Admission Guide

PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering
Data Science Medicine Global Leader Program (DS-GLP)
(5-year Master’s and Doctoral Program)

For International Students with Japanese Government Scholarship

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Academic Policies
Outline of the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Track
List of Supervisors
3. Graduate Admission
- Admission Requirements
- Application Filing Period
- Acceptance of Admission
4. Application Documents
5. Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship
6. Features of the Program
7. Selection
8. Visa Acquisition
9. Enrollment Term
10. Contacting the Application Processing Service

1. Introduction

Dear Applicant:
Thank you for considering Tokyo Medical and Dental University for your graduate study. Our master’s and doctoral programs are highly ranked and are comprised of a full spectrum of biomedical study for both academic and professional carriers. In 2007 Tokyo Medical and Dental University has started a new International Graduate Program for Biomedical Science to offer more opportunities for international students to study in this area. In 2014 and 2018, this program was reformed. In this program, all courses are lectured in English. Tokyo Medical and Dental University gratefully accepts motivated applicants and promotes the diversity of the graduate school.

We offer you our best wishes for your successful application to the Program.

Caution:
The International Graduate Program for Biomedical Sciences is supported by a Japanese Educational Government subsidy. Tokyo Medical and Dental University ensures to provide scholarship for international students who will start their study from the master’s program and continue to complete the doctor’s program in totally up to 5 years. In other words, the International Graduate Program Scholarship is not allowed to those who will start the study from the doctor’s program in Tokyo Medical and Dental University.

2. Academic policies

Outline of the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Track
Although the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Track constitutes one of the two tracks of Data Science Medicine Global Leader Program (DS-GLP), the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Track covers broad fields in biomedical sciences and engineering. Recent development in bioscience, bioinformatics and biotechnology made important advancements in medicine by allowing us to study genomic information on disease susceptibility, molecular mechanisms on disease development, and development of new therapies through drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Effective management of health issues urgently requires nurturing professionals and leaders who have research capability and practical knowledge and skills in biomedical sciences and engineering.

TThe DSMP is a rigorous and flexible program. Japan has the highest level of bioscience and medicine in the world, with the quality of advancement in bioscience and biotechnology, and Tokyo Medical and Dental University has been consistently ranked by Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking as one of the top five medical schools in Japan. The students will be exposed to an environment with high standards of research. At the same time, the students will be given opportunities to study across disciplines from bioscience and biotechnology to data science while developing their own specialty.

Furthermore, students are able to have advisors from other disciplines such as chemistry, pharmaceutical science and information science, and to participate in various educational programs outside the classroom.

List of Supervisors

Supervisor Field Contact Address Research Projects
Hiroshi Nishina (Professor) Developmental and Regenerative Biology nishina.dbio@mri.tmd.ac. jp
  1. Signaling pathways that regulate organ formation
  2. Signaling pathways that regulate vertebrate early embryogenesis
Nobutoshi Ito (Professor) Structural Biology ito.str@tmd.ac. jp
  1. Structure analysis by protein crystallography and cryo EM for disease-related proteins, including immune-system, nuclear receptors, and autophagy-related proteins.
  2. Thermodynamic analysis of protein-protein interactions.
Hiroyuki Kagechika (Professor) Organic and Medicinal Chemistry kage.chem@tmd.ac. jp
  1. Medicinal Chemistry of Retinoid and Nuclear Receptors
  2. Development of Novel Modulators of Gene Transcription or Signaling Pathway for Clinical Application toward Intractable Diseases
  3. Development of Functional Fluorescent Molecules for Elucidation of Cellular Signaling Pathway

Hirokazu Tamamura (Professor) Medicinal Chemistry and Organic Chemistry tamamura.mr@tmd.ac. jp
  1. Medicinal chemistry of small drugs: antagonists and inhibitors
  2. Organic chemistry of peptides and peptidomimetics
  3. Development of mid-size drugs
  4. Chemical biology for bioprobes
Akio Kishida (Professor) Material-based Medical Engineering kishida.mbme@tmd.ac. jp
  1. Materials and engineering for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
  2. Novel biomaterials based on interface science
  3. Basic study for biocompatibility

3. Graduate Admission

- Admission Requirements
(1) Academic Background: Applicants must have a minimum of 16 years of education or will complete such education by the end of September 2021, and have a bachelor's degree or will gain such degree by the end of September 2021. Alternatively, applicant's ability must be recognized by Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School as equal or superior to than that of a university graduate.
(2) Age: Applicants must be 34 years old or younger as of April 1, 2021
(3) Applicants must not be those who live in Japan at the time of application.

(*1) Military personnel and civilian military employees registered on the active list are not eligible.
(*2) The grants will be cancelled if grantees fail to arrive in Japan by October 14, 2021.
(*3) An applicant who has already won scholarships awarded by the government of his/her own country or/from private organizations will not be selected unless he/she declares intention to decline receipt of these scholarships once he/she is selected as this scholarship student.
(*4) TThe grants will be cancelled if an applicant on a bachelor's program at the time of application fails to complete the bachelor's program by September 30, 2021.
(*5) The following people are not qualified to apply for this course;
1. Those who applied or will apply for the Japanese Government Scholarship for the year 2021 with the recommendation of universities other than Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
2. Those who applied or will apply for the Japanese Government Scholarship for the year 2021 or 2022 with a recommendation from a Japanese embassy.

(4) The scholarship will be canceled if, at the time of enrollment, an applicant does not possess the Japanese visa acquired through the procedure instructed by the Foreign Student Support Unit, Tokyo Medical Dental University (see 8. Visa Acquisition).

