Tokyo Tech Exchange Program

TOKYO TECH - TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Program Level: Undergraduate Number of Weeks/Term: 16

• Background
• Location Information
• Program Dates
• Host Institution
• Academic Information
• Academic Disciplines
• Credit Transfer Information
• Eligibility Requirements
• Program Costs
• Housing and Meals
• Insurance
• Extracurricular Activities
• Climate
• VISA & Passport Information
• Your Next Steps
• Experiences of Former Students
• Contact Details

BACKGROUND
Georgia Tech (GT) has developed a number of overseas programs around the globe. These programs provide students with the opportunity to complete a portion of their academic programs in top-notch foreign universities that are partnered with GT. As a result of immersion in a foreign academic and cultural environment, students have the maximum opportunity to learn to operate effectively in an atmosphere that is wholly different from that of GT and the U.S.

LOCATION INFORMATION
Japan
While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth.

Tokyo
"The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect of Tokyo" [as described by Lonely Planet Online]. It's true that the larger picture can be somewhat depressing - shoebox housing estates and office blocks traversed by overhead expressways crowded with traffic--but this is the Japanese success story in action. The average Tokyo suburb hasn't fallen prey to supermarket culture though: streets are lined with tiny specialist shops and bustling restaurants, most of which stay open late into the night. Close to the soaring office blocks exist pockets of another Tokyo - an old wooden house, a kimono shop, a Japanese inn, an old lady in a kimono sweeping the pavement outside her home with a straw broom. More than anything else, Tokyo is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It's a living city and you'll never run out of things to explore.

The real Tokyo experiences are soaking up the hustle and bustle and reveling in the pockets of calm. Ginza is the most famous shopping area in Tokyo. This place is overflowing with small private galleries, making it a great place to browse even if you're not looking to buy. Ueno-koen Park, north of the center of Tokyo, has some of Japan's best museums and galleries. The Tokyo National Museum holds the world's largest selection of Japanese art; the National Science Museum is a massive free-for-all packed with scientific goodies; and the Shitamachi History Museum is a recreation of the plebeian downtown quarters of old Tokyo.

PROGRAM DATES
Spring term: mid March - early August
Academic Year: late September - early August

NOTE: Students may participate in this program for the spring term or a full academic year.

YEAR PROGRAM STARTED:
2000

HOST INSTITUTION ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Since 1881, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) has been one of the leading institutions of higher education in the field of Engineering and Science in Japan. The Institute aims to educate the "whole" person; both technical and liberal arts subjects are emphasized in order to prepare students to perform equally well as educators, scientific researchers, leaders of industry or highly trained engineers. The Institute is comprised of three schools, six graduate schools, and four research centers. The three undergraduate schools are: the School of Science, the School of Engineering, and the School of Bioscience and Biotechnology. More than 1,000 international students are in the student body.

ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES

Subject Areas Available:

• Architecture
• Biology
• Building Construction
• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Chemistry
• City Planning
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Japanese
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Nuclear and Radiological Engineering
• Research

The Young Scientist Exchange Program
In 2000, Tokyo Tech started the Young Scientist Exchange Program (YSEP) for students from other countries. This exchange program gives students the opportunity to experience long-term research in a research project called SOTSURON as well as the opportunity to study one's major subject and the Japanese language.

GT students who participate in this program take some language and elective courses and conduct research as part of the SOTSURON project. A student in this program is assigned to an advisor at Tokyo Tech who works with the student to choose a specific research project. Approximately 35 students from across the globe take part in YSEP each year.

The YSEP program may be done over a whole academic year (September-August), or for Tokyo Tech's spring term (March-August). Students participating in this program for a spring term MUST be at least in the second term of their third year. Students doing this program for a full year must be in at least their fourth year. This requirement is not flexible.

Language Information
All courses available to exchange students are taught in English. Students may take courses taught in Japanese if they are qualified.

Course Information
For detailed course information: click here

CREDIT TRANSFER INFORMATION
Credit for courses taken as part of GT exchange programs is added as transfer credit on the GT transcript. Since it is important to know which kind of credit students will earn abroad as soon as possible, GT requires that courses be pre-approved for transfer. With a Foreign Credit Approval Form (available from OIE) in hand, and the credit transfer system information (listed below), students should submit course descriptions to the appropriate academic unit to request their approval. If taking Math classes, for example, then the student should go to the GT School of Mathematics to get permission for the courses to transfer to GT. If approved, the GT School of Mathematics signs the Foreign Credit Approval Form showing how the courses will transfer so that students will know which type of credit they should expect to receive.

For detailed credit transfer instructions click here

For the Foreign Credit Approval Form click here

CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEM
This information is intended for undergraduates students only. Graduate students must speak with their academic unit to to determine the acceptance of transfer credits.

Tokyo Tech uses the following credit transfer system:
1 TT credit for Sotsuron Research = 0.5 GT credit
1 TT credit for all other courses except Factory Study Tour = 1.5 GT credits
Factory Study Tour = NO GT CREDIT GRANTED

GRADING SYSTEM
Tokyo Tech uses the following grading system listed below:
Tokyo Tech Grade = US Grade
80-100 = A
70-79 = B
60-69 = C
0-59 = F

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Eligible students must meet the following criteria: