GRADUATE ADMISSIONS

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 2024/April 2025 Entry

Important notice

  • --
    The examination will be held at the Hongo Campus of the University of Tokyo.

  • To applicants to Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology :
    The entrance exam will be held as scheduled at this moment.
    Please be sure to arrive at the examination sites in plenty of time to ensure your safety and pay close attention to traffic conditions.
    Any future changes to the schedule will be announced on this website. (Updated on Aug. 26)

  • --
  • Applicants must contact their expected supervisors before applying.
  • See also
    (1) the website of Graduate School of Engineering
    (2) Necessary documents specific to the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology

1. Timeline of Application

[Schedule A]

Applications Open June 3rd, 2024

This is the day to start the acceptance of the application form. Applicants need to contact the expected supervisor in advance.

Application Deadline June 10th, 2024 at 3:00 pm (Japan time)
Deadline for necessary documents specific to our department July 5th, 2024 at 3:00 pm (Japan time)
Entrance Examination August 26th - 28th, 2024
Notification of Results September 5th, 2024 at 4:00 pm (Japan time)

[Schedule B]

Special Admission Examination will be held in January 2025.
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 March 31st, 2024) 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, 2025) 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 2024/April 2025 Entry

Important notice

1. Timeline of Application

[Schedule A]

Applications Open June 3rd, 2024

This is the day to start the acceptance of the application form.
Application Deadline June 10th, 2024 at 3:00 pm (Japan time)
Deadline for necessary documents specific to our department July 5th, 2024 at 3:00 pm (Japan time)
Entrance Examination August 26th - 28th, 2024
Notification of Results September 5th, 2024 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 March 31st, 2025) from a university (Japanese or overseas). Please read the “Guidelines for Applicants” carefully.

3. Entrance Examination Structure

(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:

  • Physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and analytical chemistry
  • Organic chemistry
  • Polymer chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Biotechnology
Answer time: 1 hour

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 2024/April 2025 Entry

Important notice

1. Timeline of Application

Applications Open June 3rd, 2024

This is the day to start the acceptance of the application form. Applicants need to contact the expected supervisor in advance.

Application Deadline June 10th, 2024
Deadline for necessary documents specific to our department July 5th, 2024 at 3:00 pm (Japan time)
Entrance Examination August 26th - 28th, 2024
Notification of Results September 5th, 2024 at 4:00 pm (Japan time)

2. Eligibility for Application

  • General Examination [Schedule A]: for all students who received (or expect to receive it by March 31, 2025) 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, 2025) 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 2024 April 2025
Examination
Date(s)
Stage One August 26th - 28th, 2024
Stage Two August 26th - 28th, 2024 February, 2025 [1]
Application
Notifications
Stage One September 5th, 2024, 4:00 pm (Japan time) September 5th, 2024, 4:00 pm (Japan time)
Stage Two February, 2025, [1]

[1] Details to be determined.

[Schedule B]

Special Admission Examination will be held in January 2025 for entrance in April 2025.
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. 26 (Mon) 13:00 (Rooms open) 1 hour Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology III
Aug. 27 (Tue)
or
Aug. 28 (Wed)
To be announced after the written examination Oral examination
Master's program
Aug. 26 (Mon) 13:00 (Rooms open) 30 minutes Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology I
1 hour Basic problems on Chemistry and Biotechnology II
Aug. 27 (Tue)
or
Aug. 28 (Wed)
To be announced after the written examination Oral examination
Doctoral (PhD) Program
Aug. 28 (Mon) 13:00 (Rooms open) 1 hour Specialized subjects
Aug. 29 (Tue)
or
Aug. 30 (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. Kazuaki Kudo (e-mail: ).