This route is for people who already have work experience: you enter a regular master's course through each graduate school's own 社会人特別選抜 (working-professional admission), join a lab under a supervisor, and complete a thesis or equivalent research output driven by a research plan. It differs from the 専門職大学院 (professional school), where a thesis isn't required. Selection usually de-emphasizes written academic exams and centers on the 研究計画書 and interview, and many departments make a pre-application meeting with your prospective supervisor a prerequisite. For overseas working professionals, the first call isn't the entrance exam but the residence-status fork: stay employed on your current status, or quit and switch to 留学. Finish it and you hold a formal master's enrollment that bridges to a doctoral course or back into your career with a degree in hand.
Core stage · ready to startContent verified on 2026-06-10