Graduate School of Human Informatics
Research guidance plans and evaluation criteria for the Master's and Doctoral programs.
Master's Program
I. Research Guidance Plan (Flowchart for Degree Acquisition)
- Preparation for teaching
- Based on the research plan of the graduate student confirmed during the entrance examination, a primary supervisor and several co-supervisors will be selected to establish a supervisory system.
- First year
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April - During the orientation held immediately after enrollment, students will receive basic information about Graduate Schools studies, an introduction to available facilities and equipment, and financial support systems, as well as a general explanation of course registration. Following this, individual guidance on course registration will be provided by their academic advisors and course instructors.
- Graduate students create a one-year study plan and submit a corresponding "Course Registration Form."
May to January - Graduate students take "Human Informatics Seminar I" and, under the guidance of their main and co-supervisors, conduct research activities such as literature reviews, experiments, and surveys. Through these activities, they learn research methods in their field and simultaneously narrow down their own research themes.
February to March - Graduate students publish the results of their year-long studies in the "Annual Journal Graduate School of Human Informatics."
- 2nd year
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April - At the orientation held at the beginning of the academic year, explanations will be given regarding the schedule for submitting the master's thesis, the necessary procedures for submission, and the review process after thesis submission.
- Graduate students must prepare a "Course Registration Form," a "Master's Thesis Title Form," and a "Master's Thesis Preparation Guidance Application Form" describing their research progress and future research plans, and submit them after obtaining approval from their academic advisor.
May to December - Graduate students take "Human Informatics Seminar II," and under the guidance of their main and co-supervisors, they report on the progress of experiments and surveys based on their research plans and engage in discussions, using these as the foundation to complete their master's thesis.
January - Graduate students submit their "master's thesis" along with other required documents.
- A thesis review and a final examination (oral or written) will be conducted.
February to March - Graduate students publish the results of their year-long studies in the "Annual Journal Graduate School of Human Informatics."
March - Degree conferment
II. Criteria for each evaluation
- Criteria for thesis review and final examination
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Applicable to students entering in the 2026 academic year and beyond.
The evaluation criteria include meeting the basic requirements of an academic research paper and demonstrating the submitter's fundamental research capabilities. Specifically, the evaluation will cover: ① the format of an academic research paper (DP4), ② whether the research topic is set based on a thorough understanding of prior research in the research field and related fields (DP1), ③ consistency of argument (DP2), and ④ the appropriateness of data and material analysis and the accuracy of the arguments based on the analysis results (DP2, DP3).
The final examination assesses the content of the doctoral dissertation and the student's level of understanding of the relevant field through oral or written examination (DP4).
Until students entering in the 2025 academic year
The evaluation criteria include meeting the basic requirements of an academic research paper and demonstrating the submitter's fundamental research capabilities. Specifically, the paper will be evaluated from the following perspectives: ① the format of an academic research paper (DP4), ② the consistency of the argument (DP1, DP2), and ③ the appropriateness of the analysis of data and materials and the accuracy of the arguments based on the analysis results (DP2, DP3).
The final examination assesses the content of the doctoral dissertation and the student's level of understanding of the relevant field through oral or written examination (DP4).
- Criteria (requirements) for awarding degrees
The requirements for degree conferral are: (1) having acquired all the necessary credits for required subjects, and (2) passing the thesis examination and the final examination.
Doctoral course
I. Research Guidance Plan (Flowchart for Degree Acquisition)
- Preparation for teaching
- Based on the research theme and research plan confirmed by the graduate student upon admission, a primary supervisor and multiple co-supervisors will be selected from two or more fields to establish a supervisory system.
- First year
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April - At the orientation held at the beginning of the academic year, information is provided on available facilities and equipment, financial support systems, and general explanations regarding course registration. Following this, individual guidance on research plans is provided by the supervising professor.
- Graduate students develop a one-year research plan and submit a corresponding "course enrollment form."
May to January - Graduate students take "Human Informatics Seminar III" and, under the guidance of their primary and secondary supervisors, lay the foundation for writing their doctoral dissertations. Specifically, they study research methods based on the accumulation of empirical data, problem formulation, and data analysis methods, while reading both the latest literature and more fundamental and classical texts.
February to March - Graduate students summarize their learning achievements over the year in a short essay and publish it in the "Annual Journal Graduate School of Human Informatics."
