Kagoshima University

The university's graduate schools cover various fields. The number of graduate students in the university totals is approximately 1800-1900 including the courses of master's, doctoral and professional degree. A master's degree is awarded to those having completed a master's course which lasts normally for two years. Students who have finished a master's course in humanities and social sciences, science, agriculture, fisheries or engineering can apply for the corresponding doctoral courses. If there is no relevant doctoral course in this university, students might apply for a doctoral course in another university. In the field of medical, dental and veterinary science, no master's courses are offered because they have six-year undergraduate courses. Students who have completed their undergraduate courses in these fields can directly apply for the corresponding doctoral courses. A two-year medical science master course is open to those who have graduated in other disciplines and aim to obtain knowledge and techniques relating to medicine and dentistry in order to play a significant role in various fields after completing the course. A doctorate in humanities and social sciences, health sciences, agriculture, fisheries, science and engineering is awarded to those having completed a three-year doctoral course. In the case of doctorates in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, completion of a four-year doctoral course is required. A professional degree (JD) is awarded to those having completed a three- year professional graduate course of Law School. The professional graduate school for clinical psychology provides a master's degree to those having completed a two-year master course.

　Japanese universities have another system called ronpaku. This system provides researchers with a chance to obtain doctorates from Japanese universities through the submission of a dissertation without going through the course studies. A person who wishes to be awarded the ronpaku degree is required to have already made good achievements in his/ her research field and is recommended to make contact with a program advisor of the Graduate School of Kagoshima University before submission of his/her dissertation.