FAQ. Class. Admissions. What are the requirements to complete the master s program?

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1 FAQ Class What are the requirements to complete the master s program? Are the classes taught in English? When are the classes held? Students must complete at least 2 years of study, earning at least 30 credits, must submit the master s thesis upon completion of the prescribed research guidance, and pass the thesis evaluation. The classes are taught in English. The classes are mainly held from 9am to 6pm on weekdays. Admissions Where can I obtain the application guide and application form? What I should I do if I graduated from an institution in a non-english-speaking country overseas, and I cannot obtain a notarized translation of my certificates in time for the application deadline? Do I need to submit a transcript relating to a period of study abroad as an exchange student during my undergraduate program? I have a Japanese Language Proficiency test (JLPT) score -- should I submit it? Is it true that there is no written exam or interview? Is there difference between applying for admission in April and in September? If there are 50 students registered, are you still going to conduct the next admissions? Will I be accepted for my research field allocated if the research field is different from that I indicated in my original application? I am an international student currently living outside of Japan. Am I not eligible to apply for the 2nd period (spring 2014) entry? You can download them on the GSICCS website. A translation from an accredited Japanese language school or translation agency is acceptable if is stamped with the official seal of the translating body. *In case of difficulty in obtaining such a translation, you may submit the original certificate without an accompanying translation. Please submit if the transcript is available. The submission is optional. A photocopy of the test score is acceptable. Since evaluation is conducted through a comprehensive screening of the documents submitted at the time of application, in principle there is no exam or interview. However, it may be necessary for the Admissions Office to check aspects of your application by or telephone during the selection period. There is no difference. We will not cancel the admissions. We will conduct the admissions regardless of the student quota. It is possible. As a rule, however, you will not be eligible to change your research field back to that initially indicated as preferred. Due to the schedule of visa issue, only those who already hold a status of residence can apply for the 2nd period. 1

2 When will GSICCS send us the examination number cards? Can I know the reason why I could not be admitted? We will give notification on the GSICCS website when the time comes. If you did not receive the examination number card by 14 days before the date of the result announcement, please immediately contact the GSICCS office (Tel: , gsiccs@list.waseda.jp). No queries regarding acceptance and rejection, including the reason, can be handled. English Language Proficiency Certificate How will my English language ability be Through the submission of an English language proficiency evaluated? certificate, whether TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS (Academic). Is there a minimum required score in There is no minimum required score. Screening results reflect a English? comprehensive evaluation of all the submitted documents. Is there a time limit concerning the validity of Certificates were considered valid for three years for academic a certificate of English language proficiency? year 2013, but from this year (Academic year 2014), the period of validity is for two years. If I have experience of studying abroad, am I The submission of either an English-language proficiency exempt from submitting a certificate of certificate, or a score in a common graduate school entrance test English language proficiency, such as framed in English (GRE, MAT, GMAT, LSAT) is required for all TOEFL? applicants. This includes those who have completed an undergraduate degree or similar through the medium of English. If my mother tongue is English, am I exempt The submission of either an English-language proficiency from submitting a certificate of English certificate, or a score in a common graduate school entrance test language proficiency? framed in English (GRE, MAT, GMAT, LSAT) is required for all applicants. This includes those whose nationality and/or educational background indicate that they are likely to be native speakers of English. Is it possible to submit only a copy of a A copy is not acceptable. You must submit the original official certificate of English language proficiency or document by the application deadline. a score in a common graduate school * Depending on the country or region, test dates and venues may be limited. entrance test? So that the transcript will arrive by the GSICCS filing deadline, please arrange to take the test as early as possible and confirm when the results will be announced with the examining body. Can I have my TOEFL sent directly to the GSICCS Admissions Office? If so, what is the code number? TOEFL scores do not have to be sent directly, but can be submitted along with your other application documents. If you have the score sent directly, the ETS registration code number is "4232". 2

3 Can I have my GRE sent directly to the GSICCS Admissions Office? If so, what is the code number? Can I have my IELTS score sent directly to the GSICCS admissions office? If so, what should I do? I am still waiting for my English proficiency test result/ a Common entrance examination for graduate school result to arrive, and may not be able to submit my test result with my application form. What should I do? Can I submit TOEIC-IP test or TOEFL-ITP test score? GRE scores do not have to be sent directly, but can be submitted along with your other application documents. If you have the score sent directly, the ETS registration code number is "0569". If you took IELTS within Japan, please apply for Issue of Additional TRF Forms following their instructions. Please refer to Eiken Foundation of Japan website. If you took IELTS outside Japan, please inquire at your local IELTS institution. If you can see your test result on the computer screen, and can print it out and submit it with your application materials, then we will accept it as long as your original test result arrives at the GSICCS office within 2 weeks of the last day of the application period. In that case, please enclose a memo that you are going to send your test result later so we will be able to match up your test results with other documents. We cannot accept Institutional test scores such as TOEIC-IP test or TOEFL-ITP test. Please submit an official score certificate. Recommendation form From whom can I obtain a recommendation form? My professor is abroad, can I still get a recommendation letter from the professor? Can my recommenders type in their recommendations on the recommendation forms? Do I need to get the recommender s seal on the seal section? Applicants must submit two forms written by separate evaluators. One of the two forms must be written by a university professor who has supervised the work of the applicant, or other appropriate person. Letters must be sealed, or signed and submitted without being open. Even if your professor is abroad, it does not matter if the professor knows you well. Please get an original signed letter. Also, please ask a recommendation letter in plenty of time since mail service from overseas takes time. Yes, there is no problem in the recommender inputting the recommendation via personal computer, in the case, please use the designated Word format. Also, please make sure to get his/her signature in the designated section. If the recommender has a seal, please obtain his/her signature and seal. If seals are not used in the country in question, please get his/her signature only. Scholarships Does GSICCS have its own scholarship program? Currently GSICCS does not operate its own scholarship program. However,both external scholarships and Waseda University internal scholarships are allocated in the same way as in other 3

