Requirements for Completing Master's Program

* The following is the information for students who have been admitted in the 2018 academic year or after.
Persons admitted in the 2017 academic year or before should inquire with the Academic Affairs Office individually.

In order to complete the master's program, students may choose from the following two options: (1) Acquiring credits for "MASTER THESIS 1" and "MASTER THESIS 2," or (2) acquiring credits for "MASTER PROJECT 1" and "MASTER PROJECT 2" (Non-Thesis Track). Satisfying the requirements described in either (1) or (2) below will lead to the completion of the master's program and the acquisition of a master's degree.

1. Acquiring credits for "MASTER THESIS 1" and "MASTER THESIS 2"
   
   
   • Complete 4 or more semesters at the Graduate School of Media and Governance excluding any period of temporary leave of absence. This does not apply to students who are recognized as having satisfied the requirements for early completion of the master's program.
   • Acquire a total of 30 credits or more (including 2 credits from "MASTER THESIS 1" and "MASTER THESIS 2").
     * Please make sure to check [Important Notes Regarding the Thirty Credits Required to Complete the Master's Program]
   • Acquire credits for "MASTER THESIS 1" (Pass the Mid-term Presentation).
   • Acquire credits for "MASTER THESIS 2" (Pass the Master's Degree Final Presentation and the evaluation of the master's thesis).

1. Acquiring credits for "MASTER PROJECT 1" and "MASTER PROJECT 2" (Non-Thesis Track)
   
   Before deciding to take this option, students should carefully discuss the matter with their Main Research Advisor and be sure to register for the Non-Thesis Track when submitting the title of the master's thesis.
   
   
   • Complete 4 or more semesters at the Graduate School of Media and Governance excluding any period of temporary leave of absence. This does not apply to students who are recognized as having satisfied the requirements for early completion of the master's program.
   • Acquire a total of 30 credits or more (including 2 credits from "MASTER PROJECT 1" and "MASTER PROJECT 2").
     * Please make sure to check [Important Notes Regarding the Thirty Credits Required to Complete the Master's Program].
   • Meet the GPA requirement.
   • Acquire credits for "MASTER PROJECT 1" (Pass the Mid-term Presentation).
   • Acquire credits for "MASTER PROJECT 2" (Pass the Master's Degree Final Presentation and the evaluation of the activities and results report of the Project Courses).

[Important Notes Regarding the Thirty Credits Required to Complete the Master's Program]

・Courses earned from the field [Optional Subjects ("Jiyu Kamoku")] may not be included in the credits required for completing the master's program.
・Up to a total of 16 credits obtained from [Project Courses] and [Master Research Courses ("MASTER SEMINAR")] may be included in the credits required for completing the master's program. For these fields, courses that exceed the limit of 16 credits cannot be registered.
・Up to a total of 10 credits obtained as transferable credits earned before entering the master's program, credits earned from other graduate programs at Keio University, or credits earned at and transferred from other universities after enrolling in the Graduate School of Media and Governance (including from universities overseas) may be included in the credits required for completing the master's program.

[Transferable Credits Earned before Entering the Master's Program]

Undergraduate students in the Faculty of Policy Management or Faculty of Environment and Information Studies as well as non-degree students (for credit) or short-term international students at the Graduate School of Media and Governance who have completed the "Program Courses (excluding courses held in parallel with the undergraduate faculties)" offered by the Graduate School of Media and Governance with grading criteria "S," "A," or "B" may apply for a transfer of their credits after entering the master's program. A maximum of 8 transferred credits may be certified as credits required for completing the master's program.
Credits earned in or before the 2016 academic year will be graded as "G (accredited)", while those earned in or after the 2017 academic year will be graded as S, A, or B. Students cannot include those credits that are counted as credits required to graduate from the undergraduate program as transferable credits earned before entering the master's program.
Students in the Program for Leading Graduate Schools (All-round type) or students in the Bachelor's-Master's Four-Year Integrated Education Program should inquire with the Academic Affairs Office about transferable credits earned before entering the master's program.

[Who should apply] Student him/herself
[How to apply] Apply via Google Form (*Please check the "For freshmen enrolled in April 2021" website for its URL.)
[Application deadline]
Students enrolling in April 2022: May 13 2022
Students enrolling in September 2022: October 27 2022

[Requirements for Early Completion of the Master's Program]

Under Article 109 of the Keio University Graduate Rules and Regulations, students who have fulfilled all requirements for degree completion other than the period of enrollment and are recognized by the Graduate School Committee as having made outstanding research achievements may be awarded a master's degree without having being enrolled for 4 or more semesters.

[Requirements]
Students meet the GPA requirement and have accomplished work equivalent to the following three examples of academic achievements:
1) Completed one original paper that has been published, is awaiting publication, or has been accepted for publication in an academic journal after referees' review, as the only, or primary, author, or
2) Published an academic book, or
3) Become a high-ranked award winner in a well-recognized competition.

[Who should apply] Main Research Advisor (chief examiner)
[How to apply] E-mail the required document to the Academic Affairs Office (g-staff@sfc.keio.ac.jp).
[Required document] Reason for Early Completion of the Master's Program Form

[Application deadline (if completing the program in the 3rd semester)]
Students enrolling in April 2022 (expecting to complete the master's program in September 2023): Thursday, June 30, 2022
Students enrolling in September 2022 (expecting to complete the master's program in March 2024): Thursday, January 19, 2023
* Students planning to complete the program in 2 semesters (1 year) must inform the Academic Affairs Office by the following deadlines: April 7 (for students admitted in the Spring Semester), or September 30 (for students admitted in the Fall Semester). If students fail to inform the office before these deadlines, they will not be able to complete the program in 2 semesters.

[Important notes]
Students must inform their master's thesis reviewer and Master's Degree Final Presentation (Final Examination) Review Committee of their candidacy for early completion of the master's program beforehand. The Graduate School Committee will base its decision on the academic record, outcomes of the Master's Degree Final Presentation (Final Examination), and the Main Research Advisor's assessment of each student concerning the possibility of early completion.

[GPA Requirement]

The GPA is calculated from grades earned from courses at Keio University, excluding grades earned from Project Courses, "MASTER THESIS" courses, Master Research Courses, Optional Subjects, and grades of approved transferable credits earned before entering the master's program. The GPA is calculated based on the following scale: S=4.0, A=3.0, B=2.0, C=1.0, D=0.0. The requirement is to maintain a GPA of 2.5 or above (GPA shall be calculated to 2 decimal places and rounded down to one decimal place).