Graduate admissions
The Master's program in Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology consists of two programs. Please choose one of them for your application.
Master's Course (Integrated MS/PhD Program) has been set up for students who wish to obtain a Doctor degree after Master's program. Program students are given special opportunities to focus on cutting-edge research and they will receive preferential treatment in the process of acquiring scholarships. Program students will be required to sit a Qualifying Examination (QE) one year after admission. The QE will determine which students will be offered a place on the Integrated MS/PhD Program as doctoral students (Students need procedures to step up to the doctoral program). The applicants are advised to discuss further details, such as application timelines and require documents, with expected supervisors before applying.
Master's Course (Master's Program) is a program aimed at obtaining a Master's degree through two years of graduate study and research activities. Graduates who have completed the Master's Program go on to a doctoral course or find a job in chemical companies or government offices.
Application Procedure for Integrated MS/PhD Programs
October 2025/April 2026 Entry
|
Important notice
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1. Timeline of Application
[Schedule A]
| Applications Open | May 30th, 2025 This is the day to start the acceptance of the application form. Applicants need to contact the expected supervisor in advance. |
| Application Deadline | June 5th, 2025 at 3:00 pm (Japan time) |
| Deadline for necessary documents specific to our department | June 27th, 2025 at 12:00 pm (Japan time) |
| Entrance Examination | August 25th – 27th, 2025 |
| Notification of Results | September 5th, 2025 at 4:00 pm (Japan time) |
[Schedule B]
Please ask your expected supervisor for details, including schedules and required documents.
2. Eligibility for Application
Entrance examination procedures vary depending on the eligibility criteria fulfilled by each applicant (Please read the “Guidelines for Applicants” carefully).
The applicants should take a guidance from the expected supervisor before applying and receive “Confirmation Notice” with the supervisor’s signature.
- General Examination [Schedule A]: General examination is for applicants who have an undergraduate certificate (or who expect to receive it by September 30th, 2025 for October admission or March 31st, 2026 for April admission) from a university (Japanese or overseas).
- Special Admissions Examination [Schedule B]: The applicants must have foreign citizenship and an undergraduate certificate (or expect to receive it by March 31st, 2026) from an overseas university (Please read the “Guidelines for Applicants” carefully). The applicants should take a guidance from the expected supervisor before applying and receive “Confirmation Notice” with the supervisor’s signature.
3. Subjects of Entrance Examination
(1) Written Examination
| Sections | Additional notes |
|---|---|
|
“Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology III” Examination on specialized knowledge in chemistry and/or biotechnology |
Answer time: 1 hour |
(2) Oral Examination
During the oral examination, applicants will be asked to answer general questions in the field of chemistry and/or biotechnology, and to describe their current or past research experiences, such as a bachelor's thesis project. Applicants who received an undergraduate degree without a research component (lab-based or library-based) will also be considered.
Application Procedure for Master’s Program [Schedule A]
October 2025/April 2026 Entry
|
Important notice
-- |
1. Timeline of Application
[Schedule A]
| Applications Open | May 30th, 2025 This is the day to start the acceptance of the application form. |
| Application Deadline | June 5th, 2025 at 3:00 pm (Japan time) |
| Deadline for necessary documents specific to our department | June 27th, 2025 at 12:00 pm (Japan time) |
| Entrance Examination | August 25th – 27th, 2025 |
| Notification of Results | September 5th, 2025 at 4:00 pm (Japan time) |
2. Eligibility for Application
Master’s Program is for applicants who have an undergraduate certificate (or who expect to receive it by September 30th, 2025 for October admission or March 31st, 2026 for April admission) from a university (Japanese or overseas). Please read the “Guidelines for Applicants” carefully.
3. Subjects of Entrance Examination
(1) Written Examination
The written examination will test:
- Proficiency in the English language
- Proficiency in scientific academic writing
- Knowledge of basic chemistry and/or biotechnology
The written examination consists of 2 sections as outlined below:
| Sections | Additional notes |
|---|---|
| “Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology I” | Scientific English test Answer time: 30 minutes |
| “Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology II” |
Applicants must select 2 subjects from the following 5 subjects:
|
Past written examination papers are available here.
(2) Oral Examination
During the oral examination, applicants will be asked to answer general questions in the field of chemistry and/or biotechnology, and to describe their current or past research experiences, such as a bachelor's thesis project. Applicants who received an undergraduate degree without a research component (lab-based or library-based) will also be considered.
