International Joint Graduate Program in Resilience and Safety Studies (GP-RSS)　Call for Admissions

1. Recruitment

The International Joint Graduate Program for Resilience and Safety Studies (GP-RSS) is seeking candidates for the Spring semester of 2025.

2. Admissions Prerequisites

Applicants must be a graduate student in one of the participating graduate schools within the GP-RSS (students with supervising faculty in IRIDeS are eligible to apply).
Applicants must be an accepted Tohoku University graduate student in the first year of their masters course (MC), the first two years of their Ph.D. candidacy (博士前期課程), or within the first three semesters of their medical Ph.D. (医学履修課程) by October, 2024. Applicants should demonstrate plans for international research collaboration within the scope of disaster, resilience, and safety studies that involve a research counterpart outside of Japan. Applicants must have strong recommendations from their Ph.D. supervisor who are willing to support their research plans based on international collaboration. Only those deemed a good fit with our program will be considered for candidacy.
In addition, For Spring 2025, the Program Board may consider advanced DC applicants who are expecting to commence the first year of their Ph.D. Such applicants must indicate their application status to the GP-RSS Office via the application number registration form (see 3. Application Procedure), and understand that their admission is contingent on presenting a feasible timeline of program completion.
　DC applicants who are expected to commence the first year of their Ph.D. Such applicants must demonstrate in their research plans that they expect to complete their international collaborative research and doctoral research within the regular completion period.
　MC students applying to enter the program in the second semester of their M2 also fall under this category, and their application will be reviewed as an advanced DC student equivalent.

【Tohoku University Graduate Schools Participating in The GP-RSS】

　The Graduate School of Environmental Studies, School of Medicine, School of Engineering, Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Graduate School for Agriculture, International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS)
※ Our program promotes five-year Ph.D. studentships (一貫教育), therefore, we do not accept applicants who do not wish to continue on to their 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 to the Fellowship, based on their application to the GP-RSS.

※ At the time of application, the applicant may freely designate as an overseas partner university or department an overseas research institution that is currently conducting or is expected to conduct joint research with the applicant's academic advisor or other faculty members in the applicant's laboratory and that is expected to accept the applicant. However, before starting the program under GP-RSS, it is necessary to obtain approval as a partner university or department based on a request from the supervising professor to the program's steering committee.


The GP-RSS has working 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 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 applying concurrently to other degree programs within Tohoku University, the GP-RSS does not allow multiple enrollments. To enroll in the GP-RSS, please decline other degree program offers.

For further information concerning eligibility, please attend our online student information session or contact the office via email.

3. Application Procedure

Application Period: January 6th, 2025 (Mon) - January 31st, 2025 (Fri) at 17:00
Submit to: The GP-RSS Office via email (see Contact Information at the end of text)
Application Number Request: Access https://forms.gle/BaEgV3joho2mkh9Q7　to confirm application eligibility and receive an application number by January 24 th, 2025 (Fri).

※Letters of Reference (Application Form C) are to be submitted in PDF format or directly from the supervisor to the GP-RSS Office to maintain integrity.
※Late, incomplete, inaccurate, or plagiarised applications will not be accepted or considered in admissions. All information and work submitted must be truthful and original. Failure to comply will result in immediate rejection of your application, and will be reported within the University.

4. Application Format

Please prepare the following application and submit during the designated admissions period:

(1) Admissions Application (Application Form A)
(2) Research Motivations (Application Form B)
(3) Reference Letter from your Ph.D. supervisor (Application Form C)
(4) Transcripts (undergraduate and graduate level)
(5) A copy of English language proficiency test (official ETS testing such as the TOEFL or the British IELTS language testing)
(6) A research proposal of your Ph.D. project, equivalent to or a copy of a JSPS DC1/DC2 research proposal (Application Form D)
※ Application Forms will be available for download on http://gp-rss.tohoku.ac.jp/en/admissions.html. Please use the most recent format relevant to your round of admissions.
※Letters of Reference (Application Form C) are to be submitted in PDF format or sent directly from the supervisor to the GP-RSS Office to maintain integrity.
※ For any certificates written in languages other than Japanese or English, please provide a translation in Japanese or English (translations by the applicant is acceptable).
※ The GP-RSS does not accept incomplete applications.
※ The GP-RSS will not return any documents.
※ 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 unavailable at the time of application submission, particularly if you are still in your first year of your MC, 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 February.
※ Details of the interview will be contacted individually.

6. Acceptance

Successful candidates will be notified via the GP-RSS website on March 14th, 2025.

7. Financial Support

We offer financial support to successful candidates who are willing to collaborate internationally, and have shown potential for creative and independent research performance.

Research Assistantship will be offered according to the Tohoku University International Joint Degrees Support Agreement, and is subject to annual change. If you are receiving other forms of financial support, it is imperative that the details of your ongoing support are clearly indicated to the GP-RSS in your application to resolve any conflicts of interest. Please note that the Program may offer candidacy above capacity, and financial support may not necessarily be available in full.

8. Program Completion Requirements

GP-RSS students must meet the degree requirements of their own graduate school as well as our curriculum requirements outlined in http://gp-rss.tohoku.ac.jp/curriculum.html

Contact Information:

Questions regarding the application process and submissions should be addressed to the following email address:
gprss [at] grp.tohoku.ac.jp (replace [at] with @)