Environmental Studies

Graduate School of Environmental Studies (GSES)

By bringing together the multidisciplinary knowledge of Tohoku University, the Graduate School of Environmental Studies (GSES) aims to establish environmental science as an integrated discipline that transcends the traditional divisions of the humanities and sciences in order to establish a culture supporting sustainable development as well as technologies and systems needed to establish resource-circulating societies. To achieve this goal, GSES has set the educational objective of fostering individuals equipped with a combination of broad knowledge and deep expertise relevant to the understanding and solving of environmental problems. By effectively integrating insights from existing academic fields while creating new frontiers of knowledge, GSES seeks to foster environmental professionals capable of playing an active role in the international community. GSES is looking for students who share these goals. We especially welcome applicants with a strong
desire and ability to carry out study and research, and the fundamental academic skills needed to achieve their goals.

Six entrance examination subject-groups are conducted to match the varying expertise of applicants. In each subject-group, students are selected through six different examination procedures: General Selection, Special Selection for Recommended Students, Special Selection for Working Persons, Special Selection for International Students, and Special Selection for Graduates of the Early Graduation System. Selection is made based on the applicant’s motivation to conduct research in line with the educational goals of GSES, as well as academic knowledge and outstanding research capabilities.

Master’s course (2 years)

In the General Selection examination, applicants are required to take a written examination to evaluate their specialized knowledge in the relevant field, logical thinking, and ability to write an essay about a specific topic. In addition, applicants must sit an oral examination or interview (hereinafter referred to as the “oral examination”) to evaluate their motivations and research ability as well as their capacity to carry out environmental science in an integrated setting. The selection process is based on a comprehensive evaluation that includes the results of both the written and oral examination, with emphasis placed on the written examination’s outcome.

Although the content of the examinations for the Special Selection examinations differs according to the characteristics of the targeted applicants, the evaluation and scoring procedure is essentially the same as that of the General Selection examination. However, in the case of the examination for the Special Selection for Working Persons, the relevance of the applicant’s professional experience to the proposed research topic is assessed during the oral examination. In the case of the Special Selection for International Students examination in the Humanities and Social Science Group, whether the applicant’s Japanese proficiency is sufficient for research will also be assessed. In all fields, we expect
applicants to have acquired the English language skills necessary for writing and discussing research papers as well as understanding the fundamentals of each specialized field before entering the GSES master courses.

Doctoral course (3 years)

The General Selection examination may include a written component to ascertain if applicants possess a high level of specialized knowledge in the relevant academic field.
However, in particular, the oral examination will be used to comprehensively evaluate the applicant’s ability to think logically and formulate a research plan based on a critical consideration of previous research.
In the same way, although the examinations of the Special Selection for Working Persons and the Special Selection for International Students may also include a written examination to assess the applicant’s possession of specialized knowledge, selection will mainly be made on the quality of the research proposal along with the applicant’s motivation and sense of mission to carry out academic research in a university setting.
In the Special Selection for Working Persons and the Special Selection for International Students, while the applicant’s expertise may be assessed through a written examination if necessary, selection is mainly based on the oral examination.
In all fields, we expect applicants to have acquired both advanced skills and fundamental knowledge in their respective fields of specialization as well as the ability to orally present research in academic conferences and publish academic papers.