Curriculum

The Six Stages of the Academic Degree Examination

A degree of “Doctor of Engineering” as a “Brain Information Architect” is conferred through the following six stages of academic degree examination:

1. Preliminary qualifying examination advancing a second-half doctoral program
2. Qualifying examination advancing a second-half doctoral program
3. Qualifying examination for “Internship in Doctoral Program” of a second-half doctoral program
4. Qualifying examination on research progress
5. Preliminary defense
6. Final defense

The academic degree examinations are conducted including the group educators whose primary focus is on research achievement, international perspective, and innovation skills.

The Degree examination system of this program has the following features:

1. Under the group educator system, we provide academic degree instruction and examine research achievement (science and technology qualification), communicative competence (international competitiveness), and the ability to create new developments that are valuable to society (social and corporate power)
2. We are distinguished from conventional academic dissertation-centered degree examinations. We approach the academic degree examination system with an emphasis on overseas summer school, as well as “Internship in Doctoral Program” during the second half of the doctoral program.
3. To guarantee 2 above, and based on the Central Education Council’s report “Graduate School Education in Globalizing Society”, we shorten the first and second half of the doctoral program to 4.5 years from the conventional 5 year term and impose a six-month “Internship in Doctoral Program” period during the latter half of the second year to nurture the abilities required as a Brain Information Architect.
4. If a student’s report suggests that their achievement does not meet the minimum standard, the PDCA will point out specific issues that are causing problems and the student will be tasked to repeat some portions of the program as necessary.
5. The preliminary and final academic degree examination will be performed by the examination committee, comprising group educators including external members. All examinations in the second-half doctoral program will be performed in English.
6. A student has to write a doctoral thesis in English.
7. If a student is not qualified as a degreed student in this program at the advancement qualifying examination in February (the second year of the first half of the doctoral program), an ordinary degree examination is offered to receive a first-half doctoral program degree. The prospects of acquiring the doctorate in engineering must be ascertained at the time of “Internship in Doctoral Program” during the second year of the latter half of the doctoral program. Arrangements for students below the program qualification standards should be taken into consideration.