How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan (eBook)

DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY

You may come across the terms below over the course of this book and your MEXT scholarship application. There is no need to read through or memorize them all in advance, but they are included here for your reference.

MEXT:

The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. If you put all of those letters together, you get MECSST, which is pronounced “MEXT”.

You may also see the ministry called Monbukagakusho or Monbusho. The first is the official Japanese name and the second is the old Japanese name that still persists, especially among former scholarship winners. All mean the same thing.

JASSO:

The Japan Student Services Organization. JASSO is an quasi-governmental “Independent Administrative Institution” that supports MEXT’s efforts. They are charged with providing information about education in Japan in English and Japanese and also administer payment of government scholarships, including the MEXT Scholarship, on behalf of MEXT.

JAIST:

The Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. A postgraduate-only university in Japan.

Research Student (kenkyûsei):

When MEXT refers to the scholarship for “research students”, they mean kenkyûsei. The better translation is “graduate student” and this term refers to all graduate-level students, whether enrolled in a degree-seeking program, or not.

In Japanese, each individual graduate school within a university is called a kenkyûka, or research division. Kenkyû literally means research, but this term is translated as “graduate school” in almost all situations. For some reason, kenkyûsei, which is derived from “student enrolled in a kenkyûka” is translated as “research student”.

Translated terms in Japan are frustratingly inconsistent like that.

Research Student (hiseikisei):

Universities use the term “research student” to refer to a student who is affiliated with a graduate school, but is not enrolled in a degree program, called seikisei in Japan. As you can see, the word in Japanese is completely different, despite being translated into English with the same term as kenkyûsei. Hiseikisei literally means non-regular student and can refer to pre-graduate students who have not yet been admitted to the degree program or temporary graduate-level students who have no intention of seeking a degree, but just want to take courses and conduct research there.

Many MEXT scholarship winners, especially those who are selected through the Embassy Recommendation, start their studies in Japan as hiseikisei research students.

Degree-Seeking Student:

A degree-seeking student is a student who has passed the entrance exam and been matriculated into the degree program, as opposed to a hiseikisei. You can be a degree-seeking student at any level (undergraduate, masters, or doctoral). Once you are a degree-seeking student, you are “on the clock” to complete your degree within the designated standard number of years of enrollment: four years for undergraduates, two for master’s degrees, and three for doctoral degrees.

MEXT scholars who cannot complete their degrees within the designated standard years will lose the scholarship as soon as it becomes clear that they are unable to complete on time.

Master’s Degree:

For this book, I will use the term Master’s degree to encompass all master’s-level degrees, whether academic or not. In Japan, degrees like Master of Arts or Master of Science are considered to be academic degrees. There are also Master’s-level professional degrees (see below) that fall under this category, such as MBAs and professional master’s in teaching, etc.

Doctoral Degree:

For this book, I will use the term Doctoral degree to encompass all doctorate-level degrees, whether academic or not.

5-year Doctoral Degree:

Some programs in Japan offer a 5-year doctoral degree program with no Master’s degree awarded in the interim. For the purposes of the MEXT scholarship, you would still be considered a Master’s-level student for the first two years, even though you would not earn a degree after that point, and would have to apply for a scholarship extension to cover your participation in the final three years, which would be considered a doctoral degree, from MEXT’s point of view.

If you have an appropriate Master’s degree already, it may be possible to enter a 5-year Doctoral Degree from the third year of studies.

Professional Degree:

Professional degrees are degrees that are required for a specific job qualification, rather than “pure” academic degrees. Examples include MBA, MD, MDDS, DVS, JD, DBA, etc. If you do not know what all of these abbreviations mean, that means that they probably do not apply for your field, so don’t worry! There is no prejudice against professional degrees within the evaluation system, but like anything else, you would have to justify why it is the most appropriate degree for your goal.

Embassy Recommendation:

The process of applying for the MEXT scholarship by submitting your application to the Japanese embassy or consulate in your home country. In this process, you will still need to contact universities later for Letters of Acceptance. For the Embassy Recommendation, your FSRPP has to appeal to the embassy personnel as well as the university professors.

University Recommendation:

The process of applying for the MEXT scholarship by submitting your application to the university in Japan that you wish to attend. In this process, you do not need to go through the Japanese embassy, except for your visa paperwork after selection. For the University Recommendation, your FSRPP should appeal primarily to academic reviewers in your field, but it is still important to include the intended practical outcomes of your research.

Priority Graduate Program:

This is a subset of the University Recommendation. There are some university programs that are pre-approved by MEXT to be able to nominate a specific number of students each year for the scholarship with the guarantee that all will receive it, if eligible. Typically, these programs have very narrow eligibility requirements, for example, they may be limited to students with a particular nationality, in a specific degree program and level, and studying in a specific language. While the list of PGP programs is sometimes made available, the eligibility criteria for each one is often not revealed. If you meet the eligibility criteria for one of these programs, then your competition level is much lower and your chances of winning the scholarship skyrocket, but it is almost impossible to know in advance.

MEXT Scholarship for Top Global Universities:

There are additional scholarship slots available at the universities selected for MEXT’s Top Global University project, through 2024. These scholarship slots have a slightly different set of benefits and application process, but the requirement for the FSRPP is the same.

Primary Screening:

The initial round of the application screening conducted at the embassy/consulate (for Embassy Recommendation) or university (for University Recommendation). This is the competitive round and determines who will be recommended to MEXT for the scholarship. If you pass the primary screening and are recommended to MEXT, you are practically guaranteed to receive the scholarship, so that is what this series of books will focus on.

Secondary Screening:

MEXT’s screening of recommended candidates. Although this screening takes longer than the Primary Screening, it is not competitive and it is practically unheard-of for an applicant to lose the scholarship at this point. MEXT is just double-checking the embassy’s or university’s work to make sure that you are eligible.

Graduation Thesis:

This is the culminating paper or project for a degree. You will be asked to submit an abstract of your previous degree’s thesis for the screening process. Not all degree programs have a final thesis, especially at the undergraduate level. That is fine. If you do not have a thesis or final project, check with the Embassy or University for guidance. You may be asked to submit an abstract of a term paper related to your research or told that you do not need to submit anything.

Your FSRPP should build on the research you conducted in your last graduation thesis, if you have one, or on another major paper and research subject you pursued during your last degree.

Visa:

Japan uses the word “visa” differently from every other country I am aware of. In Japan, a visa is only permission to enter the country. Once you arrive in Japan and pass through immigration, you have used up your visa and no longer have one (except in the case of multiple-entry visas). Instead, you will have a Residence Status, which is your permission to stay in the country.

MEXT scholarship winners have a special student visa application process that bypasses the usual requirement to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility. You will receive more information about the process and specific instructions after selection, but you will only be able to obtain your student visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate in your home country that serves your place of residence.

Residence Status:

Once you pass through immigration in Japan, your visa becomes invalid and you receive a Residence Status, instead. Your Residence Status is your legal permission to live in Japan to pursue the activities listed in that status. MEXT scholarship winners will have a...