Application path · Master's / PhD

Graduate School · Reaching a Master's via 研究生 or Direct Exam

This path leads to a master's course at a Japanese graduate school, suited to those who have finished an undergraduate degree and want to do research, and it splits into two routes. One enters a lab first as a 研究生 (a non-degree, non-regular student): you usually contact a prospective supervisor and secure their 内諾/受入承諾, refining your topic and shoring up language and method while preparing for the exam. The other sits the master's entrance exam directly — some research schools even state you need not contact a professor before applying. The key point: 内諾 ≠ admission as a 研究生 ≠ passing the master's exam, and a 研究生 does not automatically advance to a master's — you still must sit the exam. From the master's you can move on to a doctorate or to employment (技術・人文知識・国際業務, etc.); the 研究生 step itself trades time for a stronger research plan and a clearer supervisor match.