varies with each Degree Program. Please check with your Degree Program for details. Application Form for the Early Completion Program	Achievement Level Assessment Record Achievement Level Assessment Sheet (Assessment at the time of admission) Achievement Level Assessment Record (Assessment sheet at the time of admission)

Student

Prospective Supervisor

Guidelines for the Early Completion Program
For reference: a letter sent to successful applicants who passed the February examination in 2020
Schedule for the applicants of the Early Completion Program
August selection process or January to February selection process
Achievement Level Self-Assessment Sheet
*The form varies with each Degree Program.
Please check with your Degree Program for details.
Application Form for the Early Completion Program

Achievement Level Assessment Record
Achievement Level Assessment Sheet (Assessment at the time of admission)
Achievement Level Assessment Record (Assessment sheet at the time of admission)

Documents to Be Prepared Throughout the Year

Throughout the course of study, students are required to prepare Student Portfolios and Academic Records, and their supervisors are required to prepare Research Guidance Portfolios.
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
Student Portfolio (Free format: example) Summarize the contents of guidance you received from your supervisor and other faculty members, as well as how you responded to it. Academic Record (Free format) Written work on the courses you selected (e.g. lecture notes, lecture summaries and final reports) Presentation materials related to your research of the doctoral thesis and used at the seminar etc. (presentation summaries and PowerPoint slides) Presentation materials used at the mid-term, preliminary and final assessment (presentation summaries and PowerPoint slides) Presentation materials related to your doctoral thesis and used at the conference (papers and PowerPoint slides) All other records that show what you have learned during your course of study	Research Guidance Portfolio Summarize the guidance policy and philosophy, specific teaching method and contents, materials used, and other special notes regarding teaching.

Student

Supervisor

Student Portfolio
(Free format: example)
Summarize the contents of guidance you received from your supervisor and other faculty members, as well as how you responded to it.
Academic Record (Free format)
- Written work on the courses you selected (e.g. lecture notes, lecture summaries and final reports)
- Presentation materials related to your research of the doctoral thesis and used at the seminar etc. (presentation summaries and PowerPoint slides)
- Presentation materials used at the mid-term, preliminary and final assessment (presentation summaries and PowerPoint slides)
- Presentation materials related to your doctoral thesis and used at the conference (papers and PowerPoint slides)
- All other records that show what you have learned during your course of study

Research Guidance Portfolio
Summarize the guidance policy and philosophy, specific teaching method and contents, materials used, and other special notes regarding teaching.

Mid-Term Assessment (Within Four Months After Admission)

The mid-term assessment is planned to be implemented within four months after admission.

Student	Supervisor
Achievement Level Self-Assessment Sheet (for the mid-term assessment)	Achievement Level Assessment Sheet (for the mid-term assessment) Achievement Level Assessment Record (for the mid-term assessment)

Preliminary Assessment (Within Eight Months After Admission)

The preliminary assessment is planned to be implemented within eight months after admission.

Student	Supervisor
Achievement Level Self-Assessment Sheet (for the preliminary assessment) Request for the eligibility assessment for early completion (Article 44, Paragraph 2 of the graduate school regulations is applied), individual record etc., and research achievement index Application for the preliminary assessment	Achievement Level Assessment Sheet (for the preliminary assessment) Achievement Level Assessment Record (for the preliminary assessment) Documents related to the eligibility assessment for early completion (Article 44, Paragraph 2 of the graduate school regulations is applied) Documents related to the preliminary assessment

Submission of Doctoral Thesis

Student	Supervisor
Doctoral thesis (simple binding) Application for doctoral thesis assessment Abstract of the doctoral thesis Index of the doctoral thesis CV Application for the publication of the doctoral thesis on the Internet Confirmation letter regarding proofreading of the doctoral thesis	None

Presentation and Final Examination

Please confirm the dates of the public presentation and final examination with your degree program’s office.
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
Q.I am worried that a doctoral degree earned in one year will be evaluated as poor in quality.

A. The degree awarded by the Program is equivalent to a degree awarded by regular doctoral programs. Our university periodically implements “Achievement Level Assessment” to ensure that each student’s achievement has reached the appropriate level for the doctoral degree. At the same time, the doctoral program itself is evaluated in a program review conducted by the Office of Management for Teaching and Learning to ensure the quality of the doctoral program and social evaluation, so the program should be regarded as having equal or superior quality (level) compared to the standard program.

Q.Can I apply for the program even if I don’t have a master’s degree?

A. If you don’t have a master’s degree, you are required to take the “eligibility screening” conducted by the Degree Program in Systems and Information Engineering before applying. If you are confirmed to have the “abilities equivalent to a master’s or specialized degree holder” through the screening process, you can apply for the entrance examination as a master’s degree holder. When you pass the examination, you will be eligible to apply for this Program.

Q.I have completed my master’s degree in one year, am I eligible for this Program?

A. Unfortunately, no. A minimum of three years of study, including a year of study in a master’s or equivalent program, is required to complete a doctoral program. Students who have completed a master’s degree program in one year are not eligible for this Program.

Q.If I register for the Early Completion Program, how often will I have to visit the university campus?

A. As a guide only, it should be once a week. However, please discuss details with your prospective supervisor.

Q.Can I take this Program from a distant place or overseas?

A. As long as you can meet the frequency of attendance required by each Achievement Level Assessment and guidance, you can take the Program from a distant place or overseas. Please discuss details with your prospective supervisor.

Q.If I’m unable to complete the Program in one year due to my work circumstances, can I continue to study?

A. Students can continue to study to complete the Program. Even in this case, it is possible for them to complete the Program in less than three years., They can also take a leave of absence.

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