Graduate School of Asia-Pacific StudiesWaseda University

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Academics

MA Program

Degree Requirements

Academic Degree: Master of Arts in International Relations 

To fulfill the degree requirements, an MA student must complete a minimum of two years of study, earn 22 credits or more, submit a thesis after completing the prescribed course of study, and pass the thesis screening and final examinations. Exceptions will be made by the GSAPS regarding length of enrollment for students who have shown excellent results, allowing them to complete the course after having obtained the required 22 credits in the 1st year and having been enrolled in the program for at least one and a half years. 

Required credits for MA program are listed as follows: 

* To obtain the 8 credits of Project Research, the student should submit the master’s thesis upon completion of the prescribed research guidance in the Project Research, and pass the thesis evaluation and the final oral examinations. 8 credits will be given when you pass the evaluation and oral examination of MA thesis. 

Early completion option 

Students who fulfill the following three conditions will be considered to have completed the course in a period of one and a half (1.5) years. In this case, you only need to pay a tuition fee for 3 semesters. 

(1) Obtained all the necessary credits for graduation in one year, starting from the day after entrance (except project research). 

(2) Obtained a GPA of 3.5 or above (at the time of the end of the first year). 

(3) Obtained a score of 90 or above for the project research. 

Master’s Thesis Research Plan and Master’s Thesis

Master’s Thesis Research Plan

Submission Timing

September Completion：March in the same year
March Completion：September in the previous year

Who to submit

Your supervisor
*The contents, deadline, and other details regarding submission should be confirmed with supervisor in advance to the designated deadline.

Format

Download from here (Approx 3 pages. A4)

Eligibility to submit MA thesis

  1. Those who obtained/are expected to obtain the designated 22 credits
  2. Those who have submitted MA thesis research plan

Master’s Thesis Examiners

Master’s thesis examiners: one chief examiner and two deputy-examiners.

Criteria for Master’s Theses at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies

  1. Originality and insightfulness of perspective, methodology, content, and conclusion
  2. Appropriateness and importance of thesis topic
  3. Appropriateness of structure of thesis for addressing the thesis topic
  4. Effective use of existing research and contribution to the field
  5. Appropriate substantiation of data and materials
  6. Strength and persuasiveness of argumentation in the development of the thesis
  7. Accurateness, appropriateness and completeness in the use of terminology and concepts
  8. Clarity and accurateness of language
  9. Accurateness, appropriateness, and completeness of quotations, citations, use of materials and structure of the bibliography
  10. Excellence of thesis as a contribution to the fields of Area Studies, International Relations, and/or International Cooperation / Policy Studies
  11. Students acquire a panoramic understanding of the Asia-Pacific region and international society and advanced specialist knowledge necessary to conduct independent research activities related to the fields　*Learning outcome 1
  12. Students acquire international-standard theoretical and empirical research skills that are fundamental for conducting independent research activities related to the fields of Area Studies, International Relations, and International Development/Policy Studies centered on the Asia-Pacific region.
    *Learning outcome 2

Notices

  1. Consult with your supervisor for details on research plan and thesis submission.
  2. The announcement of Master’s thesis examiners’ list and the schedule of oral examination will be notified on the notification board/MyWaseda.
  3. Thesis and summary will become available in the GSAPS library.
  4. School Policy on “Plagiarism” in Term Paper and Thesis

Submission of Master’s Thesis

Submission Schedule　※Updated on December 10, 2024

See here for the schedule for September 2024 and March 2025 completion.

See here for the schedule for September 2025 and March 2026 completion.

Submission Deadline  ※Updated on December 10, 2024

【AY2024】

10:00, 25 June, 2024 – 16:00, 27 June 2024  (for those who will complete in September, 2024)
10:00, 7 Jan, 2025 – 16:00, 9 Jan, 2025 (for those who will complete in March, 2025)

【AY2025】

10:00, 24 June, 2025 – 16:00, 26 June 2025 (for those who will complete in September, 2025)
10:00, 7 Jan, 2026 – 16:00, 9 Jan, 2026 (for those who will complete in March, 2026)

  • Should be strictly abode by.  No submission out of the period will be accepted under any circumstances.
  • It is strongly recommended to submit during the first two days. There have been cases where an emergency (ex. accidents, health issues) happened on the last day and students failed to make the deadline. Any circumstances will not be taken into consideration.

