MBA Online

Graduate School of Economics / Faculty of Economics
Kyoto University
Yoshida-honmachi,
Sakyo-ku,
Kyoto, 606-8501, JAPAN

Undergraduate Program

The Faculty of Economics, Kyoto University, offers a 4-year undergraduate program, leading to the degree BA in Economics. Teaching and supervision are conducted in Japanese.

If you wish the application package (in Japanese) to be sent to you, please write a letter to the following address and enclose the appropriate amount of International Reply Coupons (see below) and a self-addressed envelope (size 240 x 332 mm, containing your name and full address).

The amount of International Reply Coupons (IRCs) ……..

If you live in
Asia ….: 4 (four) IRCs
Oceania …..: 5 (five) IRCs
Africa ……: 6 (six) IRCs

Special Doctoral Program for Graduates of Partner Universities:

The Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University, offers a 3-year special doctoral program, leading to the degree PhD in Economics. Teaching and supervision are conducted in English.

Important note for potential candidates: your home institution must be a Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Economics partner under our cooperation and exchange agreement. In other words, we only accept applications from universities currently in cooperation with the Graduate School of Economics within the student exchange programs.
Application Requirements for Admission to the INTERNATIONAL DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN ECONOMICS (October 2005 - September 2008) †
1. INTRODUCTION †

The Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University, offers a doctoral program (hereafter referred to as “the Program”) in Economics for foreign students. Teaching and supervision are conducted in English, but students are strongly encouraged to study Japanese for practical purposes.
1.1 Scholarship †

Students admitted to the Program receive the Japanese Government (Ministry of Education and Science) scholarship.
1.2 Number of applicants to be admitted †

Two students are admitted every year.
2. ELIGIBILITY †
2.1 University education †

Applicants must be graduates of universities that have international academic exchange agreements with Kyoto University.
2.2 Nationality †

Applicants must be citizens of countries that have official diplomatic relations with Japan. If an applicant has previously studied at a Japanese university as a recipient of the Japanese Government Scholarship (or under any other status), three years (respectively, one year) must have passed since he/she left Japan. Students who are currently studying in Japan are not eligible to apply.
2.3 Age †

Applicants must be under thirty-five years old as of October 1, 2005.
2.4 Academic qualifications †

Applicants must satisfy one of the following conditions at the end of September, 2005.
They hold a Master’s degree.
They have been engaged in research for at least two years at a university or a research institute after university graduation or after the completion of 16-year education.
They are over twenty-four years old and demonstrate the equivalent or higher level of scholastic aptitude as that of a Master’s degree holder as evaluated by the Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University.
2.5 Health †

Applicants must be physically and mentally healthy.
2.6 Language ability †

Applicants must have TOEFL score higher than 550 (for the paper-based test) or 213 (for the computer-based test).
2.7 Other conditions †
Applicants who are doing their military service at the time the Program begins are not eligible to apply.
Applicants whose spouses receive the Japanese Government Scholarship are not eligible to apply.
Applicants who are receiving a scholarship from any other source are not eligible to apply.
3. FINANCIAL SUPPORT †

The following financial support will be offered to the students admitted to the Program:
The Japanese Government Scholarship of 175,000 yen per month (the amount may be subject to revision) for at most thirty-six months.
Economy class, return ticket from the international airport closest to the student’s home address to Kansai International Airport. The ticket will not be offered unless he/she leaves Japan immediately after the scholarship expires.
Waiver of the application, matriculation, and tuition fees.
Reimbursement of 80% of all medical expenses by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO).
4. SELECTION AND ADMISSION †
4.1 Selection process at Kyoto University †

The Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University, examines the documents submitted by the applicants. Those selected are recommended to the Japanese Government as candidates for the Scholarship. The applicants will be informed of the selection process results by the end of May 2005.
4.2 Selection process by the Japanese Government †

The Japanese Government examines the documents of the applicants recommended by Kyoto University and selects the recipients of the Japanese Government Scholarship. Those selected will be informed of this decision by the end of August 2005. The Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University, will send the selected candidates a certificate of admission to the International Doctoral Program in Economics. Students admitted to the Program must arrive in Kyoto between October 1 and October 31, 2005.
5. ACADEMIC Advisers †

During their 3-year study period, the students admitted to the Program will be supervised by a selected academic adviser.
ACADEMIC ADVISERS’ NAMES AND RESEARCH FIELDS †Fujii, Hideki International accounting, Financial accounting
Hikino, Takashi Business and industrial organization
Hisamoto, Norio Employment system and social policy
Mizobata, Satoshi Transition economies, Russian economy
Morimune, Kimio Econometrics, Time series analysis
Nariu, Tatsuhiko Marketing system, Economics of internal organization
Nishimuta, Yuji Business history, Economic history
Nishimura, Shuzo Health economics
Onishi, Hiroshi Economic statistics, Pacific rim economy
Shimotani, Masahiro Japanese Economy, Keiretsu and corporate groups
Sugiyama, Yasuo Strategic management, International management
Tachibanaki, Toshiaki Capital and labor in Japan
Tanaka, Hideo, History of social thought, History of political economy
Ueta, Kazuhiro Environmental economics, Public finance
Wakabayashi, Yasunaga Marketing management, Retailing
Yagi, Kiichiro Theory of political economy, History of economics
Yamamoto, Hiromi Development economics, East Asian economy

6. APPLICATION REQUIRED DOCUMENTS †

Applicants must submit the following documents by mail no later than January 31, 2005 to:
School Affairs Office
The Graduate School of Economics
Kyoto University,
Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku
Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
Application Form (pdf)
Application for Japanese Government Scholarship (attached)
Health Examination Report issued within the last 2 months prior to the application date (attached)
Master’s degree diploma, or a certificate of expected completion of a Master program
Transcripts of undergraduate and graduate study
Letter of recommendation from an adviser of the graduate school attended
Letter of recommendation from the Dean or the head of the graduate school attended
Letter of recommendation from the employer if the applicant is currently working
Research plan at Kyoto University (about 1,500words)
Master’s thesis or an equivalent paper
Summary of the Master’s thesis (about 1,500words)
List of academic publications (if any) with brief abstracts
Photocopy of a passport that indicates nationality
Official score of the TOEFL exam taken within the last twelve months prior to the application date

The above documents must be in English. Please note that they will not be returned.

Master Program

Starting from the 2007 academic year, prospective candidates who have successfully passed the preliminary examination by the Japanese Embassy/Consulate are required to obtain a letter of acceptance from their potential supervisors (please see more details here)

The Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University, offers a 2-year master program, leading to the degree MA in Economics. Teaching and supervision are conducted in Japanese. Only a limited number of courses are taught in English.

Within the master program, there are two subprograms as follows:
(1) Economics subprogram (in Japanese, “Hakase course”)
(2) Business/ Management subprogram (in Japanese, “Business Kagaku course”)

The main difference between these subprograms is that students who have successfully completed the Economics subprogram receive an automatic admission to the PhD program. Students who have successfully completed the Business subprogram and wish to be admitted to the PhD program must pass the entrance exams. Please note also that students who have successfully completed the Business subprogram receive the degree MA in Economics, not MBA.

If you wish the application package (in Japanese) to be sent to you, please write a letter to the following address and enclose the amount of International Reply Coupons required to send a 300 grams package by air mail and a self-addressed envelope (size 240 x 332 mm, containing your name and full address).

The amount of International Reply Coupons (IRCs) you should enclose varies according to where you are based.

If you live in
Asia ….: 6 (six) IRCs
Oceania …..: 8 (eight) IRCs
Africa ……: 10 (ten) IRCs

Doctoral Program

Starting from the 2007 academic year, prospective candidates who have successfully passed the preliminary examination by the Japanese Embassy/Consulate are required to obtain a letter of acceptance from their potential supervisors (please see more details here)

The Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University, offers a 3-year doctoral program, leading to the degree PhD in Economics. Teaching and supervision are conducted in Japanese.

If you wish the application package (in Japanese) to be sent to you, please write a letter to the following address and enclose the amount of International Reply Coupons required to send a 120 grams package by air mail and a self-addressed envelope (size 240 x 332 mm, containing your name and full address).

The amount of International Reply Coupons (IRCs) you should enclose varies according to where you are based.

If you live in
Asia ….: 4 (four) IRCs
Oceania …..: 5 (five) IRCs
Africa ……: 6 (six) IRCs

Kyoto University is one of the two universities where economic education in Japan started more than a hundred years ago. The history of economic education at Kyoto University goes back to April 1900 when the first lecture in Economics was delivered at the College of Law, Kyoto Imperial University. The Faculty of Economics was established in 1919, and the year 2004 marked its 85th anniversary. We are very proud of our faculty’s long history.

Throughout its history, our university’s academic tradition has been to maintain an atmosphere of freedom and independence from the authorities. Even in times of authoritarian government in Japan, our university has kept that tradition.

Although our principle to respect freedom and independence has not changed, we have realized that Japanese universities must undergo fundamental changes to answer the needs of our fast changing society. Originally, our faculty had two purposes, i.e. to train professional researchers and educate undergraduate students. Over the last two decades, however, our mission has expanded to emphasizing recurrent education and accepting students from overseas. Today, both in our graduate and undergraduate courses, we have the highest ratio of international students among the economic departments of Japanese national universities.

This April, we established a new course focusing on business scienceﾓ. In the near future, we are planning to open a management school where teaching will be done not only by our academic staff but also by business professionals. These are the results of our efforts to provide study opportunities to students with work experience.

Needless to say, our mission is not only to educate students but also to enhance our research abilities. In 2003, our faculty’s research program, in collaboration with colleagues from the Institute of Economic Research, was selected as part of the 21st Century Center of Excellence Programs funded by MEXT (the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology). Under the fierce competition for research funds, we are proud of having received the opportunity to promote our research agenda.

Since understanding the recent changes in China has become of great importance for economists and business leaders all around the world, we established a China-related research center (Shanghai Center) in 2002. The Center is a joint undertaking of our Faculty and Fudan University in Shanghai. Although research on contemporary China is the main purpose of the center, we hope that it will play an important role in student education too.