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Graduate students select their research supervisors for the first stage as soon as possible after admission, and for the second stage before taking the entrance examination. There are four research groups and graduate students in the second stage are affiliated with the same research group as their research supervisors. In addition to this, graduate students have an assistant research supervisor in the first stage, and two assistant research supervisors in the second stage (at least one from a different group). The multiple research supervisor system is designed to give students research instruction from integrated and multiphase perspectives.
Our graduate school offers four programs for Master's degrees: MSc program for Informatics, MSc program for Library and Information Studies, MSc English program for Library and Information Studies, and MSc Carrer-up program for Library and Information Studies.
Students need to earn a total of 30 credits consisting of 20 credits for lecture courses (10 courses) and 10 credits for Information Media Seminars (4 courses). Students can select from a wide variety of lecture courses in the four research groups. The credits where students obtained in other graduate schools prior to the admission may be approved up to 8 credits, when they are recognized as beneficial for the study at the Graduate School of Library, Information and Media Studies.
To obtain a master's degree, it is necessary to pass thesis review and a final examination. Prior to this, students must receive the required supervision, make a midterm presentation and submit a master's thesis. The thesis review committee consists of three domain experts including a primary supervisor and a secondary supervisor. The review is multiphase, and so in addition to the content of the thesis itself, the way to present is also vital in the midterm and final presentations. The thesis will be made available to public after one year of graduation.
MSc program for Informatics
This program is designed for those who pursue a carrer of information system administrators, media creators, and system designers, based on the training of information technologies.
MSc program for Library and Information Studies
This program is designed for those who pursue academic career, but also librarians and archivists who are familiar with the issues such as copyright, privacy, security, information distribution, and related social systems.
| Course | Credit | Note |
| Lecture | 20 | First and second years: must take 12 or more credits from the enrolled degree program |
| Information Media Seminar A | 2 | First year: from the enrolled degree program |
| Information Media Seminar B | 2 | First year |
| Information Media Seminar C | 2 | First year |
| Special Seminar | 4 | Second year: from the enrolled degree program |
MSc English program for Library and Information Studies
This program is designed for international students who pursue a carrer of information professionals in global context. In particular, this program aims to provides students with an opportunity to learn Japanese advanced information technologies and advanced knowledge and skills for the management and delivery of knolwedge and information resources. This is a two-year program starting in August, and can be completed with English.
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MSc Carrer-up program for Library and Information Studies
This program is designed for those who already have a carrer in the areas of Library and Information Science, and provides the professionals with an opportunity of develop their knolwedge and skills to the next level.
Please note that the students in other programs are not allowed to convert to this program due to significant difference in the educational system.
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Students need to earn a total of 10 credits consisting of four credits for lecture courses (two courses) and six credits for experiment courses (four courses). They must take Special Experiments in Information Media courses offered by the two secondary supervisors in addition to Advanced Experiments in Information and Media courses offered by the primary supervisor. In addition, they can take the courses of the Library Management Course if the primary supervisor considers it beneficial, although the credit earned cannot be included in the credits required to complete the program.
| Course | Credit | Earning credits |
| Lecture | 4 | More than two courses, at least one in the affiliated research group |
| Advanced Experiments in Information and Media A | 1.5 | Primary supervisor |
| Special Experiments in Information Media I | 1.5 | Secondary supervisors in the affiliated research group |
| Special Experiments in Information Media II | 1.5 | Secondary supervisor in a research group other than the affiliated research group |
| Advanced Experiments in Information and Media B | 1.5 | Primary supervisor |
To obtain doctorate (Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science; Doctor of Philosophy in Information Science; or Doctor of Philosophy), students must pass thesis review and a final examination, after submitting a doctoral thesis written under the required supervision. The thesis review committee comprises five members including the primary supervisor, more than one of the two secondary supervisors and more than one academic person from another graduate school or from outside the university, conducting multiphase review. The presentation of doctoral theses will be held in public and people from outside the campus will also be present.
