National Institute of Polar Research

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Outline of Graduate Education

Developing field scientists for the next generation of polar research

Graduate school education

Sampling of zooplankton in the Antarctic Ocean.

Collecting rock samples in Brattnipene, Sør Rondane Mountains, Antarctica

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) was established in 1988 as Japan’s first independent graduate university under close communication and cooperation with inter-university research institutes and other institutions. NIPR has been participating in SOKENDAI since 1993 and is currently responsible for graduate school education in the five-year doctoral program as the polar science course.

This course provides education and research centered on natural phenomena in the Arctic and Antarctic from a global perspective. It develops outstanding researchers with strong research capabilities and competencies as field scientists.

There were 14 students enrolled in the course as of October 2023 and, to date, a total of 84 students have obtained the doctoral degree.

Special collaborative research fellows

NIPR has been accepting graduate students in polar science and related fields from other universities as special collaborative research fellows since 1981.

Partner graduate schools

NIPR and Kyushu University entered into an Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation in Education and Research in 2006 to collaborate on graduate school education in the field of environment in the polar region.

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