StudyQA — Bachelor: International Program on Japan in East Asia

Description Contents Requirements

The Japan in East Asia Senior Division Program aims to provide students with a wide range of social science and humanities courses to develop an advanced understanding of Japanese/East Asian politics, economy, society and culture in the global context. The program is organized so that the students will be able to receive a Bachelor's degree by taking classes instructed in the English language alone. The curriculum reflects the sixty years of experience and continuous improvement and innovation in liberal arts education in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The program offers wide-ranging subjects such as: modern history of East Asian international relations, the transformation of Japanese society, and modern Japanese literature in global context.

The teaching of the program is organized based on the following three key approaches;

Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies Approach
Area Studies Approach
Social Sciences Approach

The Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies Approach emphasizes the study of cultures from a comparative and diversified perspective. While the focus will be on Japanese culture, Japan is not considered to be a secluded community, but rather a window for looking through at cultures of the increasing globalized world.

The Area Studies Approach delivers cross-cutting themes to help students gain a broad-ranging, cosmopolitan knowledge of Japan in the context of East Asia.

The Social Science Approach mobilizes up-to-date theoretical and empirical discussions from different fields of social science research, such as politics, international relations, economics, sociology and law, to examine historical and current issues in Japan and East Asia.

Students are encouraged to investigate various issues in Japan and East Asia through these approaches. All students are required to complete a Graduation Thesis as an independent researched piece of work in their final year.

Prospective students

Applicants to the Japan in East Asia program are expected to have a wide range of educational backgrounds. Successful candidates will be required to engage in in-depth and critical academic investigations of humanities and social science subjects to complete the PEAK (Programs in English at Komaba) degree program. Although we do not require the applicants to have specific subject qualifications, candidates should demonstrate a high level of literacy, numeracy and critical thinking in their past academic records across traditional subjects such as English, Mathematics, and History (this list is not exclusive), while showing a strong intellectual appetite for understanding historical and current affairs. The graduates of this program will be well equipped to pursue careers in various fields including international organizations, government, multinational corporations, and journalism. They may also pursue further study in the graduate programs offered at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Tokyo. Professional career education is also offered at the Global Area Studies Institute of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Eligibility Requirements

Students are eligible to apply for PEAK as long as they satisfy ONE of the Requirement 1 AND Requirement 2 at the time of enrollment on September 1, 2015. If you are unsure about your eligibility, be sure to contact the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office as early as possible.

Requirement 1
The applicant must fulfill at least ONE of the following requirements.
(a) The applicant must have completed all the requirements of a 12 school year education system consisting of primary and secondary education.
Those who have or will be graduating from an institution in Japan should have completed or plan to complete the standard 12 school year curriculum at:
- a Japanese high school certified by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. or - a special school for international students certified by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In this case, the applicant must be 18 or older at the time of entry to the university.
Those who have attended schools in Japan not certified by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology must contact the university between September 1, 2014, and September 30, 2014, to have their eligibility reviewed by the Individual Admission Review Process of the University of Tokyo. (However, it must be noted that only those who are 18 or older at the time of entry to the university can have their eligibility reviewed.) Applicants who are of this status must clear this process before they can apply.
(b) The applicant must be at least 18 years of age and have obtained one of the following qualifications:
1. International Baccalaureate (awarded by the International Baccalaureate Organization) 2. Abitur (designated by the Federal Republic of Germany) 3. Baccalaureate (designated by the French Republic)
(c) If the applicant has completed an education system that is less than 12 school years, he or she must be at least 18 years of age, and should have completed the requirements of Japanese pre-university preparatory institutions for students planning to study in Japan, which are designated by the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Alternatively, the applicant must be at least 18 years of age and should have received sufficient university education so as to satisfy the 12 school year requirement for entering Japanese universities (for example, if the applicant’s school education was 11 years, he or she should receive at least one year of university education to be eligible to enroll in the PEAK programs).
(d) The applicant must have passed an official test that shows he or she possesses academic background equivalent or superior to that obtained from a 12-year school curriculum. In this case, the applicant must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry to the university.
Requirement 2
The applicant must have spent at least five of the first six school years AND at least five of the second six school years studying in a language other than Japanese. For each of the five school years, the vast majority of courses must have been delivered in a language other than Japanese.

