The ratio of students who are IAMAS graduates and those who are not is about 50:50. There are no students currently who have entered the doctoral program directly from the masters program internally.

Applicants who are deemed to have a level of academic ability equal to or greater than those who hold masters degrees at our school can take the entrance exam.

Unfortunately, there are not. The structured lectures take place on weekdays during the daytime. However, as there are not many, it is possible to allot time to do your research in the evenings / weekends.

If your doctoral research coincides with your usual activities it is possible. However, it is essential to guarantee you set aside enough time.

There are 4 variations of the requirements to qualify for the submission of the doctoral dissertation.

• 2 peer-reviewed papers + 1 presentation of findings at an international conference.
• 1 peer-reviewed paper + 1 contest award + 1 presentation of findings at an international conference.
• 1 sole-authored publication + presentation of findings at an international conference.
• Unique research results + presentation of findings at an international conference.

At the time of examination we will request applicants to submit their TOEFL or IELTS scores to confirm that they have the needed linguistic ability for international conferences and events of that nature. However, there is no specific score requirement set.

Since the lecture-style classes are held online, excluding events such as the school entrance ceremony and exams, there is no requirement to come to the school. However, it is necessary to guarantee that you set aside enough time for research activities.

In the doctoral program there is no need to plan separately how the research is conducted. By carrying out part of your research as project research, you will learn the series of steps from drafting a research plan to the execution of the budget.

For the conferrence of the degree, all that is required is the dissertation. A work, practice, etc. is a possible submission requirement for the doctoral dissertation, but it is not subject to examination for the degree.

IAMAS does not operate on a system where you can earn enough credits yet still not be conferred a degree. If you submit your doctoral dissertation and manage to not pass the final examinations, then you will not earn the the final required credits for the degree in the Specialised Research in Media Art 3 course.

Including registered absence (maximum of 3 years), the longest attendance period is 9 years.

For the submission of the doctoral dissertation you can select between Japanese and English. However, as lectures are only held in Japanese, non-native Japanese speakers have a requirement to present themselves with a certain level of Japanese proficiency at the time of admission.