2015 Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba

Masters Program in Agro-Bioresources Science and Technology

Professional Training Program in International Agricultural Research
Application Guidelines (Admission for October)
1. Objectives of Program and Admission Policy
Objectives of
Education

Admission
Policy

The Professional Training Program in International Agricultural Research aims

to foster professional development through on-the-job training. The training
involves collaborative internship in research institutes and sister universities, and
is oriented toward cultivating professionals with interdisciplinary expertise in
advanced scientific fields of food, environment, and biological resource
utilization.
(1) Qualifications
The University of Tsukuba seeks students who are interested in the topics of
food, environment, and biological resource utilization, and who aim to solve
current problems in these fields, with highly specialized knowledge as well as
broad-based perspectives. This program emphasizes the sustainable use of agrobiological resources, and aims to develop individuals who are able to apply
analytical skills from a variety of perspectives.
(2) Student Selection Policy
The University will comprehensively evaluate all applicants based on their
submitted documents and on individual interviews to ascertain whether they have
the necessary academic ability and proficiency in English to acquire advanced
knowledge and understanding of problems in the fields of food, environment and
biological resource utilization currently present in the world.

2. Entrance Examination Schedule

(1) Announcement of guidelines for 2015 applications: December 1, 2014
(2) Application period: January 5, 2015, to January 30, 2015
(3) Submission of required documents: January 5 to 16, 2015 (PDF files by email)
January 26 to 30 (original documents by postal service)
(4) Individual interviews (oral examination): February 23 to 27, 2015
(5) Announcement of decision on application: March 26, 2015
(6) Enrollment procedures: end of June 2015 to beginning of September 2015
(7) Enrollment date: October 1, 2015
(8) Entrance ceremony: end of September 2015
3. Number of Students Accepted per Year
Limited
4. Qualifications of Applicants
Individuals falling under either of the categories below may apply for this program:
(1) Those who have graduated or expect to graduate from a university by September 30, 2015.
(2) Those who have been recognized by the admissions committee of the University of
Tsukuba as having academic ability equivalent to or greater than that of a person who has
graduated from a university.

5. Documents Required for Application

The following documents are necessary for application. Please download the application forms
from this website.
Payment of an examination fee is required BEFORE sending the original documents. No
exemptions are made for any reason. Payments that are delayed will not be accepted. Please
be aware that the examination fee is non-refundable.
Necessary Documents

Application Form
for Admission

Recommendation
Letter

Supervisors
Agreement

Qualification
Certificates

Transcript

Study Plan

TOEFL/TOEIC/
IELTS test results.
Document that
certifies the
applicants
proficiency in
English
Examination Fee

To Be
Remarks
Submitted
by
All
This is to confirm the intent of the applicant. Use Form 1
applicants and please attach a passport-size photo (frontal view of
the face and upper half of the applicants body) taken
within the past 6 months.
All
A recommendation letter from the dean of the applicants
applicants faculty or the applicants research supervisor is required.
No specific format is designated. Please use A4- or US
Letter-size paper. For details, see section 6-2.
All
A letter written by the prospective supervisor stating that,
applicants if the applicant is accepted into the program, he or she
will be the academic advisor and supervise the
applicants research. One-page A4- or US Letter-size
paper. See section 6-2.
All
Certificate of completion (or expected completion) from
applicants the university from which the applicant graduated (or
expects to graduate).
All
Original academic transcript from the university from
applicants which the applicant graduated. If the applicant is still in
undergraduate school, submit transcript of period
available. See section 6-3.
All
Use Form 2
applicants
Non-native Please take the TOEFL/TOEIC/IELTS examination
English before applying. Then please submit the test results or
speakers other document that certifies the applicants proficiency
in English. For procedures for notification of test score,
see section 6-4.
(In principle, an applicant whose native language is
English is not required to take the examination.)
All
30,000. Please pay before submitting application. See
applicants section 6-1 for the payment procedure. Use Form 3 to
attach the payment receipt.

Note:
All documents must be written in English. If the documents or qualification certificates issued by
the applicants school are in a language other than English or Japanese, translate and type the
entire text into English and have the translation notarized by relevant authorities. (No specific
format is designated. Please use A4- or US Letter-size paper.)