Application requirements

1. Application Form

The application form is available in PDF format. The PDF should be opened in Adobe Acrobat Reader and filled in electronically. Only when the information is correctly filled in will you be able to successfully validate the form. Non-validated application forms will not be processed. For more details on completing the application form, see the “Admissions” section of the website and study the example form. The application form should be printed on either an A4 or a letter-size paper.

If you are unable to download the file or fill in the PDF application form electronically, you should contact the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office through the enquiry form on the website.

2. Official School Transcripts

Academic transcripts in English, clearly showing secondary school grades obtained (or expected to be obtained) by the applicant at the time of application, must be submitted. The transcripts should contain all the grades obtained in the secondary school in the last three years or more and must be sealed in a school stationery envelope. If the applicant is already enrolled in post-secondary education, he or she should also include transcripts showing grades obtained at the time of application.

2.1 Subject Requirements
Applicants applying for the Environmental Sciences Program must submit transcripts that demonstrate they have studied at least two science subjects (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology or environmental science) in the last two years of their study.

3. Graduation Certificate
The applicant should submit either:
(a) A high-school graduation certificate or a certificate of expected graduation (with graduation to have been achieved by August 31, 2015).
(b) A diploma verifying the completion of a high school curriculum (e.g. International Baccalaureate, Abitur, Baccalaureate).

4. School Profile
If available, the applicant should submit his or her school’s publicity material showing, in particular, the school’s grade profile.

5. Official Examination Results for Academic Ability
The applicant must submit an official result report for one of the examinations listed in the Appendix 1.
Other examination results may be submitted. Enquire by September 30, 2014, to make sure if your particular results are acceptable. Submission of examination results other than those listed in the Appendix 1 without any prior enquiry may not be accepted.
5.1 Subject Requirements
1. Those applying for the Japan in East Asia program must include at least three subject scores of any subjects. Details of expected knowledge are specified on the PEAK website. (See “Our Courses”) 2. Those applying for the Environmental Sciences program must include at least three subject scores. One of them must be mathematics. Another must be a science subject such as physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science. The third can be a subject of your choice. Contact the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office in advance for any enquiries. Details of expected background knowledge are specified on the PEAK website. (See “Our Courses”) 3. Specific requirements for each accepted standardized examination are indicated in the Appendix 1.

5.2 Predicted Scores/Grades
Applicants unable to submit an official result report by the application deadline because of unavoidable circumstances (such as if the examination is scheduled only after the application deadline) must submit a certificate of official predicted scores/grades (either as a part of the school transcript or as a separate certificate) for each subject. However, in this case, any admission offer will be conditional. The applicant must promptly supply the final scores/grades once they become available. The deadline for submission of these final scores/grades is August 21, 2015. Failure to do so will result in cancellation of admissions.
5.3 Note:
1. Although the applicants are required to submit only one type of examination results, if they have taken more than one type of examinations (such as ACT, SAT and IB), they are encouraged to submit all the results. 2. Applicants are also encouraged to submit AP grades (Code Number: 7656) for our additional reference. However, AP grades are not considered as a part of the “5.5 Official Examination Results for Academic Ability.” 3. If the highest results for each category are spread over multiple examination dates, applicants may send multiple examination results. The highest grades will be considered for each examination category. If the applicant obtains higher results after submitting the application materials, he or she may still submit additional results as long as they are received by the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office within the application period.

6. Official Test Scores for English Proficiency

The applicant must submit valid scores for one of the following three tests. We will only accept test scores that are less than two years old. The scores must be received/available from the testing institution by 5 p.m. on December 8, 2014 (Japan Standard Time).
PEAK expects that incoming students will typically have TOEFL iBT scores of around 100 or above, an IELTS score of 7.0 or above, or Cambridge English Language Assessment CAE grade B or above or CPE.
Students who have received an English-medium education for at least five years of the first six years of education and at least five years of the next six years of education are exempt from submitting the following test scores. If you are unsure whether you need to submit the test scores, contact the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office by September 30, 2014.

