International Physics Course-PhD (English)

Entry requirements

Academic Qualifications

Applicants must meet at least one of the following:

• Have been awarded (or expect to be awarded) a Master’s degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Master’s before enrollment
• Have graduated from a university and possess at least 2 years of research experience, with demonstrated research achievements equivalent to Master’s level at the University of Osaka

Language Requirements

Must be able to speak and understand English well enough to:

• Attend lectures
• Conduct laboratory research
• (All academic activities, including interviews, are conducted in English.)

Supervisor Approval

Applicants must:

• Contact a prospective supervisor in advance
• Obtain a “Letter of Conditional Acceptance” confirming the supervisor’s willingness to host them if they pass the entrance exam
• Early communication is strongly recommended, especially for specialized research alignment

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit:

• Letter of conditional acceptance
• Application form
• Official transcripts (undergraduate and graduate)
• Certificate of Master’s degree (or expected completion)
• Statement of purpose (research motivation and plans)
• Master’s thesis (or a summary if not yet completed)
• At least two evaluation letters from academic referees

Other Requirements

Must pass the selection process, including:

• Written examination in physics (focused on the applicant’s research field + fundamentals)
• Interview (in English, typically online)
• Must coordinate early with a supervisor to align on research direction

For full eligibility criteria, program-specific requirements, and detailed application procedures, applicants should refer to the official application guidelines for their chosen program and admission scheme.

Months of entry

April

Course content

The International Physics Course (IPC) is a degree program conducted in English inside the Department of Physics and the Department of Earth and Space Science of the Graduate School of Science of the University of Osaka. It offers Master and Ph.D. degrees, completed usually in 2 and 3 years respectively. In the IPC, we provide graduate students with an education and research environment where English is the standard language. See our curriculum, syllabi, and advanced seminars.

Students in the IPC can work from the beginning as active members of international collaborations in theory or experiment. The University of Osaka is rather unique among universities because we have our own large-scale facilities on campus, including a high-power laser and a high-energy accelerator. Students interested in condensed matter physics and other fields of physics are also encouraged to join the IPC program.

Students will belong to the Department of Physics or the Department of Earth and Space Science, and will receive a Master of Science or Ph.D. degree from the Department of Physics or the Department of Earth and Space Science of Graduate School of Science.

As for the career paths of our graduates, approximately one-third remain in academia in Japan, one-fourth go to industry in Japan and most of the others return to their home countries. Most of the graduates who remain in academia stay initially at the University of Osaka (about three quarters), but some went to the Institute of Applied Materials Science and the National Institute for Quantum Science and Technology. Some of the companies where our graduates have found a job are (in alphabetical order): Fujimoto Sangyo, Denso Ten, Horiba, NTT, ONS, Pars Auto, Shimadzu, Skydisc, SNK.