Graduate School of International Culture and Communication StudiesWaseda University

For Applicants

Frequently Asked Questions

Curriculum

Students must…

1. Complete at least 2 years of study

2. Earn at least 30 credits from the designated courses

3. Submit a Master’s thesis upon completion of the directed research

4. Pass the thesis evaluation and the oral examinations

Students must…

1. Complete at least 3 years of study

2. Earn the designated number of credits

3. Submit a Doctoral dissertation upon completion of the directed research

4. Pass the preliminary examination, intermediate review, and oral defense

The Graduate School of International culture and communication studies (GSICCS) is an English-based graduate school, meaning that the medium of instruction is English. However, if an applicant wishes to apply for the Directed Research in Interpretation Studies, applicants will be required to have a decent level of Japanese language skills.
(*Submission of any Japanese proficiency test score is not required.)

The classes are mainly held from Monday to Saturday between 8:50 to 18:40 on the Waseda main campus.

Students will be taking the following courses.

1. Directed research

2. Seminar I & II

3. Basic courses

4. Specialized courses

5. The courses on research ethics designated by GSICCS

6. Related courses

*Subject to change

Students will be taking the following courses.

1. Directed research (Core Study)

2. Independent study

3. Ph.D. Seminar

4. The courses on research ethics designated by GSICCS

*Subject to change

No. Japanese courses are not included as the required course work for obtaining either the Master’s or Doctoral degree at GSICCS. If students wish to learn the Japanese language, students may take Japanese language courses at the Center for Japanese Language of Waseda University (additional fee will be required besides the basic tuition fee).

The Graduate School of International culture and communication studies (GSICCS) does provide support such as the overseas research travel grant program and subsidy for miscellaneous costs which are related to research activities.
(* Doctoral students only)

Refer to the following website for further information.
The Research Portal Website

Admissions Matters

Please refer to the details on the application guidelines, which can be downloaded from the following website.

 

Application Guidelines will be released as follows:

April Enrollment – End of June
September Enrollment – Beginning of December
(*These schedules are subject to change without prior notice.)

Document screening will be based on the holistic evaluation of all the required documents that are submitted.

Applicants may be invited to an interview via Zoom or in-person only if needed.

GSICCS uses an online application system. Application documents are basically submitted through the online application system and not by courier service. In the event that you are required to send any documents by courier service, be sure to use a courier service in which you could track your documents, and confirm the delivery status on your side. The GSICCS admissions office does NOT confirm the delivery status of application documents. For English proficiency test scores which are sent directly from the testing institution, please check with the testing board.

An official translation from a translation agency, or other officially approved office/institution is acceptable if the translation bears the official seal of the agency/institution.
*For those who have graduated from universities in mainland China, please refer to further details on the application guidelines.

Yes. Applicants must submit transcripts of all the undergraduate and graduate school(s) in which they have been enrolled up until the time of application. This also includes the transcripts of all study abroad programs which the student has experienced.

As a rule, NO Japanese language skills are required except for “Interpretation Studies”.

Applicants are not required to submit JLPT scores.

However, if you are applying to the Doctoral program, your Japanese language skills may be reviewed as a part of the screening process depending on your research topic.

No. There is no difference, thus please select the admission which is the most appropriate for you.

We will not cancel the admissions and will conduct the admissions regardless of the student quota.

Your allocation will be notified at the time of the result announcement. A message regarding the allocation and details on enrollment procedures will be sent to the applicant via the online application system.

Your examinee number will be informed via the online application system. Please check the application guidelines for the specific schedule.

Only if the admission boards find that further explanation of the application documents or educational background is necessary, some applicants will be invited for an interview.
Please wait for the result announcement as instructed on the application guidelines.

According to the university regulations, the GSICCS admissions office will not accept any inquiries regarding the results and will not disclose any details on the decision that is made.

Your English language proficiency will be a part of the holistic document assessment. Please refer to the application guidelines to check which test results GSICCS accepts for admissions.

