Information for applicants

Admissions information

Ideal program graduates

    This program is designed to foster researchers who can create super smart societies, contribute to the fourth industrial revolution, and lead the world in pioneering new areas of study within the field of informatics. Our aim is to develop the practical scientists and engineers who will serve as global leaders, paving the way for new projects at multinational companies, particularly IT firms developing a worldwide presence.

    To that end, the program gives graduates: 1) The skills to understand the problems facing the global community from a technological perspective and the ability to create a vision for the future of industry, 2) Highly specialized knowledge in the field of informatics as well as wide-ranging interests and penetrating insight into the technologies that will help to create a super smart society, and 3) The ability to drive innovation through exceptional originality and advanced research.

Placements available per academic year

Important information

1. Applicants apply either to Nagoya Institute of Technology or to University of Wollongong. Applicants to NITech take their entrance examination at NITech. In such instances, the entrance procedure, payment of tuition and other costs, and applications for grants and scholarships will be handled at NITech. 2. Applicants cannot apply to both NITech and UOW for the Joint Degree Doctoral Program in Informatics. 3. Applicants should ideally have a level of English proficiency equivalent to 6.0 in each category and  an overall score of 6.5 or higher in the IELTS Academic module. Admission guides are posted here. Please refer to the one named “Joint Degree Doctoral Program in Informatics”.

About the IELTS (translated from the Eiken Foundation of Japan website)

    The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the ideal test for people who are looking to move to the UK, Australia, Canada, or other English-speaking countries and need proof of their English ability for overseas study or training. The IELTS is accepted by nearly every institute of higher learning in the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, while more than 3,000 educational institutions in the US accept IELTS scores instead of TOEFL scores for admissions. More and more people are taking the IELTS worldwide, and it is becoming the global standard for English proficiency certification. The IELTS is jointly owned and administered by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge Assessment English. Within Japan, it is administered by the Eiken Foundation of Japan. IELTS is available in two versions: the Academic Module and the General Training Module. The Academic Module evaluates whether the applicant has achieved the level of English proficiency needed to be admitted to a university or graduate school that gives classes in English. Universities and graduate schools in the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand use the Academic Module test results as one of their criteria for admissions.

Curriculum

    In this program, one supervising instructor is assigned from each university, and the two supervising instructors collaborate. A research guidance plan is created and research guidance provided based on the research plan created by the student and in accordance with the individual characteristics of each student’s research and their progress. The standard length of the program is 3 years; for one year during the program (usually during the second year), the student will stay at the partner university and conduct research. In the case of students enrolled at Nagoya Institute of Technology, the first year will involve advancement of research at Nagoya Institute of Technology, deepening the student’s professional insight and the acquisition of expert knowledge. In the second year, the student will travel to Australia and complement their research through exposure to fields in which University of Wollongong excels, working under the UOW supervisor. There, they will also develop a broader international perspective through encounters with different cultures. In their third year, the student will return to the Nagoya Institute of Technology and complete their doctoral dissertation by summarizing their research results. The supervising instructors work jointly across a great geographical distance and students can receive guidance from both academic advisors online. Both advisory professors prepare a system that allows students to share their research progress and the knowledge and abilities they have acquired. A rubric is used to assess the abilities students have achieved. Students will go through a “1st-year final research proposal review” by the end of the first year, and an “Mid-course review” by the end of the second year. At the end of the program, the student will deliver a paper to the Joint Academic Review Committee consisting of academic advisors of both universities, and will undergo oral exams and final exams.

Academic schedule