- 2nd year
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April - At the orientation held at the beginning of the academic year, the annual academic schedule is presented, followed by individual guidance on research plans from academic advisors.
- Graduate students formulate a one-year research plan and submit a corresponding "course enrollment form."
May to January - Graduate students take "Human Informatics Seminar IV," where they narrow down their research topics by analyzing and discussing literature and materials on the latest technologies and methodologies under the guidance of their main and co-supervisors.
February to March - Graduate students summarize their learning achievements over the year in a short essay and publish it in the "Annual Journal Graduate School of Human Informatics."
- Third year
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April - At the orientation held at the beginning of the academic year, explanations will be given regarding the timeline for submitting the doctoral dissertation, the necessary procedures for submission, and the review process after the dissertation is submitted.
- Graduate students must prepare a "Course Registration Form," a "Doctoral Dissertation Title Form," and a "Doctoral Dissertation Guidance Application Form" describing their research progress and future research plans, and submit them after obtaining approval from their supervising professor.
May to June - Graduate students must submit a "Preliminary Review Title Form" and a "Research Plan (including a list of publications)."
- A preliminary review will be conducted, and the results will be communicated.
- Graduate students aim to complete and submit a thesis that meets the conditions identified and confirmed during the preliminary review.
May to December - Graduate students take "dissertation guidance" courses and complete their doctoral dissertations while learning the necessary knowledge and techniques for writing their dissertations under the guidance of their primary and secondary supervisors.
January - Graduate students submit their doctoral dissertation along with other required documents.
- A thesis review and a final examination (oral or written) will be conducted.
February to March - Graduate students summarize their learning achievements over the year in a short essay and publish it in the "Annual Journal Graduate School of Human Informatics."
March - Degree conferment
II. Criteria for each evaluation
- Preliminary examination criteria
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In the preliminary examination, the examination committee will assess the feasibility of completing a thesis within the specified period that meets the "Criteria for thesis Review" described later, and whether the "Criteria for the Award of a Degree" are satisfied. At the same time, the committee will agree with the graduate student on the conditions necessary to meet the review criteria, and will record and store these conditions.
- Criteria for thesis review and final examination
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Applicable to students entering in the 2026 academic year and beyond.
The criteria for evaluating a paper are that it meets the basic requirements of an academic research paper and demonstrates that the submitter possesses the advanced research capabilities and rich academic knowledge necessary to conduct independent research activities as a researcher in their field of specialization. Specifically, papers are evaluated from the following perspectives: ① the format of an academic research paper (DP4), ② a thorough understanding of prior research in the research field and related fields, and the setting of a high-level research topic based on this understanding (DP1), ③ consistency of argument (DP2), ④ appropriateness of data and material analysis and accuracy of arguments based on the analysis results (DP2, DP3), and ⑤ new insights that contribute to the development of the field of specialization (DP3).
The final examination assesses the content of the doctoral dissertation and the student's level of understanding of the relevant field through oral or written examination (DP4).
Until students entering in the 2025 academic year
The criteria for evaluating submitted papers are that they meet the basic requirements of an academic research paper and demonstrate that the submitter possesses the advanced research capabilities and rich academic knowledge necessary to conduct independent research activities as a researcher in their field of specialization. Specifically, papers are evaluated from the following perspectives: ① the format as an academic research paper (DP3 until FY2023, DP4 from FY2024 onwards), ② consistency of argument (DP1, DP2 until FY2023, DP1, DP2 from FY2024 onwards), ③ appropriateness of data and material analysis and accuracy of arguments based on the analysis results (DP2, DP3 until FY2023, DP2, DP3 from FY2024 onwards), and ④ new insights that contribute to the development of the field of specialization (DP3 until FY2023, DP3 from FY2024 onwards).
The final examination assesses the content of the doctoral dissertation and the level of understanding of the relevant field through oral or written examinations (DP3 until 2023, DP4 from 2024 onwards).
- Criteria (requirements) for awarding degrees
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The criteria (requirements) for awarding a degree are: (1) fulfilling the required number of credits; (2) having published or been accepted for at least two papers in academic journals related to the research topic of the doctoral dissertation during the course of study (one of which must be in a well-established, peer-reviewed academic journal); and (3) demonstrating a reasonable level of knowledge in the field of the doctoral dissertation topic and proficiency in a foreign language, and passing the dissertation defense and final examination.