Applicants need to take contact with the prospective supervisor before sending application documents.

- Application Filing Period
from December 28, 2020 to January 22, 2021

- Acceptance of Admission
The results will be posted to all applicants by the beginning of July 2021.

Note: Applicants must have sufficient English language proficiency. Applicants’ English proficiency must be certified by one of the following.
(a) An English language proficiency test score equivalent to the B2 CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) level or above. (Test scores equivalent to the B2 CEFR level: TOEFL iBT 72-94, IELTS 5.5-6.5.)
(b) Completion of courses of study where the language of instruction is English to meet entry requirements to the Graduate School in Japan.
(c) English proficiency as equal or superior to the above (a) qualification recognized by TMDU.

4. Application Documents

The applicant should first obtain approval of a course of study from the supervisor of the laboratory you wish to belong to. The supervisors are listed at http://sbsn.tmd.ac.jp/eng/faculty/

Applicants must submit the following documents:

1) Application form for Japanese Government (MEXT: Monbukagakusho) Scholarship: Form 5 (digital file and a paper version printed on both sides) 1 (original & digital file)
2) Field of Study and Study Program: Form 6 (digital file and a paper version printed on both sides) 1 (original & digital file)
3) Recommendation Report: Form1 (filled out by the prospective supervisor) 1 (original & digital file)
4) Total academic Report: Form 3 (filled out by the prospective supervisor) 1 (original)
5) Certificates of graduation (or expected graduation) from university. Certificate of completion (or prospective completion) of graduate course or degree, if any 1 (original)
6) Official academic transcripts from university and/or graduate school attended which certifies the achievement of an excellent academic record issued by the last school you attended (e.g. GPA, classification, ranking, etc.) 1 (original)
7) Thesis or its equivalent by which the applicant earned his/her bachelor's degree, if any. Only documents in English are acceptable. If the applicant attended a bachelor's program which does not require a thesis, please state so and submit its equivalent, if any. 1 (copy)
8) Certificate of family register or citizenship in the applicant's home country, if any 1 (original)
9) A photocopy of your passport 1 (original)
10) A letter of reference from a head of the institution the applicant belongs to and another reference is desirable from a supervisor who knows the applicant personally. All recommendation letters should be addressed to “the President of Tokyo Medical and Dental University.” 1 (original)
11) A photograph taken within the past 6 months (4.5x3.5 cm-sized, upper frontal view without a hat) Write the name and nationality on the back, and paste it on the application form as indicated. 1 (original)
12) A document to certify English proficiency, such as a TOEFL/IELTS score, when an applicant is not a native in English. 1 (original)
13) Medical certificate (should be within the past 6 months) 1 (original)

All of the above documents should be sent by email and also by express mail in a single package to:

Foreign Student Support Unit
Global Gateway Division,
International Exchange Division,
Tokyo Medical and Dental University
5-45, Yushima 1-Chome, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 113-8510, JAPAN
TEL +81-3-5803-4077/4076 FAX: +81-3-5803-0366
E-mail: fssu@ml.tmd.ac.jp

The documents must be received by January 22, 2021.

Applicants from China Medical University (CMU) are advised to contact the International Exchange Center, CMU, but must submit the application documents directly to Foreign Student Support Unit, TMDU by January 22, 2021

Caution: Applicants need to take contact with the prospective supervisor before sending application documents.

5. Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship

Students accepted to the program will be financially supported by Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship through university recommendation.
Although the master’s and doctoral programs are independent from each other, this scholarship will only be granted to students who will start their study at Tokyo Medical and Dental University from the master’s program and continue to complete the doctoral program. The scholarship gives a monthly stipend (147,000 Yen for master’s program students, 148,000 Yen for doctoral program students*) for two years. If Japanese government approves extension of scholarship, you can receive the scholarship for a maximum of five years (*This stipend is subject to change by the rule of Monbukagakusho).
Successful applicants for the Monbukagakusho Scholarship are not requested to pay the entrance examination, admission and tuition fees during the master’s program. If you can extend the scholarship for five years, you are not requested to pay the entrance examination, admission and tuition fees for the doctor’s program during the master’s program.

6. Features of the Program

(1) Students engage in study and research using English
(2) Applicants are allowed to take the entrance examination in their countries of residence
(3) Once students gain required credits at master’s and PhD programs, submit a dissertation on their research work, and pass a final examination, students will be awarded a Master’s degree (Science or Engineering) and PhD degree (Science or Engineering).

7. Selection

Successful applicants will be selected based on their application documents and the interview (direct or over the Internet) with our professors. Applicants will be interviewed by Internet in February, and are informed of the details of interview by email at the begging of February. Applicants from CMU must contact the International Exchange Center, CMU, to obtain information of interview.

8. Visa Acquisition

Successful applicants must apply for visa according to the instruction given by the Foreign Student Support Unit, Tokyo Medical Dental University.

Successful applicants must not apply visa before they receive a formal acceptance letter issued by Tokyo Medical and Dental University in June/July 2021. After receipt of the formal acceptance letter, “Student” visa must be newly applied at the Japanese embassy or consulate in the applicant's country of nationality regardless of whether they possess valid Japanese visa.

9. Enrollment Term

October 1, 2021

10. Contacting the Application Processing Service

If you have questions about your application, please ask by e-mail.

E-mail: fssu@ml.tmd.ac.jp

Foreign Student Support Unit
Global Gateway Division,
International Exchange Section,
Tokyo Medical and Dental University
5-45, Yushima 1-Chome, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 113-8510, JAPAN

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