Application Procedure for Doctoral (PhD) Program
October 2025/April 2026 Entry
|
Important notice
-- |
1. Timeline of Application
| Applications Open | May 30th, 2025 This is the day to start the acceptance of the application form. Applicants need to contact the expected supervisor in advance. |
| Application Deadline | June 5th, 2025 at 3:00 pm (Japan time) |
| Deadline for necessary documents specific to our department | June 27th, 2025 at 12:00 pm (Japan time) |
| Entrance Examination | August 25th and 27th, 2025 |
| Notification of Results | September 5th, 2025 at 4:00 pm (Japan time) |
2. Eligibility for Application
- General Examination [Schedule A]: for all students who received (or who expect to receive it by September 30th, 2025 for October admission or March 31st, 2026 for April admission) a master's or professional degree in any country including Japan (Please read the “Guidelines for Applicants” carefully). The applicants should take a guidance from the expected supervisor before applying and receive “Confirmation Notice” with the supervisor’s signature.
- Special Admission Examination [Schedule B]: The applicants must have foreign citizenship and a Master’s degree or professional degree (or expect to receive it by March 31st, 2026) from an overseas university (Please read the “Guidelines for Applicants” carefully). The applicants should take a guidance from the expected supervisor before applying and receive “Confirmation Notice” with the supervisor’s signature.
3. Schedules
[Schedule A]
| Entrance | October 2025 | April 2026 | |
| Examination Date(s) |
Stage One | August 25th and 27th, 2025 | |
| Stage Two | August 27th, 2025 | February, 2026 [1] | |
| Application Notifications |
Stage One | September 5th, 2025, 4:00 pm (Japan time) | September 5th, 2025, 4:00 pm (Japan time) |
| Stage Two | February, 2026, [1] | ||
[1] Details to be determined.
[Schedule B]
Please ask your expected supervisor for details, including schedule and prerequisites.
4. Subjects of Entrance Examination
(1) Written Examination (Stage One)
| Sections | Additional notes |
|---|---|
|
“Specialized subjects” Examination on specialized subjects |
Answer time: 1 hour |
(2) Oral Examination (Stage One and Two)
During the oral examination, applicants will be asked to present and discuss master's thesis or current research with examiners.
Exam Dates and Notes
1. Test venue and date
The test room will be notified around August 20th.
| Date | Gathering time | Test time | Subjects of examination etc. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated MS/PhD program | |||
| Aug. 25 (Mon) | 13:00 (Rooms open) | 1 hour | Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology III |
| Aug. 26 (Tue) or Aug. 27 (Wed) |
To be announced after the written examination | Oral examination | |
| Master's program | |||
| Aug. 25 (Mon) | 13:00 (Rooms open) | 30 minutes | Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology I |
| 1 hour | Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology II | ||
| Aug. 26 (Tue) or Aug. 27 (Wed) |
To be announced after the written examination | Oral examination | |
| Doctoral (PhD) Program | |||
| Aug. 25 (Mon) | 13:00 (Rooms open) | 1 hour | Specialized subjects |
| Aug. 27 (Wed) | To be announced in advance | Oral examination (Bring materials required for presentation and discussion e.g. master's thesis etc.) |
|
2. Notes on personal items
(1) What to bring: Examination ticket, black pencils (or mechanical pencils), erasers, pencil sharpener (desktop type is not allowed), watch (with only timekeeping functionality)
(2) Turn off your mobile phone and communication equipment and put them in your bag before entering the examination room. You are not allowed to use these as a clock.
(3) During the exam, use of calculators is not permitted.
3. Notes during examination
(1) Candidates who are late for the gathering time may lose their qualifications.
(2) Once the exam has started, you are not allowed to leave the room partway, even if you finished answering, or if you give up the exam.
(3) Always keep the exam ticket on your desk during the exam time.
4. Oral examination for Doctoral (PhD) Program
(1) Candidates present their master's thesis (20 minutes), followed by discussion (20 minutes). For presentation, use a projector prepared in the exam room. Bring your own laptop. Some laptops may require an adapter, so be sure to bring it with you. For those who wish to enroll in October, the oral exam will also be counted as the Stage Two exam.
(2) Those who intend to complete their master's degree in the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo will use mid-term and final examination of their master's thesis for oral examination.
Contact
Any questions regarding application procedures should be addressed to Prof. Hiroshi Nishimasu (e-mail: ).