Doctorate (PhD)
Facing the rapid structural reforms in society and industry head on, KUAS’ Graduate Program of Engineering nurtures engineers with superlative skills and knowledge to become international leaders in the field of science and technology in the 21st century. We have seen rapid changes to our world in recent times, with advancements in technology creating markets that did not exist in the past - including robotics, drones and electric cars. Furthermore, industry in the future will be supported by systems based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data, and be inter-connected through the Internet of Things (IoT). This has resulted in a strong demand for a new approach in educating the engineers of the future, as engineering is the foundation of industry and key to the emergence of various new disciplines.
Conventional learning commonly follows an “analytical” approach in which one studies and deepens one’s knowledge in a particular academic field in order to explore the inner nature of phenomena and to discover basic truths. KUAS’ graduate programs aim to transcend such conventional ways, moving towards a “synthetic” approach where one establishes new systems and concepts based on multiple truths from different academic disciplines. Our graduate programs thus aims to educate synthetic engineers as part what we believe is a new global paradigm. The mission of our engineering department and graduate school is to cultivate thinkers able to create new technology platforms and the academic fields that will sustain those platforms for decades to come.
The Graduate School of Kyoto University of Advanced Science (KUAS) seeks applicants with a strong desire to contribute to global society through high-level scholarship and the acquisition of advanced knowledge and expertise in their field of specialization.
The Graduate School of Engineering invites applications from candidates who have familiarized themselves with the content of the master’s program, who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification, and who wish to improve their abilities as engineers while learning to make full use of engineering techniques and to apply the most advanced technologies when solving problems. Applicants are expected to have the necessary foundation to take an internationally active role in addressing problems that will lead to the enrichment of society while respecting the environment on a global scale. In particular, applicants should:
For the doctoral program, every applicant must have graduated from both an undergraduate and graduate (master's level) program.
You must meet the minimum required score in place to ensure your level of English proficiency. To confirm which tests we accept and the applicable minimum scores, please check our “application checklist”.
You can be exempt from having to show your English proficiency if you are from a native-English speaking country or have completed your degree in English.
All graduate school applicants must go through pre- application review via the KUAS Online Application System before applying. If you have multiple research interests, it is possible to select more than one supervisor (only applicable to the Master’s Program). However, be aware that you must write a separate research plan for each proposal, and that you have to settle on one supervisor and research topic eventually. Please see the Application Guidelines for more details.
For further details about the faculty members, you can find information in the Faculty & Research section or by checking the list.
In the Doctor of Engineering program, students expand their sophisticated knowledge of materials, energy, information, and systems engineering. They improve their problem-finding and -solving skills based on a broad foundation of technical knowledge, guided by academic trends and demands from society. Our doctoral graduates will have a natural ability to look ahead to the future and will understand how to connect various fields to create new, globally-significant paradigms.
Engineering is one of the most in-demand fields in the world, and achieving advanced technological knowledge will open up doors to senior-level positions at the globally relevant companies in the field, or as a further step in attaining an academic career. KUAS’ program is built in tune with the needs of our society today, and our major goal is to bring up international leaders of science and technology for the 21st century. Moreover, Japan in general and Kyoto specifically major areas for technological expertise, featuring some of the most innovative companies and dynamic universities in engineering in the world. Of course, our program has a major global outlook - with our multi-national faculty and strong English-language body of research ensuring that you will be equipped for opportunity beyond Japan as well.
The doctoral course is a three-year program.
To obtain the degree of Doctor of Engineering from KUAS students are required to be enrolled at KUAS for a three-year period (six full semesters of instruction), obtain 24 credits or more from coursework, prepare a doctoral dissertation (which must be approved by their supervisor), and pass a final examination.
Discover our program & familiarize yourself with the application requirements and procedures!
Check out our graduate program main page, which includes the Key Features & Fields of Study as well as the Curriculum sections! Also, feel free to browse the other parts of our website, such as the latest news, our university at a glance, or Life at KUAS. Finally, be sure to read through the application requirements and procedures carefully.
At KUAS, we want to ensure that your admission process goes as smoothly as possible. We are actively recruiting applicants from around the world, and are looking forward to creating a diverse atmosphere on our campus, where students of different nationalities, ages, sexes and backgrounds come together to study together.
Sign up for pre-application review
Since you want to be a graduate student at KUAS, first we need to make sure that one of our teachers is a good match for you. Use the instructions in our Application Guidelines to sign up for pre-application review and select a professor (or professors) to act as your research supervisor. Make sure that you check the timetable in our Guidelines so you know when to start!
Complete the application procedure online
The International Admissions Office will contact you with the results of your pre-application review. If you receive a positive reply, we will tell you how to complete the remainder of your application. You may be required to physically mail parts of your application documents to KUAS.
Take an online interview
Once we have reviewed your application package, we will contact you to set up an online interview. At KUAS, we value every applicant’s passion and thoughts. We want to get to know you, and believe that just seeing your records on paper does not paint the whole picture. It is not necessary for applicants to travel to Japan for the interview, as we do not hold any face-to-face interviews. After you submit your application, you will receive a message with detailed information including the interview date and time. Please ensure that you check your email and messages regularly and respond promptly.
Take your next step as an engineer!
We value and appreciate every application to our university. Once we have carefully reviewed your application and determine that we want to welcome you to our program, we will send you an offer of admission online. If successful, please carefully follow the instructions to proceed with preliminary payments as well as the visa arrangement (detailed information can be found in the corresponding categories). We hope that you are as excited as we are to take your next step as an engineer!