International Joint Graduate Program in Resilience and Safety Studies (GP-RSS) Call for Admissions – Fall 2025
1. Recruitment
The International Joint Graduate Program for Resilience and Safety Studies (GP-RSS) is now accepting applications for the Fall semester of 2025.
2. Admissions Prerequisites
Applicants must be enrolled in one of the participating graduate schools within the GP-RSS. (students with a supervising faculty member affiliated with IRIDeS are eligible to apply).
Applicants must be accepted graduate students of Tohoku University who fall into one of the following categories by April 2025:
•First year Master’s course (MC)
•First two years of Ph.D. candidacy (博士前期課程)
•Within the first three semesters of their medical Ph.D. (医学履修課程)
Applicants should demonstrate clear plans for international research collaboration within the scope of disaster, resilience, and safety studies, involving a counterpart researcher outside Japan. Applicants must also have strong recommendations from their Ph.D. supervisors, who are willing to support their internationally collaborative research plans. Only those deemed a strong fit for our program will be considered for candidacy.
For Fall 2025, the Program Board may also consider advanced DC applicants who are expected to commence the first year of their Ph.D. These applicants must indicate their application status to the GP-RSS Office via the application number registration form (see Section 3. Application Procedure). Admission is contingent upon presenting a feasible timeline of program completion.
DC applicants in this category must demonstrate in their research plans that they are able to complete their international collaborative research and doctoral research within the regular period for degree completion.
MC students applying in the second semester of their second year (M2) will also be reviewed as equivalent to advanced DC applicants.
【Tohoku University Graduate Schools Participating in The GP-RSS】
The Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Medicine,
Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of International Cultural
Studies, Graduate School of Agriculture Science, and International Research
Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) are participating in the GP-RSS.
※ Our program promotes five-year integrated Ph.D. studentships (一貫教育); therefore, we do not accept applicants who do not intend to continue on to the doctoral course (DC).
※ The GP-RSS promotes applications to the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Research Fellowship for Young Scientists (DC1 and DC2). All GP-RSS students are expected to apply for the Fellowship in conjunction with their application to the GP-RSS.
※ At the time of application, applicants may freely designate an overseas partner university or institution that is currently conducting, or is expected to conduct, joint research with the applicant's academic advisor or other faculty members in the laboratory, and that is expected to accept the applicant. However, before officially starting the program under GP-RSS, approval from the partner university or department must be obtained based on a request submitted by the supervising professor to the program's steering committee.
The GP-RSS maintains collaborative relationships with the following overseas affiliates:
The United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Germany; United Nations University - Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), Japan; United Nations University - International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH), Malaysia; Harvard University Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, USA; National University of Singapore, Singapore; Tsinghua University, China; Seoul National University, Korea; Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea; Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia; Brawijyaya University, Indonesia; The University of Queensland (Australia); Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands; Nankai University College of Economic and Social Development, China; and Novosibirsk State University, Russia. Etc.,
※ Applicants from the Graduate School of Engineering are eligible to participate in the Global Safety Program, and will be contacted individually.
※ While our program does not prohibit applicants from concurrently applying to other degree programs within Tohoku University, dual enrollment is not permitted. To enroll in the GP-RSS, applicants must decline any other degree program offers.
For further information concerning eligibility, please attend our online student information session or contact the GP-RSS Office via email.
3. Application Procedure
Application Period: June 27, 2025 (Fri) – July 31, 2025 (Thu) at 17:00
Submit to: The GP-RSS Office via email (see 9. Contact Information)
Letters of Reference (Application Form C) must be submitted in PDF format or sent directly by the supervisor to the GP-RSS Office to maintain confidentiality and integrity.
※Late, incomplete, inaccurate, or plagiarised applications will not be accepted or considered for admission. All submitted information and work must be truthful and original. Any failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification of your application, and will be reported to the University.
4. Application Format
Please prepare the following materials and submit during the designated admissions period:
(1) Admissions Application (Application Form A)
(2) Research Motivation Statement (Application Form B)
(3) Reference Letter from your Ph.D. supervisor (Application Form C)
(4) Academic Transcripts (undergraduate and graduate levels)
(5) Copy of English Language Proficiency Test Score (official scores from TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent)
(6) Ph.D. research proposal, equivalent to or a copy of a JSPS DC1/DC2 research proposal (Application Form D)
※ Application Forms can be downloaded from: http://gp-rss.tohoku.ac.jp/en/admissions.html. Please use the latest format relevant to the current admissions.
※Letters of Reference (Application Form C) must be submitted in PDF format or sent directly by the supervisor to the GP-RSS Office to maintain integrity.
※ For any certificates written in languages other than Japanese or English a translation in Japanese or English must be provided (translations by the applicant is acceptable).
※ Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
※ Submitted documents will not be returned.
※ TOEFL, TOEL iBT, TOEFL ITP, and TOEIC are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). We do not accept GRE scores in lieu of a language proficiency test. You must provide proof of an English language proficiency score.
※ If English is your native language and you were not required to take a language proficiency test upon entering Tohoku University, please have your supervisor write to the GP-RSS Office corroborating your language capabilities.
※ If a copy of your JSPS DC1/DC2 application is not available at the time of submission, particularly if you are still in the first year of your MC, you may submit a research proposal of equivalent content (Application Form D) .
5. Selection Process
Applicants who submit complete applications will be eligible for an interview.
Interviews will be conducted by late August.
※ Details regarding the interview will be provided individually to each applicant.
6. Acceptance
Successful candidates will be notified via the GP-RSS website on September 17, 2025.
7. Financial Support
We offer financial support to successful candidates who demonstrate a willingness to engage in international collaboration, and show potential for creative and independent research performance.
A Research Assistantship will be offered in accordance with the Tohoku University International Joint Degrees Support Agreement. The amount and conditions are subject to annual change.
If you are currently receiving other forms of financial support, you must clearly indicate the details in your application to the GP-RSS to address any potential conflicts of interest. Please note that the Program may offer more candidates than the number of available financial support slots; therefore, financial support is not guaranteed for all successful applicants.
8. Program Completion Requirements
GP-RSS students must fulfill the degree requirements of their respective graduate school, as well as our curriculum requirements outlined on the GP-RSS website: http://gp-rss.tohoku.ac.jp/curriculum.html
9.Contact Information:
For questions regarding the application process and documents submission should be addressed to the following email address:
gprss [at] grp.tohoku.ac.jp (replace [at] with @)
