Kochi University of Technology’s 3-year doctoral program

Special Scholarship Program (SSP) is only for doctoral candidates and project-based. (Project list is here)
Before submitting a formal application, anyone intending to apply must send a completed Online Pre-Application Request to the leader of his/her preferred SSP project via KUT Online Pre-Application Request Form at least 6 weeks before the application deadline (Please find the application deadline in the item 11 “Admission Sechedule” on this page. Only individuals who have obtained the permission of the leader of their preferred project are eligible to formally apply to the SSP program.

* KUT Online Pre-Application Request Form is NOT available at the following date and time due to system maintenance. Please avoid sending your Online Pre-Application Request during this time.
2022→April 6th 18:00-20:00 (JST), April 27th 18:00-20:00 (JST), June 1st 18:00-20:00 (JST), July 6th 18:00-20:00 (JST), August 3rd 18:00-20:00 (JST), September 7th 18:00-20:00 (JST), October 5th 18:00-20:00 (JST), November 2nd 18:00-20:00 (JST), December 7th 18:00-20:00 (JST) 2023→January 4th 18:00-20:00 (JST), February 1st 18:00-20:00 (JST), March 1st 18:00-20:00 (JST)

【Note】
To complete the scholarship program and acquire a doctoral degree, publication of 2 or more high level reviewed papers is required by at least two months before the completion of 3 years program.

Dissertations of Graduated SSP Students

Last updated: February21, 2023

Application Guidelines for Special Scholarship Program (SSP)

1. PROGRAM OF STUDY

Doctoral Program (3 years)
Department of Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering

2. MEDIUM OF STUDY

English

3. NUMBER OF STUDENTS TO BE ADMITTED

No more than 3 SSP students can be enrolled concurrently for each project leader. See the SSP project list for details of which projects currently have places available for SSP students.

SSP Research Project List

4. ENROLLMENT TIME

April/October

5. SCHOLARSHIP TERM

One year
*The term will be extended for increments of one year up to a total of three years, unless the university terminates the SSP student status for any of the reasons stated in paragraph 13 below, Termination of SSP Student Status.

6. OBLIGATIONS

1. The SSP student must work 50 hours per month for a specific research project at the university.
2. The SSP student must report his/her study and research achievements to the dean of the Graduate School of Engineering at the end of each semester. The submitted report will be evaluated by the dean of the Graduate School of Engineering.

7. BENEFITS

1. Exemption from 30,000 yen entrance examination fee, 300,000 yen enrollment fee and 535,800 yen/year tuition fee
2. To support living expenses, 150,000 yen/month is paid as salary for research project work.
   *You must pay some amount of taxes from this salary.
3. 150,000 yen is provided for travel and initial living costs. (given only to international applicants who are living outside Japan, and who have, or have the intention to acquire, “Student” status of Japanese residence at the time of entry into Japan)

See the details here.

8. ELIGIBILITY

Applicants are required to meet all of the following conditions

1. To have permission from the leader of the applicant’s preferred SSP project to apply for that project
2. To hold a degree from an accredited institution comparable to the master’s degree offered at KUT after 18 years of education, or to be scheduled to acquire such a degree before the KUT enrollment date
3. To be 35 years old or under at the time of enrollment, in principle
4. To have an excellent academic record and strong bachelor’s and master’s degrees from reputable universities
5. To have the intention, adequate knowledge and research skill to work in the research project
6. To have high English proficiency (TOEFL iBT 72, IELTS 5.5, CEFR B2, CET6)

9. APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Choose one research project from the SSP Research Project List
2. Send a complete Online Pre-Application Request to the leader of your preferred project via KUT Online Pre-Application Request Form and obtain the leader’s permission to apply for that SSP project. Applicants are not allowed to make Pre-Application Request more than once in a given entry period. Please note that a project leader may not contact you in the case where your pre-application request is rejected.
3. When you obtain a permission from the project leader, complete all required documents and submit them to KUT by post. The documents must reach KUT by the deadline.

   * Since it is anticipated that it will take a considerable amount of time for applicants to prepare the documents for the formal application, we strongly recommend applicants to send a pre-application request to the leader of his/her preferred project at least 6 weeks prior to the formal application deadline.

List of Required SSP Application Documents

　KUT Online Pre-Application Request Form

10. ADMISSION DECISION

As mentioned above, only applicants who have obtained the permission of the leader of their preferred project are eligible to submit an application with documentation to KUT. The admission decision will be made after screening of the submitted documents, web interview, and exam in the specialized subject required for conducting the selected research project.

Note 1: Applicants may be rejected before they take the interview and written exam.
Note 2: The examination (interview and exam in the specialized subject) may be conducted via Webex or other communication tool.

11. ADMISSION SCHEDULE

October 2023 Enrollment: (The Second Deadline)

*note 1: The applicants are encouraged to send a pre-application request to the leader of his/her preferred project at least 6 weeks prior to the formal application deadline.
*note 2: All the required documents must arrive at KUT by each deadline.