Procedures for MA thesis submission

STEP Timing What to do Notes
1 November Check what/how to submit ※1 Follow your own Zemi’s schedule

※2 The schedule will be announced later.
2 December ※1 Check the content and formality requirements with your supervisor
3 Mid January Submission of the thesis
4 Late January ※2 Oral examination

STEP Timing What to do Notes
1 May Check what/how to submit ※1 Follow your own Zemi’s schedule

※2 The schedule will be announced later.
2 June ※1 Check the content and formality requirements with your supervisor
3 Late June Submission of the thesis
4 Late July ※2 Oral examination

Format

Types of Document Sample Notes
Cover of thesis Sample ・Make one file with the following order （Cover of thesis ＋Thesis ）
Template of Summary Sample ・Contents: research aim, main results, components of thesis, main reference list
・A4(horizontal)・2 pages・1,400 words (about)
Attestation of Authorship N/A ・The following two types of submissions are required.

1)Upload the file to Waseda Moodle with handwritten. *NOT typed
2)A signed original must be submitted to the GSAPS office by one month later after the deadline of MA thesis at the latest.

・For the “Attestation of Authorship”, you must print the format, sign the printed form in your own handwriting, and submit the original to the GSAPS office.
Please note that the following forms will not be accepted.
a) Sign the PDF file electronically, print it out and submit it.
b) Sign the PDF file with an electronic pen, etc., and then print it out and submit it.
・If it is difficult to visit the office, please mail it to the below address in recordable form.
The Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies Waseda University
Nishi-Waseda Bldg.7F, 1-21-1 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjyuku-ku, TOKYO
169-0051 JAPAN Academic & Student Affairs Section
Check List N/A

Master’s Thesis Writing Guidelines

Page Layout・Language

  • In Japanese or English
  • A top margin 35mm and a margin of 30mm on all remaining side

Font

Times New Roman
12 point

Word Count

About 8,500 words excluding the title, table of contents, a list of reference and space

Items to be submitted

Upload the following 6 items to Waseda Moodle. Please follow the instructions for Title of file. “Attestation of Authorship” should be submitted both in data and original paper.  Except “Attestation of Authorship”, there is no need to submit original paper.

1.Thesis PDF:【Title of File】should be your first 8 digits Student ID.
Ex: “4020R222.pdf”
2.Thesis Word:【Title of File】should be your first 8 digits Student ID.
Ex: “4020R222.doc”
3.Summary PDF:【Title of File】should be your first 8 digits Student ID+“-S”.
Ex: “4020R222-S.pdf”
4.Summary Word:【Title of File】should be your first 8 digits Student ID+“-S”.
Ex: “4020R222-S.doc”
5.Attestation of Authorship: 【Title of File】should be your first 8 digits Student ID+“-A”.
Ex: “4020R222-A.pdf”
6.Checklist: 【Title of File】should be your first 8 digits Student ID+“-C”.
Ex: “4020R222-C.doc(or pdf)”

【Submission guideline】

1. Log in Waseda Moodle
2. Click「GSAPS Course for MA Thesis Submission」
3. Find the folder named「202***Completion MA Thesis Submission」Your graduation year and month will be appeared in “***”.
4. Upload the data of your thesis, summary and “Attestation of Authorship” to the appropriate folders respectively

※You can re-update/replace the file by the deadline.
※Confirm well in advance how to prepare the items to submit. In case there are any missing items, your submission will not be accepted. Also, if you fail to follow the submission format requirements, it may affect the evaluation process. It is all students’ responsibility to submit without mistakes.
※Please check with your supervisor if the content and format of the thesis and summary are adequate and appropriate before submission. The schedule for this process defers depending on each zemi, so consult with your supervisor.
※If you have any questions regarding thesis format not indicated this website, please ask your supervisor directly.

Check before submission!

  • The summary has 2 pages.
  • Make one file each for thesis and summary separately.
  • Data of thesis: combine “Cover of thesis (designated form)” and “thesis itself” only
    *Files submitted, even ones without the cover or with typos, will be published as they are.
  • The title of the files: Thesis→Student ID number<ex：40XXR001>・Summary →Student ID number-S<ex：40XXR001-S>
  • The name of the data files follow the rules designated on the website.
  • The titles written on the thesis and summary are exactly same. (Upper/lowercase letters/－,; etc)
  • The files have been saved for your own record（As a rule, the Office does not return the data）.
  • The title on the cover of thesis is changed from red(sample) to black.
  • The names of supervisor/deputy-supervisor are correct.
  • The deputy-supervisor 1 and 2 are in the designated order (check the notification/bulletin board) .
  • There are NO typos in the title.

List of Master’s Thesis Titles

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