Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University
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FAQ


Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

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1. Are graduates of 4-year universities eligible to apply to the Graduate School of Medicine?
Students who have graduated from 4-year universities are accepted to the Master’s Program in the Graduate School of Medicine. Applicants for admission to the Graduate School of Medicine have studied various disciplines. Some have bachelor’s degrees in science, health sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, engineering, fisheries sciences or agriculture–even in law or economics. This attests to the broad spectrum of research conducted at the Graduate School of Medicine.
2. What types of future specialists does the Master’s Program aim to educate?
Our education aims to equip students with basic knowledge and the skills that are necessary to play an active role as researchers and educators in medical care and the life sciences, professionals in the fields related to medical care and public health, and specialists in healthcare and health policy management.
3. Is it possible for students who have completed Master’s Programs to continue their studies in the Doctoral Program?
Yes, it is possible. Every year, more than 30% of the students pursue a doctorate after completing a Master’s Program. Examination/admission fees are not required from students who continue their studies and research as doctoral students. Many of the doctoral students are employed as research assistants who receive a salary in an amount almost equal to a half of the annual tuition.
4. What are the career paths of the students who complete the Master’s Program?
After completing the Master’s Program, about 30% of the students pursue doctorates, 25% take jobs at hospitals, research institutes or universities, and 20% find employment at private companies as technical specialists.
5. What are the differences between the One-Year and the Two-Year Courses of the Public Health Course?
The number of credits required for completion (30 credits) and the degree (Master of Public Health) obtained are the same. The One-Year-Course is designed for students with experience working as physicians, dentists, and pharmacy practitioners. As the course name suggests, the standard length is one year. There are differences in the training the students of One-Year and Two-Year Courses have to take part in for the completion. However, both courses provide five discipline areas of education (Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Health Services Administration, and Environmental Health Sciences) which are mandated as essential requirements in the accreditation criteria of the Council on Education for Public Health in the United States. Please note that students in the Two-Year Course cannot change to the One-Year Course, and students in the One-Year Course cannot apply for Long-Term Study Programs.
6. I would like to know about the Public Health Course newly established in the Master’s Program.
The Public Health Course aims to equip students with extensive knowledge and advanced skills to play a significant role in solving issues in public health to ensure and improve health, life, and safety for citizens and the community. Students are expected to be equipped with the following knowledge and skills through lectures and research instruction:
  • Ability to understand systems and rules required for health, life, and safety of people and society
  • Collect information about present conditions of health, life, and safety of people and society, and the information required to ensure and improve these
  • Ability to analyze data scientifically, and present findings at a wide range of occasions
  • When information is insufficient, be able to take steps to collect the necessary missing information
  • Ability to make plans for required measures based on the findings
  • Ability to make required arrangements with organizations involved in the implementation of the measures
The following are potential career paths we expect students to be able to engage in after the completion of the course:
  • Specialist in public health in administrative bodies (National, municipal, or international agencies), and the health management departments of companies and organizations
  • Physician or dentist with extensive knowledge of public health working in medical institutions
7. What are the advantages of your MD-PhD Program?
In the MD-PhD Program, 6th-year students in the School of Medicine who aspire to become researchers of basic medicine can study at the Graduate School of Medicine. Because the 6th year in the School of Medicine is regarded as the 1st year of the Doctoral Program, students receive their doctoral degree earlier than students who are not in the MD-PhD Program and gain postgraduate clinical training. In other words, early career development is made possible. Students who complete the MD-PhD Program can establish themselves as researchers in their late 20s. Students who achieve outstanding research performance may be employed as fixed-term, specially appointed assistant professors after the completion of the program.
8. What are the advantages of the CLARC Program?
The CLARC Program provides students in their 2nd year of Initial Clinical Training with an opportunity to enroll in the graduate school in order to pursue a doctorate while undergoing clinical training. This program helps students to develop their careers as medical doctors or researchers who have balanced viewpoints of clinical practice and research. Research guidance at the graduate school and clinical training have synergetic effects on both clinical practice and research, so students who complete the CLARC Program can be either research-oriented doctors or clinical-practice-oriented researchers in the future.
9. What’s the difference between the MD-PhD Program and the CLARC Program?
If you want to be a researcher of basic medicine and to begin your research early, we recommend that you take the MD-PhD Program. If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a researcher but want to complete postgraduate clinical training early, the CLARC Program is preferable.