Admission Information for Graduate Program in Global Studies
Programs Offered:
■ Master’s Programs: M.A. in Global Studies, M.A. in International Business and Development Studies, M.A. in Japanese Studies
■ Non-degree Program
■ Doctoral Programs: Ph.D. in Global Studies, Ph.D. in Japanese Studies
Before contacting the Admissions Office with questions concerning the English-taught graduate programs, please make sure to confirm this site and the FAQ.
Program Information
The GPGS, founded in April 2006 (formerly the Graduate Program in Comparative Culture from 1979 to 2005), builds on Sophia’s traditional strengths in area studies to study globalization. It emphasizes inquiry into the contemporary world and its historical antecedents through a curriculum that combines the themes of interdisciplinary global studies, theories and methodologies of academic disciplines, and the language training and cross-cultural understandings of Japanese and area studies.
The approximately 30 faculty members in the GPGS have advanced degrees from leading universities around the world and are actively engaged in research and publication in their specializations. They represent many different disciplines, nationalities and cultural backgrounds, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives. A number of professors from other graduate programs in the university are also affiliated with the GPGS.
The following outlines the program structure and the degrees offered for each major:
■ Global Studies (GS)
■ International Business and Development Studies (IDB)
■ Japanese Studies (JS)
In addition to the degrees listed above, GPGS also offers a non-degree program that allows students to take courses across all three majors—Global Studies, International Business and Development Studies, and Japanese Studies—as a short-term study option.
*The GPGS program is under the Graduate School of Global Studies. This Graduate School also offers programs taught only in Japanese (地域研究専攻 and 国際関係論専攻). For more details, see the official website.
Application Information
■ Application Procedure Booklets
This booklet provides an overview of the Graduate Program in Global Studies, including its programs, curriculum, fees. It also outlines the application and admission procedures, such as eligibility, required documents, schedule, and screening process.
Below are the formats of the application documents outlined in the Application Procedure Booklet above.
ITEM E. Recommendation Letter Form PDF (49.57 KB) / WORD (17.20 KB)
ITEM K. Certificate of Health (138.30 KB) (for Non-Degree applicants)
■ Basic Information regarding Admission
- Intake Periods
Spring and Autumn
- Application Schedule
- Date and time are based on Japan Standard Time.
- For applicants to Doctoral Programs: Sophia University may request certain Ph.D. applicants to take an online interview. In such case, the applicants will be notified by the end of October and the interview will be conducted on one of the days of the following week.
- 2027 Intake Schedule:
For Spring (April) 2027 Intake
| Application Period (via MyPage) | August 19, 2026, 10:00 a.m. ~ September 9, 2026, 11:59 p.m. (JST) |
| Application Documents Submission Deadline | September 16, 2026, 11:59 p.m. (JST) |
| Notice of Results | November 11, 2026, 10:00 a.m. (JST) |
| Matriculation Deadline for Admitted Students | December 1, 2026 |
For Autumn (September) 2027 Intake
| Application Period (via MyPage) | March 10, 2027, 10:00 a.m. ~ March 31, 2027, 11:59 p.m. (JST) |
| Application Documents Submission Deadline | April 7, 2027, 11:59 p.m. (JST) |
| Notice of Results | June 9, 2027, 10:00 a.m. (JST) |
| Matriculation Deadline for Admitted Students | June 30, 2027 |
- Screening
Decision on acceptance or rejection will be made based on screening of the documents submitted by the applicant.
Sophia University may request certain applicants to doctoral programs to take an online interview during the screening process. In such case, the applicants will be notified by the end of October and the interview will be conducted on one of the days of the following week. The interview will be recorded for screening and administrative purposes. No interview for M.A. applicants.
- Application Steps
Note: Applicants to the doctoral program are encouraged to contact faculty members. Please be sure to carefully review the Application Procedure Guidelines for further details.
Application is accepted through the following steps.
- Register for the on-line application website (indicated in the booklet above) to create your MyPage.
Important information will be sent to the email address you register here until enrollment in Sophia. Please make sure to use an email address you’ll always be able to check even after leaving your current school. - Make sure to include all your application information during the on-line application (choose all the departments you’re applying for).
Registration for application is open only during the online application period for each admission. - Pay the application fee.
- Submit the application forms and other application materials via the application documents upload website.
*Please refer to this User Guide for detailed instructions on how to use the Application Document Upload Website.
Fees, Scholarships and Housing
Sophia University Graduate School Scholarship for Fostering Researchers in Doctoral Program
Starting April 2022, Sophia University has established a new scholarship program, the “Sophia University Graduate School Scholarship for Fostering Researchers in Doctoral Program”. The scholarship is provided to all regular students who are enrolled in Doctoral Programs of Sophia University Graduate School and satisfy the requirements annually within their required residence term. Students do not need to submit scholarship application at admission.
MEXT Scholarship for Degree Students
If you are interested in the MEXT Embassy Recommendation scholarship, find information in below site.
Note: Sophia University does not accept applications for the following MEXT scholarships.
-Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship [University Recommendation] Top Global University
-Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship [Kokunai Saiyo]
*For Applicants who intend to use the GI Bill to fund their studies: Students entering Sophia University from AY 2024 will not be able to make use of GI Bill benefits to pay for educational expenses.
Other Information
Figures: Download figures for past acceptance information from here .
FAQ: Before contacting the Admissions Office with questions concerning the English-taught graduate programs, please make sure to check the FAQ.
Request for Withdrawal:
The refund policy will be notified to admitted students via the Entrance Procedures booklet.
Following the instructions in the booklet, fill out both forms (A&B) below and submit the files to the Admissions Office if you decide to withdraw.
A. Request for Refund of Matriculation Fee
B-1. Notification Sheet for Remittance (Domestic)
B-2. Notification Sheet for Remittance (Overseas)
*Fill out only the one which applies to the kind of remittance you used (Domestic or Overseas)
