JYPE
Junior Year Program in English
Introduction
The main purpose of this program, Junior Year Program in English (JYPE), is to offer an opportunity for overseas students to take science, engineering, and agriculture courses at Tohoku University (TU), without having to attain the Japanese language proficiency that would be necessary to take the same courses in Japanese.
All lectures available to the JYPE participants are given in English and course credits will be given by the standards for the equivalent courses offered in Japanese.
The core course (required) of this program is the Individual Research Training (IRT) course, where students will research, with the support of research groups to which the students are assigned, in a current topic that is related to their field of studies.
The program also offers courses on Japanese language, culture, and society aimed at promotion of understanding of Japanese language and social customs.
Cultural and intellectual exchange with Japanese students is an integral part of the program. This will be accomplished through class work as well as participation in the various activities of research groups.
The one-year program begins on October 1. Applicants are recommended to take the one-year course, because some classes are designed for a whole year. However, a few students can be admitted to the 6-month course if they wish.
Curriculum
- Academic Calendar
- Course Description
- Class Schedule (Sample)
- Other Courses Taught in English
- Syllabus (Elective Courses)
- - Students in this program will be formally registered in one of the followings as Special Auditing Students; the Faculty of Science, the School of Engineering, the Faculty of Agriculture.
- - Each semester consists of 15 weeks of class work.
- - Participation in the activities of a research group counts 5 or 10 credits for the Individual Research Training course each semester, which is a required course.
- - Two credits are given for most of the lecture courses that meet once a week for 90 minutes.
- - Students are required to take a total of 13 credits or more including 5 or 10 credits from IRT course each semester.
- - Credit System: 1 Tohoku University credit is awarded for 45 hours of school work.
- - The course credits will be certified by the respective Faculty.
- - The academic credits earned at Tohoku University should be acceptable at the student’s home institution in accordance with the student exchange agreement.
- - Students interested in pursuing credit transfer should discuss this with their academic advisor of their home institution.
- - Academic advice and guidance for daily life will be provided by Global Learning Center.
- - The Japanese language classes (optional) meet four times* a week in general and up to 4 credits* are given for 60 classes* (*depends on their levels).
Eligibility
The applicant must satisfy the following conditions to be eligible for enrollment in this program:
1. The applicant must be enrolled in his/her home institution* as a regular third (or fourth) year student throughout the program period. (*needs to be one of our partner universities)
2. The home institution must have a formal student exchange agreement with Tohoku University.
How to Apply
※Applicants should also refer to our application information page prior to their preparation.
[Academic Staff Search Database]
In order to be accepted by the suitable laboratory, applicants need to find the professors in the study field they prefer. Please refer to the search engine mentioned below. You can search for the academic staff with Keywords, Research fields, Publication.
Important Note:
- JYPE is a research-oriented program; therefore, it is suitable for the students who are ready to be committed to and be a part of the world-class research trainings in the IRT (it is NOT suitable for the students who are only interested in earning credits from elective courses).
- JYPE applicants are NOT allowed to contact their prospective TU academic advisor directly, to avoid any possible confusion.
- Applicants need to choose 3 researchers from the same department, which should be one of the departments listed on the JYPE website.
- If the preferred professors are chosen from multiple departments/faculties/schools, their application might meet refusal.
- It would be strongly suggested to describe exactly what applicants have studied so far as well as which field they are interested in and why, when they write their 3 preferred academic advisors' names along with the "statement of purpose" (up to 250 words for each professor) on their application form.
- Most of the TU laboratories have their own websites* to state details of their research works as well as their academic papers, so it is also strongly suggested to go through such publicly available materials prior to the application, which enable applicants to understand well about their desired professors. (*To find labs' websites, please search on the internet, i.e. Google, with a full name of the professor + "Tohoku University", for instans.)
- During the screening process, applicants' desired professors will read through the application documents including academic transcripts and the "statement of purpose" and, if there is any inconsistency between the applicants' preference and the research field of the professors, their application might meet refusal.
- "3 preferred academic advisors" must be either a "Professor(教授)" or a "Associate Professor(准教授)", NOT a "Assistant Professor(助教)".
IRT works of past students
Themes of Individual Research Training 2019-2020
Themes of Individual Research Training 2018-2019
Themes of Individual Research Training 2017-2018
Themes of Individual Research Training 2016-2017
Support
Tohoku University provides a fully integrated support service for International students.
Contact
Tohoku University Student Exchange Division
41 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi,
980-8576 Japan
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30-12:30, 13:30-17:15
Students Voice
"Tohoku University, its staff, and its students all taught me a great deal about Japan and myself. This was an unforgettable experience and I am grateful to all those who made it a possibility. Thank you so much!" (Student from USA)
"Every moment here is treasure for me; it had a great influence on me to decide my future life." (Student from Taiwan)
"Exchange year in JYPE program was truly the most splendid and fulfilling year in my college life! Taking courses with international students, conducting research with Japanese people, and exploring the beautiful scenes in Japan were the top 3 memorable experiences I had. " (Student from Taiwan)