No. There are no minimum requirements. However, as a reference, a guidance of English proficiency test scores required for research activities after admission to GSICCS are available. Please note that the results of the document screening reflect a comprehensive evaluation of all the required application documents that are submitted by the designated deadline.

The period of validity is within two years of the first day of the month following the last day of the application period. For details, please refer to the application guidelines.

The submission of either an English-language proficiency certificate or a score in a common graduate school entrance test framed in English (GRE/MAT/LSAT) is required for all applicants regardless of their native language. This includes those who have completed an English-based undergraduate/graduate degree.

※If you are applying for Academic Year 2025 admission or later, please see IMPORTANT NOTICE.

TOEIC scores sent electronically are deemed invalid.
We believe applicants have enough time for preparing application documents by following the specified procedures.
After the application guidelines are released, you may start arranging and collect the required application documents.
Any documents received before/during the application period in the proper manner are accepted, but not after the application deadline.

※If you are applying for Academic Year 2025 admission or later, please see IMPORTANT NOTICE.

No. The recommenders must submit their evaluation through the designated online application system. If the online application system cannot be used due to internet access issues, please have the recommender contact the admissions office of GSICCS ([email protected]).

If none of your supervisors are available, ask someone who can, at least, evaluate your academic skills and abilities.

According to Waseda University’s admission policy, students are not allowed to defer their enrollment period under any circumstances. If you wish to defer, you need to decline the acceptance and re-apply for the period you prefer all over again.
Similarly, students cannot take a leave of absence during the 1st semester except for unavoidable reasons such as military services.

 

Scholarships

No. However, both Waseda University internal scholarships and external scholarships are allocated in the same way as in other graduate schools of Waseda University. Basically, scholarships will be open for application after the student is officially enrolled.

Note that Waseda University and/or GSICCS Office nominate scholarship recipients among students who complete the “Scholarship Registration”.
Details will be announced to successful applicants.

The number of scholarships you can apply for before enrollment is extremely limited.
If you wish to apply for scholarships before you come to Japan, you need to search for information by yourself.

For external scholarships, you may be able to apply for the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship for international students. For more information about MEXT scholarships, please contact the Japanese Embassy/Consulate in your country.

Also, please refer to the link below to find a guidebook for international students provided by Japan Student Services Organization. Some scholarship foundations accept applications from overseas.

http://www.jasso.go.jp/en/study_j/sgtj.html

You may register for scholarships following the procedure described in the scholarship information booklet, “Challenge”.  Refer to the following website for further information.

Scholarship and Financial Assistance Section

※ Foreign nationals with a resident status of “permanent resident” (eijusha), “long-term resident” (teijusha), “spouse or child of a Japanese resident”, or “spouse or child of a permanent resident” can apply for scholarships in the same way as Japanese students.

Yes, Waseda university provides various scholarships. In general, students may apply to scholarships after enrollment. Details will be announced to successful applicants.
Refer to the following website for the list of available scholarships.

Center for International Education

Directed Research Field

Please carefully take a look at the online viewbook, faculty list and the application guidelines for the details of the available directed research fields. You will be required to select your preference of a study plan (Master’s program only) /research directors at the time of application, and afterwards be informed of the final decision by our school at the time of the result announcement.

Contacting or receiving approval from our faculty member prior to admissions is NOT required.

You may contact our faculty members from each faculty members’ page on the faculty list. Please keep in mind that it is up to the professor to respond or not, and some take longer than others. For inquiries related to matters on admission, please direct your inquiries to the admissions office of GSICCS ([email protected]).

No, you will not be able to change your selection of the study plan or research director after the application period.
Only in an event 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. However, applicants who are 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

Interpretation Studies at GSICCS will focus on interpretation between English and Japanese. Thus, you will be required to have an appropriate level of Japanese language proficiency if you wish to conduct research in this field.
(※Submission of any Japanese test scores is not required.)

Intramural Selection by Recommendation

No. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is a requirement for the intramural selection by recommendation. Thus, you will not be eligible and will be required to apply through the AO admissions.

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