Ideal candidate profile for the Ph.D. Program in Humanics, admissions schedule, application process, , and FAQs, etc.

Ideal candidate profile

The Ph.D. Program in Humanics (Five-year Doctoral Program) will welcome students who have studied either biomedical sciences or physical sciences/engineering/informatics, and who are willing to study the other discipline and fuse them together. People who have worked as a physician or an engineer are also very welcome.

Number of applicants and Language

[Number of applicants]

15 (Total number of students enrolled in spring, fall and working individuals)

[Language used]

English(responses in Japanese acceptable)

Annual schedule of entrance examination

We have the entrance examination twice a year, one in late August and the other in late January or early February.

Application steps

[STEP1] Contact to two desired mentors

After confirming the research field of each faculty mentor, contact to two desired mentors by e-mail and ask for a permission.Choose one mentor from biomedical sciences, and also choose another mentor from physical sciences / engineering / informatics. Decide which mentor is your main mentor.

[STEP2] Application

The followings are required.

• Applicant information
• Research plan (about 1000 words in English)
• It is necessary to submit a TOEIC official certificate or a scorecard for TOEFL test takers.
• Desired mentors; one from biomedical sciences, anothre from physical sciences / engineering / informatics.
• Recommendation letter from the dean of your department or your supervisor
• Examination fee

[STEP3] Admission

Oral examination I concerns (1) knowledges in biomedical sciences,　physical sciences, engineering and informatics, (2) ability to adapt to different fields of study and (3) linguistic proficiency (English)

Oral examination Ⅱ concerns your research project proposal upon admission and career plan.

Briefing session

Briefing session in 2024

This year's entrance examination briefing sessions will be held in a hybrid format, combining Onsite at University of Tsukuba & Online via Zoom.
Each session includes presentation sessions by faculty members and Humanics students and a Q&A session.
We also welcome those who are considering enrollment in future.

■Date and Venue

Saturday, May 25, 4:00pm – 5:30pm (JST)
Auditorium, International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS) & Online via ZoomFinished

Saturday, June 22, 9:30am – 11:00am (JST)
Room 110, Laboratory of Advanced Research Building A & Online via ZoomFinished

Saturday, October 12, 9:30am - 11:00am (JST)
Room 110, Laboratory of Advanced Research Building A & Online via Zoom

Saturday, November 2, 4:00pm - 5:30pm (JST)
Auditorium, International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS) & Online via Zoom

■Language to be used

English

■Registration

Click here to register now!
https://forms.gle/xz2eXptkyLxRKGqQ6

ZOOM information will be sent 2 - 4 days before.

■Contact

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
School of Integrative and Global Majors (SIGMA) Office, University of Tsukuba
E-mail: humanicsun.tsukuba.ac.jp

*The schedule as well as the content of the entrance examination might be changed. Please check the latest information on our website.

Briefing session in 2023

■Date and Venue

Sunday, April 23
Virtual Open Campus for Degree Programs in Systems and Information EngineeringFinished

Saturday, May 27, 4:00pm – 5:30pm (JST)
Auditorium, International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS) & Online via ZoomFinished

Saturday, June 17, 9:30am – 11:00am (JST)
Room 110, Laboratory of Advanced Research Building B & Online via ZoomFinished

Saturday, October 7, 9:30 am - 11:00 am (JST)
Auditorium, International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS) & Online via ZoomFinished

Saturday, November 18, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm (JST)
Room 110, Laboratory of Advanced Research Building A & Online via ZoomFinished

■Language to be used

English

Q&A

In my understanding, I need to select two mentors who appear in the mentor list and write a proposal for interdisciplinary research in the application form. If I select a main-mentor out of the Life and Medical Sciences field (listed under the orange frame), do I need to select another one out of the Engineering and Informatics field (listed under the blue frame)?

Yes, that’s right. For selection of two mentors, please check the mentor list on the Humanics website and select one out of your desired field of study and another out of the other field. Please carefully consult with your prospective main-mentor about another mentor and a research plan. You may be able to choose a faculty mentor who is not in this list. For details, please contact the Sigma office in advance.

How many students did apply for a QE? Can the students advance interdisciplinary research under the Double Mentor system?

About a half of the students enrolled in 2019 applied for a QE and all of them passed the examination last academic year. Those with a master’s degree or those who have graduated from a six-year course of a university may be eligible to apply for a QE even in the first year, if they have sufficient academic achievements. You may be concerned that you can advance interdisciplinary research with two mentors, but each of the students had moved forward with their interdisciplinary research under the instructions given by their two mentors and passed the QE.

Publication is not required for completion of the Humanics program. Can you provide more detailed information about the requirements for the completion?

Ability to publish a peer-reviewed academic paper is required in order to meet the requirements for the completion. Academic achievement equivalent to publication in a peer-reviewed journal, such as BioRxiv, is necessary, but an “acceptance letter” is not included in the completion requirements considering it takes time for revisions. After passing the QE, students who have earned 45 or more credits from the subjects specified in the program’s curriculum and have achieved the specified level in the portfolio-type achievement evaluation are eligible for the thesis defense. In the thesis defense, the ability to combine the bi-disciplinary knowledge of the two fields, tackle new challenges, and formulate a new paradigm by conducting the integrated research is examined.

Is it possible to change a prospective mentor written in the application form after the enrollment?

some students changed their prospective mentor after their enrollment in this program. Your field of study may become clearer after the enrollment as you continue to conduct research. Therefore, a prospective mentor you will write in the application form can be changed.