If you hold a master's degree in a science or Engineering field and looking for an opportunity to complete a PhD degree in Japan, then the Special Scholarship Program (SSP) at Kochi University of Technology (KUT) might be a good fit for you.
The SSP scholarship is project-based scholarship scheme at the Graduate School of Engineering at Kochi University of Technology. Every year, KUT enrolls approximately 15 selected doctoral students to work in specific research projects. Each student pursues a doctoral course in English while at the same time assisting his/her host professor in his/her research projects and receiving monthly payment in return for his/her contribution to the projects. This program is for those who have strong intention to engage in his/her research projects for the whole three years acquiring profound knowledge and skill and ability to become a full-fledged researcher, and aspire to satisfy the degree requirements accordingly.
In this article we provide you with essential information about this opportunity.
Scholarship Benefits
The SSP scholarship is a fully funded scholarship that provides full tuition fees waiver plus living allowances and other costs as provided below:
Exemption from 30,000 yen entrance examination fee, 300,000 yen enrollment fee and 535,800 yen/year tuition fee.
Living allowance of 150,000 yen/month
Travel and initial living costs one-off payment of 150,000 yen.
Fields of Research
SSP Research Projects particularly cover below fields:
Environmental Systems Engineering
Intelligent Mechanical Systems Engineering
Electronic and Photonic Systems Engineering
Information Systems Engineering
Infrastructure Systems Engineering
Economics and Management
➢ See the SSP Research Project List here
Eligibility
Applicants are required to meet all of the following conditions:
To have permission from the leader of the applicant's preferred SSP project to apply for that project
To hold a degree from an accredited institution comparable to the master's degree offered at KUT after 18 years of education, or to be scheduled to acquire such a degree before the KUT enrollment date
To be 35 years old or under at the time of enrollment, in principle
To have an excellent academic record and strong bachelor's and master's degrees from reputable universities
To have the intention, adequate knowledge and research skill to work in the research project
To have high English proficiency (TOEFL iBT 72, IELTS 5.5, CEFR B2, CET6)
Application Guide
1). Pre-Application Request
Before submitting a formal application, anyone intending to apply must send a completed Online Pre-Application Request to the leader of his/her preferred SSP project via KUT Online Pre-Application Request Form at least 6 weeks before the application deadline.
Through this process, you are basically obtaining an approval from the project leader (supervisor) of your chosen project from the Projects List.
2). Formal Admission Application
When you obtain a permission from the project leader, complete all required documents and submit them to KUT by post. The documents must reach KUT by the deadline.
➢ See the list of Required documents here.
Application Timeline for current cycle
• Application Deadline: September 13, 2024
• Screening, Interviews and/or exams: October to November 2024
• Notification of Decision: Mid of December 2024
• Registration Deadline: January 10, 2025
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