Degrees

Degrees

Types of degrees available in the Department of Polar Science

Doctor of Philosophy

Requirements for completion

5-year Doctoral Program
3-year Doctoral Program

Flow of doctoral degree assessment

    Period or deadline Application requirements, application documents and assessment criteria
Preliminary assessment Application Mid April - Late April (for Sept. completion)
Mid Oct. - Late Oct. (for March completion)		 Application requirements:
At least one thesis in an academic field connected with the subjects of the doctoral thesis has been published (or accepted for or expected to be accepted for publishing) in a peer-reviewed journal.Application documents:
-Application form for preliminary assessment
-Draft of thesis
-Reference materials (materials to prove that the applicant is fulfilling the application requirements defined by the department).
Assessment Late April - Late May (for Sept. completion)
Late Oct. - Late Nov. (for March completion)		 Preliminary assessment committee
-Composition: supervising academic staff + α
-Assessment criteria: Applicants are assumed to be able to fulfill the assessment criteria of the final assessment by the deadline for the final assessment application. In addition, the committee checks the period of enrolment, the number of credits earned, and details of research guidance received.
Decision Late May (for Sept. completion)
Late Nov. (for March completion)		 A decision is made by the Department of Polar Science committee.
Notification Late May (for Sept. completion)
Late Nov. (for March completion)		 The decision (pass/fail) of the preliminary assessment with special remarks (incl. issues to be addressed before the final assessment) is communicated in a notice to the student.
Final assessment Application Late May - Mid June (for Sept. completion)
Late Nov. - Mid Dec. (for March completion)		 Application requirements:
The thesis for which the student is applying for doctoral degree assessment is an original creation, based on a paper published (or capable of being published) in a peer-reviewed English-language journal.
Application documents:
-Application form for doctoral thesis assessment
-Doctoral thesis
-Doctoral thesis table of contents
-Doctoral thesis abstract
-Curriculum vitae
-Reference paper
Assessment Mid June - Late Aug. (for Sept. completion)
Mid Dec. - Late Jan. (for March completion)		 Assessment committee
-Composition: at least three academic staff of the Department of Polar Science and external committee members (must be included).
-Assessment criteria: The thesis is sufficiently original to qualify for doctoral degree assessment and it is recognized that the thesis contributes to progress in the applicable field of research. A deep academic knowledge of the applicable academic field and an ability to pursue research must be evident throughout the thesis.
-Open thesis presentation: 60 minutes for presentation and approximately 30 minutes for Q&As
-Exam (oral or written)
Decision Sept. (for Sept. completion)
Feb. (for March completion)		 Department of Polar Science committee (early in the month)
School of Multidisciplinary Sciences faculty meeting (mid to late in the month)
Notification Mid Sept. (for Sept. completion)
Late Feb. (for March completion)		 Notify of decision to award/not award the degree
Degree-conferring ceremony Degree-conferring ceremony End of Sept. (for Sept. completion))
End of March (for March completion)		 Degree-conferring ceremony in Hayama

Number of degrees earned in the Department of Polar Science by year

A total of 85 students as of April 1,2024 (incl. 8 doctorates by thesis)

  Doctorate by coursework Doctorate by thesis dissertation
1995 3 0
1996 2 0
1997 2 0
1998 5 1
1999 4 2
2000 4 2
2001 1 1
2002 1 0
2003 6 0
2004 5 0
  Doctorate by coursework Doctorate by thesis dissertation
2005 1 0
2006 3 0
2007 2 0
2008 3 0
2009 3 1
2010 2 0
2011 3 0
2012 2 0
2013 2 0
2014 2 0
  Doctorate by coursework Doctorate by thesis dissertation
2015 2 0
2016 3 0
2017 2 0
2018 3 0
2019 0 0
2020 3 0
2021 2 0
2022 4 1
2023 2 0
計 77 8

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