(a) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT or PBT (TOEFL-ITP is not accepted)
The applicant must request that the testing institution (ETS) send an Official Score Report to the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office at the University of Tokyo. The Designated Institution (DI) Code Number for the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office at the University of Tokyo is 7889. The applicant should also supply, if possible, the Registration Number in the application form.
(b) International English Language Test System (IELTS) Academic module
For IELTS, the applicant must take all four parts of the Academic module (listening, academic reading, academic writing and speaking). The applicant should supply a photocopy of the Test Report Form (TRF) and indicate its TRF Number in the application form. The university will use the number to verify the results on the IELTS TRF Verification Service.
(c) Cambridge English Language Assessment (CAE or CPE)
From Cambridge English Language Assessment, we accept either “Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)” or “Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)”. The applicant must fill in the section on English Language Ability in the application form and submit his or her Candidate ID Number and Candidate Secret Number. The university will use the numbers to verify the results on the Results Verification Service.
6.1 Note:

1. Other evidence of English proficiency may be considered on an individual basis. In this case, the applicant must contact the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office by September 30, 2014. 2. If the applicant obtains higher test scores after submitting his or her application, he or she may still submit additional test scores, as long as they are received by the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office within the application period. 3. The PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office may request further evidence of English language proficiency from applicants, including those who qualify for the exemption.

7. Evaluation Forms

Three evaluation forms must be submitted. The forms are downloadable from the PEAK website. (See “Admissions”)
(a) The first form should be from a teacher at the applicant’s high school or university who can evaluate the applicant’s English reading, writing, and speaking skills. Note this also applies to applicants who do not submit Official Test Scores for English Proficiency.
(b) The second form should be from a teacher at the applicant’s high school or university who is in a position to evaluate the applicant’s academic knowledge. If the applicant is applying to the Japan in East Asia program, this teacher should be from the social sciences or humanities. If the applicant is applying to the Environmental Sciences program, this teacher should be from a science-related field such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology or environmental science.
(c) The third form can be filled out by anyone who is able to evaluate the applicant’s character. However, the writer must not be an immediate family member or a close relative.
7.1 Note:

1. The evaluation forms must be written by different evaluators. 2. An evaluation from a language school or vocational school teacher is not acceptable for the first and the second evaluation forms. 3. Each form must be signed, sealed, and dated by the evaluator. 4. Each form must be dated after July 1, 2014. 5. Each form must be sealed and submitted in one of the following two ways: Include with the application documents (preferred by the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office).
or
Send directly from the evaluator to the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office (the address is given at the end of the guidelines). The applicant should make sure that the forms will be received by the PEAK Undergraduate Admissions Office by 5 p.m. on December 8, 2014 (Japan Standard Time).

8. Essay

The applicant must submit a personal essay, separated into two sections. The essay should be typed in English, dated and signed. The forms should be downloaded from the PEAK website. (See “Admissions”)
In the first section of the form, write a statement in English covering all three topics below (250 to 300 words):
(a) Why you wish to study at the University of Tokyo.
(b) Why you wish to study in the program (Japan in East Asia or Environmental Sciences) you are applying for.
(c) What you feel you can contribute to the University of Tokyo community.
In the second section of the form, write a statement in English on the following topic (250 to 300 words):
If you could visit any place on earth for seven days, where would you go and why? What would you hope to learn from the experience?

9. Photo

The applicant should attach a color ID photo in the box marked “photo” on the application form.
9.1 Note:
1. The photo must have been taken in the last 6 months. 2. The photo should be 4cm long and 3cm wide, and should show the applicant’s face down to their shoulders. 3. It should be taken against a plain background, and the applicant should be looking straight ahead. 4. The applicant should not be wearing any head accessories such as a cap or a hat. 5. The applicant’s name should be written on the back of the photo. 6. A photo that may cause difficulty identifying the applicant at the interview should not be submitted.