The University of Tsukuba adopts a trimester system. The first semester is between April and June, the second semester between September and November, and the third semester between December and March. One class is 75 minutes long. The 1st class begins at 8:40 in the morning, and the 8th class ends at 9:00 at night. One lecture, experiment, or seminar class earns one credit, and a Special Experiment earns half a credit per class per semester.
| 1st class: | 8:40-9:55 |
| 2nd class: | 10:10-11:25 |
| 3rd class: | 12:15-13:30 |
| 4th class: | 13:45-15:00 |
| 5th class: | 15:15-16:30 |
| 6th class: | 16:45-18:00 |
| 7th class: | 18:20-19:35 (Tokyo Satellite Campus) |
| 8th class: | 19:45-21:00 (Tokyo Satellite Campus) |
Our Tokyo satellite campus (Jimbocho area until the end of August 2011, then Ootsuka area) delivers night lectures for the 7th and 8th classes (from 18:20 to 21:00), from the 2nd to 6th class on Saturdays (from 10:10 to 18:00), and intensive lectures in the summer recess. Students on the Tokyo satellite campus have the same network access as those on Kasuga area, and they can access the online journal of the university libraries.
Students can select their own supervisors and obtain major research instruction in the partner research institutions. We have partnership agreements with NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories in Tsukuba city, Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. in Bunkyo ward in Tokyo, Dentsu Inc. in Minato ward in Tokyo, and Riken in Wako city and Tsukuba city.
The midterm presentation is held at the beginning of the second year of the first stage (Some have additional midterm presentations for the first stage), and in the middle of the second year of the second stage. In the midterm presentation, students collect opinions from their audience and confirm the direction of their research in addition to presenting research objectives and describing their progress. In this way, they can conduct research smoothly and obtain a degree without delay.
Before a doctoral thesis is submitted it must be accepted by the preliminary review committee. The preliminary review committee consists of five domain experts who subject the submitted thesis to a broad examination including its organization. This preliminary review is helpful in that it reviews the thesis from a comprehensive point of view and facilitates a smooth review thereafter for doctoral degree. Before accepting for preliminary review, students must have two refereed papers accepted.
We have a system that allows students with excellent academic results to complete early the second stage program with three years of study. In academic year 2005, a student in the second stage of the doctoral course completed the course using this system.
Air-conditioned rooms are reserved for graduate students. They are equipped with desks, PCs, copiers and printers. The IC card that graduate students use for entering and leaving their rooms is also used to enter buildings including the university library on Library and Information Studies at night and on holidays and to use copiers. They can apply for a computer account to use an e-mail address, web page space, and extensive computer resources.
There are opportunities for students to assist in undergraduate and graduate school classes as a teaching assistant (TA), conduct joint research with instructors as a research assistant (RA), and the second stage students can apply for a teaching fellow (TF). In academic year 2010, a total of 50 students in the first stage and 10 students in the second stage were appointed as teaching assistants for undergraduate courses in School of Informatics. Seven students in the second stage were appointed as research assistants.
We have a system whereby the research course can support graduate students with respect to travel expenses incurred when a student gives a presentation at an academic meeting. In academic year 2010, no less than 55 students made presentations at academic meetings using this system.
The expenses required at the time of admission (2011) were as follows:
| Admission fee: | 282,000 yen |
| Tuition: | 535,800 yen |
We have a system that allows students with excellent academic records who have difficulty in paying these expenses for economic reasons to be exempt from all or half the tuition fees. In academic year 2010, tuition was waived for 5 of first stage students and 11 of second stage students.
Students can apply for a scholarship offered by the Japan Student Services Organization. In academic year 2010, 30 of first stage students and 13 of the second stage students utilized the system. There are also many other scholarships including those offered by municipalities and private scholarship organizations. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) offers a position of special researcher (tokubetsu kenkyuin) for Second stage students.
Students in the first stage whose master's thesis is excellent and those in the second stage who achieved excellent research results will receive honorable recognition in the commencement of the graduate course. If graduate students whose research results receive a high evaluation use the scholarship system of the Japan Students Services Organization, their tuition may be waived.
(Note: The English version of the information on this website is based on the original Japanese version. Please note that if there is any discrepancy, the Japanese version will take priority.)