StudyQA — Master: Global Society — The University of Tokyo

Description Contents Requirements Funding

Established in 2012, the Graduate Program on Global Society (GSP) is one of the newest innovative graduate programs on the University of Tokyo’s Komaba campus and already one of its most successful, admitting and graduating students from around the world each year. GSP was formed as part of the university’s ongoing effort to develop interdisciplinary platforms capable of training students to respond to the demands and challenges of an increasingly dynamic and interdependent global society. The program is founded on the belief that, in a world that no longer recognizes borders between the political, social, ecological, cultural, and ethical dimensions of human life, the disciplinary boundaries separating the humanities and social sciences need to be reconceived.The program works to undo such disciplinary boundaries by combining the resources of the four principal departments that make up the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Komaba—the Department of Language and Information Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies, Area Studies, and Advanced Social and International Studies—and the Institute for Advanced Global Studies. GSP also works closely with two other cross-departmental programs on campus, the Graduate Program on Human Security (HSP) and the Graduate Program on Global Humanities (GHP), in order to further stimulate scholarly exchange.

Bringing these resources together in one program provides students with access to a wide range of courses and specialists in disciplines ranging from Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, International Relations, Law and Development, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Sociology, and more. Working closely with an academic advisor carefully selected for them from among the entire faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, GSP students have the opportunity to design a curriculum tailored to their individual interests and needs that provides them with a comparative and contextual framework through which to pursue and develop their research.

In order to better address the demands of an increasingly globalized world, the working language of the program is English. Instruction may, however, vary according to individual courses and student interests. Experiential learning programs not offered by the university, such as internships and externships, may also be included in a student’s coursework to encourage further social, cultural, and intellectual exchange. In addition, GSP students have access to courses offered in English or Japanese at other graduate schools in the university system, contingent upon language competency.

Our M.A. program is tailored for students in the humanities and social sciences interested in the political, social, ecological, cultural, or ethical aspects of human existence in global society. Its curriculum is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the changing situation in Japan, Asia, and global society in general, and to cultivate the skills needed to shape agendas and solve problems. The program is especially suited for those students seeking an M.A. degree before or after entering the business world, government service, the non-governmental sector, or the media as professionals in fields relating to global society. It is also intended as a preparatory step for those wishing to enter our Ph.D. program, described below.

For the M.A. degree, students are required to earn a minimum of 14 credits from courses offered by the Graduate Program on Global Society (including 8 credits from the core curriculum) and 12 credits from courses offered by the Graduate School department with which they are affiliated (including 6 credits from research workshops). Students are allowed to take graduate and upper-division undergraduate (3rd and 4th year) courses offered by other graduate schools and undergraduate departments at the University with the permission of their academic advisors. In order to earn the M.A. degree, students are required to:

complete a minimum of 30 approved credits;
write a master’s thesis or submit the results of their research on selected subjects; and
pass the final examinations.

Courses

Transnational Markets and Civil Society
Normative Basis of Global Society
Research Workshop I - III
Theory of International Interdependence III
Theory of Social and Cultural Diversity I
Theory of Social and Cultural Diversity IV
Theory of Transnational Markets and Civil Society I
Theory of Normativity in Global Society I
Comparative Studies of the Normative Basis of Civil Society I
Special Lecture on Global Society I
Special Lecture on Global Society IV
Seminar on Global Society II
Seminar on Global Society IV
Seminar on Global Society V

Application fee: 10,000 yen
Enrollment fee: 282,000 yen

Eligibility

M.A. program
Those who have completed or who expect to complete their undergraduate education (a Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent) by the time of enrollment * are eligible to apply for the M.A. program. Applicants are expected to have completed 16-year school education, including university education or its equivalent.

Please note that applicants who have completed the equivalent of 15 years of education must contact the GPEAK Admissions Office at the time of or prior to the submission of their application in order to confirm their eligibility. Applicants whose qualifications differ in any other respect from those stated above must contact the GPEAK Admissions Office by November 1, 2016.

CHECKLIST (Form #1)
APPLICATION FORM (Form #2)
Certificates of all higher degrees and diplomas awarded or an attested document certifying that the applicant will graduate from a college, university, or other institution of higher learning by the time of enrollment.M.A. program applicants must submit their Bachelor’s certificate, and Ph.D. program applicants must submit both their Bachelor’s and Master’s certificates.If it is impossible to obtain the certificate(s) in English, please contact the GPEAK Admissions Office as soon as possible for further instructions.
Official transcripts from each college, university, or other institution of higher learning attended.
Three letters of recommendation including Form #3. Each letter and Form # 3 must be original and must be placed in a sealed envelope and signed across the seal by the recommender. Recommenders may send their letters directly to the GPEAK Admissions Office. Letters must arrive by the application deadline, January 31, 2017.
TOEFL Official Score Report or IELTS Test Report Form.
Applicants must submit a copy of their Examinee’s Score Record (TOEFL) or Test Report Form (IELTS) with all accompanying documents within the application period. The Official Score Report (TOEFL) or Test Report Form (IELTS) should be sent, by the testing institution, directly to the GPEAK Admissions Office (TOEFL Institution Code = 6184). Applications missing the report sent by the testing institution will not be reviewed.English proficiency can also be demonstrated by the receipt of a Bachelor’s or other advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education where English is the primary language of instruction.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) General Test Official Score Report.
Applicants must submit a copy of their Examinee’s Score Record together with all accompanying documents within the application period. ETS should send the Official Score Report directly to the GPEAK Admissions Office (Institution Code = 8326). Applications will not be reviewed without the Official Score Report.
Personal Statement. Applicants should describe, in 500 words or less, their past field of study, the reasons for their interest in the GSP program, their future career plans, and any other information they deem relevant to the consideration of their application.
Research Proposal. Applicants should describe their detailed research plans, including the tentative title of their research topic, research design and methods, and relevant sources and data for research. For those applying for the M.A. program, the proposal should be between 900 to 1,000 words (excluding reference), and for the Ph.D. program, between 1,200 to 1,500 words (excluding reference).
Three photos (size 4cm x 3cm). Applicants should attach one photo to the Application Form (Form #2) and enclose two additional photos with the name of the applicant written on the back of each photo.
One Certificate of Remittance (English or Japanese). All applicants, except MEXT (Monbukagakusho) scholarship students and applicants to the Ph.D. program who expect to obtain a Master’s or professional degree from the University of Tokyo in the autumn 2017 must pay the application fee prior to submitting the application. Students residing outside of Japan must pay the application fee through the University of Tokyo’s online payment system (e-payment). Please visit the website and follow the instructions. The printed “result” page will constitute the “Certificate of Remittance” and must be enclosed with the application. Those residing in Japan may pay by bank transfer using a specified payment slip, by credit card, or at a convenience store. Further details are provided on Form #4. The Certificate of Remittance should be attached to the section designated on Form # 2 of the Application Form. MEXT scholarship students should submit a certificate of proof of their scholarship status instead of a certificate of remittance.