GSAD

In most cases, changing your supervisor may result in major changes in the research content and/or methods which may affect your period of study. Furthermore, doctoral research is very specific and it may be difficult to find another appropriate supervisor. Please consult with the Academic Office if you are considering changing your supervisor.

Yes. Doctoral students cannot apply for doctoral candidacy without earning credits from the two lecture courses.

Yes. However, that may delay your timeline for applying for doctoral candidacy.

The Plan for Research Supervision is a yearly plan for research supervision, created based on a research plan written by the student and presented to their supervisor. The Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies requires that the supervisor prepares this plan for the student on a yearly basis.

The student is required to submit a soft copy of the Plan for Research Supervision to the Academic Office through Moodle. Students in the appropriate semester will be added to a Moodle course to submit the Plan for Research Supervision at the beginning of the semester.

Yes, please download it from the Graduate School website.

If you are unable to get your supervisor’s signature, you can submit an email from them confirming their writing of the Plan for Research Supervision. Please consult with the Academic Office in advance.

If you submit a joint paper to apply for doctoral candidacy, you have to indicate which parts are your own contributions to the work. The Dissertation Committee will decide if the paper can be used to apply for doctoral candidacy.

If you are unable to get your supervisor’s signature, you can submit an email from them confirming their approval instead. Please consult with the Academic Office in advance.

No. You must be a regular (full-time) student to apply for candidacy.

Yes. However, early submission does not necessarily mean early notification of the results.

As the screening of dissertations takes at least 6 months, candidates who are expected to complete their 30 credits in that semester may submit their doctoral dissertations for screening at the beginning of each semester. The spring semester submission deadline is the first Friday after the beginning of classes in April, while the Fall semester submission deadline is the first Friday after the beginning of classes in October.

All students are requested to submit their doctoral dissertation by the prescribed deadline to ensure a rigid screening process during that semester. However, if you expect to be unable to meet the deadline, please consult with the Academic Office as early as possible.

Details about the submission process are announced at the beginning of each semester.

As a rule, approval from the supervisor is required to submit the dissertation and we cannot accept doctoral dissertations which have not been approved. If you are unable to get your supervisor’s signature, you can submit an email from them confirming their approval instead. Please consult with the Academic Office in advance.

Please consult with the Academic Office as soon as possible. Your request will be forwarded to the Dissertation Committee for deliberations.

The exact date for the oral defense is decided when the examination results are “Pass” or “Minor Rewrite.” The examiners' schedules are given priority.

As a rule, once announced, the date for the oral defense cannot be changed. Please consult with the Academic Office in advance if you have any concerns.

Students who did not pass the doctoral dissertation examination may continue working on revising their doctoral dissertation to submit it for re-examination. Details are outlined in the result notification. If you have any concerns please consult with the Academic Office.

The following options are available to students who do not finish their doctoral dissertation within 3 years: 1) extend their enrollment in the Doctoral Program (you must apply each semester), 2) take a Leave of Absence, or 3) withdraw from the program.
Please note that if you choose to extend your enrollment, you will be billed 100,000 JPY for each semester extended beyond the 3 years until completion or discontinuation of the program. However, if your enrollment exceeds 3 years due to insufficient credits, you will be billed 350,000 JPY per semester until completion of these credits or discontinuation of the program.
Please refer to the Enrollment Options for PhD Students page for details.

If you are unable to continue your studies due to unavoidable circumstances you can take a Leave of Absence or withdraw from the program. Please discuss possible alternatives with your supervisor, the Student Office, and the Academic Office.

As a rule, approval from the supervisor is necessary to apply for an extension. However, if you are unable to get your supervisor’s signature, you can submit an email from them confirming their approval instead. Please consult with the Academic Office in advance.