Proffessional Training Objectives
The Graduate School of Life Sciences aims to cultivate human resources that possess
broad knowledge and expertise in life science, and can contribute to solving the
challenges of all humankind in the 21
stcentury.
Educational Objectives
①
Individuals with reliable knowledge and research abilities in the natural
sciences and specialist areas.
②
Individuals with logical writing skills, presentation abilities, and
communication skills in Japanese or a foreign language.
③
Individuals who are capable of setting out problems and solving them in
specialist areas, on the basis of their awareness of their own responsibility as
researchers or technicians.
Admission Policy
①
Individuals with basic academic abilities in the natural sciences and specialist
areas.
②
Individuals with sufficient language skills to understand science and technology
both in Japan and overseas.
③
Individuals who are strongly motivated to acquire the ability to set out and solve
problems in specialist areas, on the basis of their awareness of their own
responsibility as researchers or technicians.
Ritsumeikan University
Graduate School of Life Sciences
Fall 2015 Master’s Application Guidelines
(International Students/English Program)
International Program for Life Sciences (IPLS)
Graduate School of Life Sciences
Ritsumeikan University
I. Recruiting Major, Course, Degree Program, Enrollment Limit and Number Recuruted
Major Course Level Enrollment
Limit
Number Recruited
Advanced Life Sciences
Applied Chemistry
Master’s 150 Few Biotechnology
Bioinformatics
Biomedical Sciences
* Enrollment Limit includes all application methods.
* Actual number recruited may be lower, based on number of applications and entrance examination results.
II. Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must be those who have the residence status of “student” in Japan or who will obtain the one before being enrolled in graduate school and meet at least one of the following conditions: (1) Persons who have graduated from a university*1 or who are expected to graduate from such
before being enrolled in the graduate school
(2) Persons who have been awarded a bachelor’s degree by the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation or who are expected to be awarded such a degree before being enrolled in the graduate school
(3) Persons who have completed a 16-year program at an overseas school or who are expected to complete such a program before being enrolled in the graduate school
(4) Persons who have completed a 16-year program of an overseas school by taking its correspondence course in Japan or who are expected to complete such a program before being enrolled in the graduate school
(5) Persons who have completed the program of an overseas school in Japan that is recognized as being equivalent to an overseas university by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology or who are expected to complete such a program before being enrolled in the graduate school
(7) Persons who hold a specialized or first-category teaching license for elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, kindergartens, or schools for disabled children under the Educational Personnel Certification Law or who are expected to obtain such a license before being enrolled in the graduate school and who are above 22 years of age or who will reach 22 years of age before being enrolled in the graduate school, or who have other teaching licenses and are designated by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (or who are expected to meet specific requirements before being enrolled in the graduate school) (the 1953 Notification of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, No. 5-10 to 12)
(8) Persons who have been admitted to a graduate school under the grade-skipping system and who are recognized as having enough academic ability to study at Ritsumeikan University’s graduate schools*2
(9) Persons who have been recognized as having an academic ability equal to or higher than university graduates by Ritsumeikan University’s graduate schools as a result of individual preliminary screening and who are above 22 years of age or who will reach 22 years of age before being enrolled in the graduate school*3
＊1 Universities must meet the criteria established in Article 83 of the School Education Act.
＊2 Applicants in category (8) must consult with the administrative office by Friday, April 30, 2015 for an individual evaluation prior to their application period to determine whether they have enough academic ability to study at Ritsumeikan University’s graduate schools.
* 3 Applicants in category (9) must consult with the administrative office by Thursday, April 30, 2015 for an individual evaluation to determine whether their academic ability is equal to or higher than a university graduate.
Note
※If you have any concerns about foreign education equivalent, your particular degree, or calculation of years of schooling in the descriptions above, please contact the administrative office by Thursday, April 30, 2015.
※All applicants currently in school, who have not completed their degrees or studies, must meet the qualifications above by September 25, 2015 or they will not be granted admission to Ritsumeikan University.
※In addition to the above conditions, applicants must have the ability to understand lectures at Ritsumeikan University’s graduate school in English.
