Applications are invited for graduate programs (Masters and PhD) and scholarships for international students at of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Saitama University Japan. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Saitama University, as part of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, offers Master of Engineering and Doctor of Engineering/Doctor of Philosophy Degree programs in broad range of civil and environmental engineering.

The graduate program for international students of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Saitama University offers highly qualified individuals from overseas opportunities to pursue graduate studies and research in the field of civil and environmental engineering. The fields of study include Infrastructure Management, Transportation Planning, Environmental Engineering, Ecological Engineering, Coastal and Ocean Engineering, Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering, Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, Concrete and Material Engineering, Structural and Wind Engineering, Earthquake Engineering, etc.

The graduate program includes courses specially designed for international students, in which class instruction and research supervision are given in English and/or Japanese. Master thesis and doctoral dissertation are accepted in English. Japanese language courses are also offered for foreign students and their spouses. Currently, the number of foreign students registered in this program is almost sixty comparable to that of Japanese graduate students in the Department.

The programs start either in April or October and require an average residency of two years for a Master of Engineering candidate and three years for a Doctor of Engineering/Doctor of Philosophy candidate. Most of the students are financially supported by the scholarships from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japanese Government and the Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Scheme. Other international organizations such as World Bank and some private and public agencies also offer some scholarships for graduate studies in our program.

So far, 265 students from different countries have already graduated from our program and they are engaged in academic and professional activities in different parts of the world. We take pride that many of our graduates have established themselves very well in their respective careers.

Master of Engineering Program

To qualify for the Master of Engineering Degree, the student must comply with the following requirements:

• The period of full time attendance to fulfill the requirement of the degree is minimum two years.
• A minimum of 30 credits beyond the bachelor degree is required, including 10 credits awarded for a thesis.
• A thesis based on the research carried out under the supervision of his/her thesis advisor must be completed and satisfactorily presented.

Doctor of Engineering/Doctor of Philosophy Program

To qualify for the Degree of Doctor of Engineering/Doctor of Philosophy, the candidate must have a broad knowledge of his/her field of study and demonstrate distinguished accomplishment and substantial contributions to the advancement of that field through profound knowledge and original ideas. The candidate must comply more specifically with the following requirements:-

• The period of full time attendance to the degree is minimum three years beyond a Master’s degree.
• A minimum of 12 credits from course and laboratory works beyond Master’s degree is required.
• The student must satisfactorily present his/her dissertation proposal, approximately one and a half years from his/ her enrollment in the program.
• As the most important requirement for the doctoral degree, a dissertation based on original research carried out at Saitama University under the supervision of his/her advisor and with the assistance of the candidate supervising committee must be completed and presented. The candidate must pass a final examination on the dissertation and a comprehensive examination in his/her specific field of study.
• At least one international journal publication (accepted or published) based on the doctoral research is required.

Scholarships

The program is highly competitive and admits only twenty to twenty-five students each year, out of which about seven to ten candidates are awarded the prestigious Monbukagakusho Scholarship administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Government of Japan. Another ten to fifteen outstanding candidates are awarded the ADB-JSP Scholarship administered by the Asian Development Bank, JJ/WB GSP Scholarship administered by the World Bank and SPJU Scholarship administered by the Inter-American Development Bank. All scholarships cover tuition and academic fees, a monthly allowance of about 175,000 Yen, and a round-trip air ticket to the awardee’s home country. Some grants are available for books and research travel within Japan. The Monbukagakusho Scholarship for Doctoral Course is granted for up to three years based on satisfactory performance of the student. The Master’s Degree scholarships are granted for two years. Both scholarships are not extendable beyond three and two years, respectively. The Master’s Degree scholarships require the awardees to return to their home countries upon completion of study to contribute to their country’s development.

Application Procedure

The following documents must be submitted when you are applying to the program:

• Completed application form (Form A) [This form consists of two pages]
• Certified copies of previous academic records
• Two letters of recommendation (Form B)
• Essays on selected topics (Form C)
• A concise resume (Form D) [This form consists of two pages]
• Filled out address labels and return postcard (enclosed in the application package) [Not necessary if you use the downloaded forms]
• Certificate of English proficiency (an official score of TOEFL, IELTS or equivalent)

Deadlines

• Deadline for Masters: 25 Oct 2009 (ADB-JSP and JJ/WB scholarships)
• Deadline for Masters: 20 Apr 2010 (SPJU scholarships)
• Deadline for PhD : 22 Dec 2009

Contact Details and Further Information

Further information about the graduate programs, application procedure and scholarships is available on the univesity website. For any further information or application forms, please use the contact details given below:

Foreign Student Office
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Saitama University
255 Shimo Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama-shi
Saitama 338-8570
Japan
Phone/Fax: + 81-48-858-3555
Email: fso[at]sun.civil.saitama-u.ac.jp
Website: http://www.civil.saitama-u.ac.jp/fso/fso.html

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