4 graduate schools of Waseda University. Is there any scholarship that I can apply for before admission? Are there scholarships for Japanese students? Are there scholarships for international students? What about the Ting Hsin scholarship for Chinese nationals resident in China (including Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao). Is it available for GSICCS applicants? I would like to apply for the Ting Hsin scholarship -- how do I apply? I would like to know more about scholarships-- where can I get the information? External scholarships of this kind include the Japanese Government's Ministry of Education of the Japanese Government scholarship for international students. For more information about MEXT scholarships, please contact the Embassy / Consulate of your home country in Japan. Also, regarding internal scholarships, Chinese applicants are eligible to apply for a Ting Hsin International Group scholarship. Along with other admissions documents, you will receive a scholarship booklet entitled Challenge, and you can register for a scholarship following the procedure described in the booklet. Also, please refer to for further information. International students can apply for scholarships after admittance to the university. For more details, please refer to the List of scholarships designated for international students of Center for International Education. olarship.pdf It is available. Details are posted on the Waseda International Admissions Office (IAO) homepage and GSICCS homepage. p_en.html Please submit the completed Ting Hsin scholarship application form with your GSICCS application form and other documents. You can download the Ting Hsin scholarship application form from the GSICCS website. A few scholarships can be applied for before admission, but most procedures take place after admission. For further information, please refer to the Scholarship Division website at or, in the case of international students, the Center for International Education website at 4

5 Directed Research Field How do I select the directed research? Key criterion for acceptance is the availability of a faculty member to supervise your proposed topic. Therefore, you should select a Directed research within the specialization of at least one faculty member in your degree area. You can access information on faculty specializations by clicking the names of a professor. But it is also important to select the topic you have strong interest. Do I need to contact the professor who is in charge of the directed research I would like to undertake before I apply? If I have questions regarding directed research, how can I contact the professor responsible? Can I change my research field/director later? You can if you wish, but it is not a must to contact the professor before you apply. Please look for the professor s contact information on the database at If there is no contact information on the page, please write to gsiccs@list.waseda.jp and we will forward your message to the professor. However, whether there will be a response or not depends on each professor. Also, please contact us at gsiccs@list.waseda.jp regarding admissions (including document submission) and other general questions about GSICCS. In the case where the allocated research director recognizes the need for a change of research field, you will be able to change your research director/field with the approval of the new research director and the GSICCS committee responsible. As a rule, however, applicants accepted for a research field different from that indicated in their original application, will not be eligible to change their research field back to that initially indicated as preferred. Interpretation Studies Which languages will be used in the seminar on Interpretation Studies? Interpretation Studies at GSICC will focus on interpretation from English to Japanese, also from Japanese to English. (English-Japanese in both way) You will thus need appropriate Japanese language skills in this seminar. Intramural Selection by Recommendation If my GPA is under 3.0, can I still apply to Since a GPA of at least 3.0 is a requirement for application via enter via intramural selection by intramural selection by recommendation, you are not eligible. recommendation? Instead, please apply as an AO candidate. 5

6 My transcript does not give details of my GPA for academic year 2009.What I should I do? Please calculate the GPA yourself based on the formula in the application guidelines. Please note that credits earned during a period of study abroad appear in the transcript as "N", and so cannot be included in your GPA calculation. Non-degree research student Can I get a status of residence if I am accepted as a non-degree research student? Can you tell us about the number of courses and credits I can take as a non-degree research student? What is the difference between non-degree research student and research student? Can I get student discounts for commuter pass, etc. as a non-degree research student? Can I get a scholarship as a non-degree research student? How long can I stay at the school as a non-degree research student? Is it possible to be a regular student later? Can I transfer my credits I obtained as a non-degree research student when accepted as a regular student? I would like to apply for the master program and the non-degree research program at the same time, how should I apply? You cannot get a status of residence if you do not take classes more than 10 hours per a week (7 courses including Japanese classes at Center for Japanese Language. You can take maximum of 4 credits each semester, 8 credits per year from basic courses, related courses and specialized courses. There is no system of research student at Waseda University, there is a system of non-degree research student instead. Non-degree student can take classes and get credits. Non-degree research student won't have a research director so he/she cannot conduct research. Unfortunately, you cannot get student discounts for commuter pass, etc. Unfortunately, there is no scholarship for a non-degree research student. There is no school regulation, but in the case of international students, basically it is one year by the judgement of the Immigration Bureau. You may not be allowed to stay more than 1 year with the status of college student. You must pass the entrance examination if you would like to enter as a regular student and obtain a master's degree. If your research director and the GSICCS committee approve you obtained credits, your credits will be approved to complete required credits. Please send us your application documents separately for each category. Please attach Certificates of Payment of Screening Fee on each application form, prepare 2 envelops, attach the prescribed labels for the master s program and non-degree research student on each envelop. Please send us the envelop that has all of documents including 2 letters of recommendation, for applying the master s program. Please also send us the application Ⅰand Ⅱ 6

7 only for applying non-degree research student. Other Is there going to be a GSICCS doctoral program? Plans to set up a doctoral program are in the pipeline. 7