6-1. Payment of examination fee

Please pay the examination fee by the due date, and submit a copy of the payment receipt with the
application documents. Pay by international bank transfer or credit card. The specific payment
procedures are outlined below.
(A) International wire transfer
(1) Transfer the examination fee from a bank which handles international bank
transfers (bank wire transfer) by the date of submission of the application. Please
check the separate instruction for international wire transfer.
(2) Be sure to receive a receipt for the transfer and attach the receipt to Form 3.
(B) Credit card payments:
(1) Access the website here to make the payment.
(2) After the payment process is complete, a Receipt Number will be displayed. Print
out the page which shows the transaction details and receipt number and attach it to
Form 3.
6-2. Recommendation letter and supervisors agreement
A recommendation letter from the dean of the applicants faculty or the applicants research
supervisor is required for the application. The letter should be sealed by the dean or supervisor
for confidentiality.
Applicants currently not affiliated with the University of Tsukuba are additionally requested to
send a letter from a prospective academic advisor stating that he or she agrees to supervise the
applicants research if the applicant successfully passes the entrance examination.
For both letters, no specific format is designated. Please use A4- or US Letter-size paper.
6-3. Transcript
Please submit an original academic transcript (not a copy). If the applicant is still in
undergraduate school, submit a transcript which contains the results of the past study period at
undergraduate school. No specific format is designated.
6-4. Submission of documents certifying proficiency in English
(1) TOEFL/TOEIC/IELTS test results
Please send an original TOEFL/TOEIC/IELTS test results certificate with the application.
(2) Other certificate of the applicants proficiency in English
Please send original copies of any certificates other than TOEFL/TOEIC/IELTS that show
the applicants proficiency in English.

7. Submission of Required Documents

(A) Submission procedure
(1) Required documents in the form of PDF files are accepted from January 5 to 16, 2015
(Japan Standard Time).
(2) Fill out the required information in Form 1 and save all files as PDF files. Please send all
the PDF files by e-mail to g30-daigakuin#@#un.tsukuba.ac.jp (delete # when sending
email).
(3) Original documents are accepted from January 26 to 30, 2015 (Japan Standard Time).
(4) Once receipt of the PDF files has been confirmed by our office, send all original documents
by international mail or internal courier service (must be received by the due date) to the
address below (B).
Please be sure the application package includes the following:
Application documents for University of Tsukuba G30
The program name of the course (Professional Training Program in International
Agricultural Research)
Applicants name
Applicants e-mail address
(5) Please take the transit time into account when mailing the documents, since the documents
should arrive during the dates mentioned above (Japan Standard Time).
(B) Mailing address
Please send the required documents to:
Global 30 Support Room
Academic Service Office for the Life and Environmental Sciences Area
University of Tsukuba
1-1-1 Tennodai
Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572
Japan
(C) Notes regarding sending of application documents
(1) If any document is missing or is not filled in correctly, the application will not be accepted.
Please check thoroughly before sending.
(2) Application documents will not be returned.
(3) Persons who require special considerations for study due to disabilities or other issues
should consult us by sending an e-mail to the following address before applying:
g30-daigakuin#@#un.tsukuba.ac.jp (delete # when sending email)
(4) If any factual discrepancies are found in the application or documents after admission to
the University, admission may be revoked.
8. Selection Method
After the application documents are received, screening will be based on the submitted documents
and individual interviews. In the individual interviews, a comprehensive evaluation will be made
of the applicants basic knowledge, research interests, English ability, and motivation for seeking
admission to the course.
9. Announcement of Successful Applicants
Notification of the final result will be sent by e-mail and post to all applicants. Documents
Required for Enrollment Procedures at the University of Tsukuba will be mailed to successful
applicants. Final acceptance will be announced on March 26, 2015.
4

10. Enrollment Procedures

(A) Time period
(1) The time period for enrollment procedures is from the end of June 2015 to the beginning of
September 2015.
(2) Following receipt of the Documents Required for Enrollment Procedures, send all
documents required for admission by international courier service by the above deadline.
(B) Payment required by students (except government scholarship students)
(1) The normal admission fee is 282,000.
(2) The tuition fee is 267,900 for the 1st semester and 267,900 for the 2nd semester
(535,800/year).
(3) If the amount of payment is revised at the time of admission or during enrollment, the new
amount will be applied from the time of revision.
(4) The University offers, upon selection, a waiver of all or part of the tuition fee for students
who are deemed to find it difficult to pay tuition due to financial reasons and for students
who have other unavoidable circumstances.
11. Disclosure of Information about Entrance Examination
The University of Tsukuba discloses information about entrance examinations for the Graduate
School of Life and Environmental Sciences English Course Professional Training Program in
International Agricultural Research. For detailed information please contact us at:
g30-daigakuin#@#un.tsukuba.ac.jp (delete # when sending email)
12. Confidentiality of Personal Information
Personal information obtained by the University of Tsukuba from the application documents and
other personal information will be used only for selecting applicants for admission. All application
documents will be shredded if applicants are not successful.
13. Questions and Contact
For any questions about this student application process, please contact us at:
g30-daigakuin#@#un.tsukuba.ac.jp (delete # when sending email)