Doctoral Program Degree

This section outlines the graduation requirements for the degree offered by the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce.

Admission Quota
Requirements for Completion of the Doctoral Program
Research Guidance Schedule
Number of Degrees Conferred
Examples of Doctoral Dissertation Topics
Related Pages

Admission Quota

[Admission Capacity: 20]

Requirements for Completion of the Doctoral Program

Enrolled in the Doctoral Program for 3 years or more (maximum of 6 years).
Successfully obtained more than 12 credits in relevant courses.
Successfully passed the Doctoral Dissertation Defense and the Final Examination.

The degree received is a Ph.D. in Business and Commerce [Ph.D. (Business and Commerce)]. The required number of credits for graduation is 12.

In addition, students must be enrolled in the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce for at least three years, and must pass a dissertation defense and final examination.

Please refer to the following “Regulations on Requirements for the Awarding of Coursework Doctoral Degrees at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce” (excerpt) for the doctoral dissertation submission and defense criteria.

Regulations on Requirements for the Awarding of Coursework Doctoral Degrees at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce” (excerpt)
1. Dissertation Submission Requirements
In principle, those who intend to submit a dissertation must fulfill the following three requirements.
(1) To have published at least one single-authored paper in the Mita Business Review or an equivalent refereed academic research journal.
(2) To have made at least one oral research presentation at a Graduate School of Business and Commerce Research Report Meeting.
In addition, those who intend to present their research must follow the procedures in 2. (1). However, this presentation must include content from the dissertation (to be submitted).
(3) To have submitted a dissertation for preliminary examination, made an oral report to the preliminary examination committee, and obtained a recommendation from the preliminary examination committee for the submission of the dissertation for final examination.
When submitting the dissertation for preliminary examination, the procedures in 2. (2) must be followed. In addition, when submitting the dissertation for final examination, the procedures in 2. (3) must be followed.
2. Detailed Rules of Operation
(1) Operational Rules for the Graduate School of Business and Commerce Research Report Meeting
The reporter must submit documents a through c to the Graduate School Committee at least one month prior to the date of the research report meeting (both a and b must be in A4 size).
a. Abstract of the presentation (approximately 6,000 characters, 6 copies)
b. Full paper for presentation (3 copies)
c. List of past academic achievements (3 copies)
(2) Handling of Research Presentations at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce Research Report Meeting
At the time of submission of the dissertation for preliminary examination, the degree applicant must attach to the application for preliminary examination a written report that clearly states the revisions and improvements made with respect to questions about the research presentation at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce Research Report Meeting.
(3) Handling of Oral Reports at Preliminary Examination Committee Meetings
At the time of submission of the dissertation for final examination, the degree applicant must attach a written report that clearly states the revisions and improvements made with respect to questions about the oral report at the Preliminary Examination Committee meeting.
3. Dissertation Defense Criteria
In principle, the dissertation must fulfill the following requirements.
(1) The argument must be developed in a logical and systematic manner.
(2) The results of the research must be recognized as original. Originality in this case means either approaching a problem from a new perspective, adopting a new analytical method, or reaching a new finding or conclusion.
(3) The research results should fully take into account the past research results in the relevant field.

Research Guidance Schedule

First Year

April–June: Assignment of academic advisor, guidance from academic advisor on preparation of a research plan, presentation of research plan in seminar class

July–September: Execution of research plan, research guidance from academic advisor

October–December: Mid-term report in seminar class, research guidance from academic advisor, and preparation of paper for submission to a peer-reviewed academic journal

January–March:Submission of paper to a peer-reviewed academic journal

Second Year

April–June: Execution of research plan, mid-term report in seminar class, research guidance from academic advisor

July–September: Execution of research plan, research guidance from academic advisor

October–December: Presentation of research results in seminar class, research guidance from academic advisor

January–March: Presentation at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce Research Report Meeting

Third Year

April–June: Execution of research plan, research guidance from academic advisor

July–September: Submission of dissertation for preliminary examination, assignment of preliminary examiners, presentation at preliminary examination meeting

October–December: Revision of dissertation based on comments from preliminary examiners, submission of dissertation for final examination

January–March:Final examination

An academic advisor assigned at the time of admission will guide students through the writing of their doctoral dissertation.
When taking courses, students are encouraged to take a wide range of courses, not only those taught by their academic advisor, and to actively seek guidance from other faculty members.
The above is the standard research guidance schedule for the three-year doctoral program. For more details, please consult with your academic advisor immediately after admission.

Number of Degrees Conferred