The policy of the Graduate School of Economics for the conferral of a master’s degree, in accordance with the GSE’s Diploma Policy, is to have students “master a wide range of basic knowledge and methodologies in the field of economics and gain research capabilities that will enable them to act as independent researchers or superior skills that will allow them to actively pursue careers as advanced professionals” and to have students “be able to conduct research with strict ethics and a robust sense of responsibility.” Evaluations for the conferral of diplomas are conducted with the examination criteria of exhibiting logical consistency and the obtainment of significant research results in the respective major fields of study. The GSE Steering Committee determines whether a candidate has passed or failed.
1. The GSE Steering Committee establishes an Examination Committee for an applicant who has met the eligibility requirements to submit a master’s thesis.
2. The Examination Committee comprises one Main Examiner and two Sub-Examiners.
3. The appointment of members to the Examination Committee is determined by the GSE Steering Committee after deliberations.
4. The Examination Committee conducts its examination through in accordance with the Evaluation Standards provided below.
5. The Examination Committee conducts oral evaluations of all applicants who submit a master’s thesis.
6. After the evaluation is completed, each Examiner writes an Examination Report with the results of the oral evaluation and submits it to the GSE.
7. The GSE Steering Committee checks the examination results for each thesis and judges whether it merits the conferral of a degree.
Master’s theses will be evaluated with the following criteria considered.
1. The research question must have academic significance within the field of economics.
2. How the research fits into the wider field academically must be clear.
3. The research findings must exhibit logical consistency.
4. The thesis must follow the academic practices required by the GSE.
5. The analytical techniques that the candidate has mastered must be adequately applied within the thesis.
6. During the oral evaluation, the candidate must be able to provide a clear and concise presentation and to respond to the Examiners’ questions with precision.
◆Guidelines, Materials
Please read the following materials carefully.
Master’s Thesis Guideline (2025/4/11 Updated)
Guidance Session Material (2025/4/25 Updated)
◆Submission for Notification of Planned Submission of Master’s Thesis
Application Form (2025/4/11 Updated)
* Regarding enrollment and submission of a certificate of completion of “The e-Learning Course on Research Ethics (eL CoRE) for graduate students” (2024/4/9 updated)
The submission of a certificate of completion in “The e-Learning Course on Research Ethics (eL CoRE) for graduate students” provided by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science is a requirement to submit a Notification of Planned Submission of Master’s Thesis from fall semester, 2024. For more details about eL CoRE, please see the website of JSPS below.
https://elcore.jsps.go.jp/top.aspx
Please submit a certificate of completion in “The e-Learning Course on Research Ethics (eL CoRE) for graduate students” from the Application Form above.
◆Checklist
Items to be Checked for Your Paper
◆Designated Format of Master’s Thesis
Master’s Thesis Title Page
*Please note that the title page is different depending on which semester you submit your Master’s Thesis and what type of Master’s Thesis you submit.
Notification of Title Change of Master’s Thesis
Master’s Thesis Correction Sheet
(For reference) Research Ethics Compliance Manual