April 2024 Enrollment: (The First Deadline)

*note 1: The applicants are encouraged to send a pre-application request to the leader of his/her preferred project at least 6 weeks prior to the formal application deadline.
*note 2: All the required documents must arrive at KUT by each deadline.

April 2024 Enrollment: (The Second Deadline)

*note 1: The applicants are encouraged to send a pre-application request to the leader of his/her preferred project at least 6 weeks prior to the formal application deadline.
*note 2: All the required documents must arrive at KUT by the each deadline.

12. SPECIAL NOTICE

1. If you are still working towards your master’s degree, a verified original master’s degree certificate in English /Japanese from your university will be required before your enrollment can be completed. If you are not able to produce such a document, you will not be enrolled.
2. Students who join the projects in Economics and Management will conduct their research at Eikokuji campus which is located in down town Kochi City, 25 km from the main campus (Kami campus), and those students are also required to take classes once or twice a week at main campus. The most common means of transportation between Eikokuji campus and Kami campus are bus or JR train, and it takes around one hour.
3. If your application to KUT is successful and your resident status in Japan is “Student”, KUT will assist you in finding appropriate single accommodation.
   At Kami campus, you can live in the International House if there is vacancy.
   At Eikokuji campus, you can live in the Takasone Dormitory C if there is vacancy.
   If you wish to bring your family members and live with them in Japan, or if you wish to change your accommodation, you must initiate your own apartment rental.
   In any case, you need to bear your own costs.
   ・International House (Kami Campus)
   ・Takasone Dormitory C (Eikokuji Campus)
   ・Renting a room individually
4. To complete the doctoral program as a SSP Student, you need to meet all of the following conditions.
   a: 3 year’s enrollment in a doctoral program at KUT
   b: 10 or more doctoral course credits earned
   c: Successful completion of the doctoral dissertation defense after receiving a preliminary assessment held more than one year in advance
   d: Two or more papers in high level peer-reviewed journals, published at least two months before completion of the program; this is the basic requirement for holding a dissertation defense.
5. Students enrolled in this program can obtain Doctor of Engineering or Doctor of Philosophy depending on the research field.
6. Newly admitted foreign doctoral students will be charged about 33,000 yen as insurance premium. The students who do not have “Student” status of Japanese residence will be charged 3,000 yen as insurance premium (The price is subject to change).
7. 10,000 yen will be charged as dues for alumni association membership (The price is subject to change).
8. In any case where a SSP student is selected as a recipient of another institution’s scholarship, his/her monthly pay as described in “7. Benefits” 2. will be adjusted according to KUT’s rule.
9. The abstract of your doctoral dissertation and the results of your dissertation defense will be published on the web within 3 months after the conferment of your doctoral degree, and the full text of your dissertation will be published on the web within 1 year after the conferment of your doctoral degree.In cases where it seems inappropriate to publish a doctoral dissertation on the web due to a patent application related to the research, or some other special reasons, Kochi University of Technology may suspend the publication of the full text of a dissertation, and publish only its abstract on the web. Even in such cases, if publication of the full text of a dissertation is requested, and Kochi University of Technology agrees to the necessity, the full text of your doctoral dissertation may be disclosed.
10. Please note that KUT takes trust, truthfulness and academic integrity very seriously and we therefore expect applications to contain only true and complete information about the applicant. Applicants should be aware that KUT will take stern, corrective measures such as payment of exempted tuition fees, or even expulsion from the university, against any student found to have applied with false, incomplete, or missing information, including omission of information regarding educational background.
11. In the event that Kochi University of Technology alters the system of SSP, the terms and conditions will be revised accordingly.

13. TERMINATION OF SSP STUDENT STATUS

SSP student status will be terminated in the following cases

1. In the case where a student’s report, submitted in accordance with term “6. Obligations” 2., is assessed as being below the standard for SSP students.
2. In the case of behavior which is deemed inappropriate for a SSP student.

14. ADMISSION /CURRICULUM /DIPLOMA POLICIES

Doctoral Program

15. OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE

All inquiries and application documents must be addressed to:
International Relations Section
Kochi University of Technology
Tosayamada, Kami City
Kochi 782-8502, JAPAN
Tel: +81-887-53-1130
E-mail: international@ml.kochi-tech.ac.jp

16. Security Export Control

Kochi University of Technology（KUT）has established the Kochi University of Technology Security Export Control Regulations in accordance with the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act for the purpose of contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security while giving due consideration to the sound development of academic research. KUT is implementing the appropriate security export control measures with regard to the provision of technology, export of goods, and admission of foreign nationals (international students, researchers, etc.). Should any of these regulations apply to you, there may be restrictions imposed on your desired research activities, or you may be unable to receive education at KUT. Therefore, please check with your prospective academic advisor before submitting your application. In addition, international students (all Degree-seeking Students and Visiting Students) who will be conducting educational and research activities at the university shall be required to sign a pledge at the time of admission.

List of Required SSP Application Documents