III. Application Procedures
1. Application Period: Friday, May 22, 2015 – Friday, June 5, 2015 *All application documents must arrive during the application period. 2. Documents to be Submitted
(1) Application Form [University-designated FORM 1] (2) Research Plan Form [University-designated FORM 2]
(3) Declaration of Financial Resources【University-designated FORM 3】
(4) Original certificate of graduation or expected graduation from most recent academic institution attended
(5) Original certificate/transcript of grades from most recent academic institution attended (6) Copy of documentation showing objective proof of linguistic ability
(e.g. TOEFL®, TOEIC®) * Copies are acceptable.
※Applicants who can not submit a score certificate from one of the tests above must submit an original, formal certificate of English language ability level issued by their current university. ※In any cases, certificate must have been issued within two-year period proceeding to the
application deadline to be acceptable.
(7) Copy of proof of payment for the application fee
(8) Copy of passport page containing the applicant’s name and picture.(applicant in possession of a passport must submit the passport page copy)
(9) Letter of recommendation by the dean, or person of higher position, at the applicant’s school or institution【University-designated FORM 4】
* Not compulsory to submit.
* Must be addressed to the Dean of the Graduate School of Life Sciences
(10) PDF copy of 教育部学歴証書電子注冊備案表 (graduates of universities in China only) or PDF copy of 教育部学籍在線験証報告書 (students currently enrolled in Graduate School or university in China only)
Note
① All submitted documents should be printed in Japanese or English on A4-sized paper by word-processing software. Documents submitted in any language other than Japanese or English must have Japanese or English translations attached.
② Submitted documents cannot be returned for any reason, even if it is determined after the application that the applicant does not meet the application eligibility criteria
3. Application Mailing Address
Please send documents by express post (EMS, FedEx, DHL, etc) to the following address. Administrative Office
College of Life Sciences
Ritsumeikan University Biwako-Kusatsu Campus 1-1-1 Noji-Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577 Japan Tel: +81-(0)77-561-5021
Fax: +81-(0)77-561-2890 Email: gsls@st.ritsumei.ac.jp.
In case of a remittance from abroad, it is necessary for applicants to pay additional 2,500 yen as bank commission in Japan and remit 7,500 yen (must be in Japanese Yen) in total to the designated bank below. In this case, the remittance charge needed at the overseas bank shall also be paid by the applicants. Neither bank draft nor check is accepted. Please note that it would be short-paid if only the 5,000 yen is remitted.
Bank Name Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Branch Kyoto Branch
Account No. 5408448 SWIFT Code SMBCJPJT
Address of Bank 8 Naginatahoko-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, 600-8008, JAPAN Name of Payee Ritsumeikan University
Address of Payee 1 Nishinokyo-Togano-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, 604-8520, JAPAN Purpose of Remittance Application Fee
Message to Payee Applicant’s Name
IV. Screening Method
Applicants will be screened based on submitted application documents. These may include written questions submitted via email, an interview via telephone, internet, or in person, and an oral examination.
*In an oral examination, you will be asked to give a 15-minutes presentation about your research theme/plan using Microsoft PowerPoint. You are therefore asked to prepare the presentation materials and bring them along with your own laptop on the examination date.
V. Examination Date:
* Applicants will be informed detailed date if interviews are considered to be needed.
VI. Announcement of Result: Friday, July 10, 2015
* Applicants who pass the examination will be sent a letter of acceptance to the address on their application form.
VII. Admission Procedures:
The First Admission Procedure Period: Friday, July 10, 2015 – Friday, July, 24, 2015
The Second Admission Procedure Period: Friday, August 21, 2015 – Friday, September 4, 2015
VIII. Applicants who currently reside outside of Japan (who have not obtained the Certificate of Eligibility)
Completing procedures to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for the residence status of “student” is difficult to obtain on your own if you currently reside outside of Japan. For this reason, Ritsumeikan will apply on students’ behalf for students that have completed tuition payment. Issuance of the COE generally takes more than one month from time of application. If you wish for us to apply on your behalf you must pay the admission fee and the tuition fee for
fall semester during the first admission procedure period listed in “VII. Admission Procedures”.
