Study Programs

Below is a list of “JET-friendly” graduate schools, i.e., graduate school programs that tend to be popular choices of JET alumni due to their subject matter or their connection with Japan.

Notes: Please feel free to send JetWit an e-mail if:

• You know of a program that should be included on this list.
• You are considering one of these programs and would like to contact other JET alumni who went through the programs.
• You’re a JET alumni who attended one of these programs and are willing to be contacted by other JET alumni who are interested in the program.  (Make sure to include your prefecture and years on JET along with any info or comments you want to share.)
  

Japanese Study

Inter-University Center (IUC) for Japanese Language Studies – http://www.stanford.edu/dept/IUC/yokohama.html – Administered by Stanford University, the IUC’s 10-month program attracts graduate students and professionals from across the US.  (Comment:  Shannon Quinn, JETAA USA Country Rep and former JETAA Pacific Northwest President, attended the IUC from 2005-2006, thanks to a generous fellowship (worth nearly $36,000) from the Blakemore Freeman Foundation.  Feel free to contact Shannon if you have questions about the program.)

Fukuoka
GenkiJacs - http://www.genkijacs.com (Owned by Evan Kirby (Fukuoka-ken, 2000-03, and recommended by JET alum Carleen Ben)

Scholarships for Language Study

Blakemore Freeman Fellowship – http://www.blakemorefoundation.org/ – A great way to finance intensive language study. Four to five grants for Japanese are available every year.  (Comment:  Shannon Quinn, JETAA USA Country Rep and former JETAA Pacific Northwest President, attended the IUC from 2005-2006, thanks to a generous fellowship (worth nearly $36,000) from the Blakemore Freeman Foundation.  Feel free to contact Shannon if you have questions about the program.)

International Relations/Policy/Language/Cultural Study

American University – Ritsumeikan (Kyoto) – A graduate dual degree program for students fluent in both English and Japanese. Students begin their studies at American University’s School of International Service and complete their second year of study at the Graduate School of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Graduates receive simultaneously a master’s degree from the School of International Service and a master’s degree from Ritsumeikan University’s Graduate School of International Relations.

Columbia University – School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) (New York, NY)

Columbia University – Dept. of East Asian Languages and Cultures (New York, NY)

• Doshisha’s Global MBA (Kyoto, Japan) – http://gmba.doshisha.ac.jp/ – See JetWit post on JET alum Eleanor Robinson who has been involved with administration of the program – http://jetwit.com/wordpress/2009/08/19/jet-alum-working-to-build-new-global-mba-program-at-doshisha-university/

McGill University MBA in Tokyo – Very good program.  Competitor of Temple MBA in Tokyo program.

Middlebury College –  JETAA US Country Rep Shannon Quinn says that she attended their summer language school pre-JET in 1999, and many of her classmates were former CIRs and ALTs.

Monterey Institute of International Studies (Monterey, CA) – Offers programs in topics including International Policy Studies, Translation & Interpretation, Language Teacher Education and International Business.

School for International Training (SIT) (Battleboro, VT) – Offers programs in International Education, Language and Culture, NGOs and Civil SocietyPeace and Conflict Transformation, Socially Responsible Management, Sustainable Development and Teacher Preparation

School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) (London, UK)

Second Language Studies M.A. Program, University of Hawai’i at Manoa - A great program, according to Leslie Reynolds (Niigata-ken, 2005-07) who is an M.A. candidate and reports that there are several other former JETs in the program as well.

School of Teaching English as a Second Language (in cooperation with Seattle University’s College of Education) — Seattle University and the School of Teaching ESL have created a cooperative agreement that gives students several choices regarding professional development in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).

Temple University – Japan Campus (Tokyo) – Offers MBA, Law and Ms.Ed./Ed.D. in TESOL degrees.

The University of Sheffield – East Asian Studies Program – Distance Learning Centre – The Distance Learning Centre was established in 1995 to develop distance-learning versions of the School of East Asian Studies’ prestigious postgraduate degrees.

University of South Florida Graduate Program for Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language – Good program.  According to a native Floridian JET alum, USF also has an English Language Institute on campus so there are visiting students from all over the globe going to USF just to improve their English.  There was at least one Florida JET alumnus who apparently worked at the ELI for a while.

Waseda School of International Liberal Studies (Tokyo) – Has a relatively new international grad program.

Washington University in St. Louis – M.A. in East Asian Studies – According to a JET alum who did the program, one of the attractive features of WashU is that there are two joint program options, JD or MBA, than you can do together with the M.A.   He adds that WashU also offers tuition breaks, small class sizes and has excellent professors.

Business Schools

Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management – The school has had many former JET students (and even a professor) and also offers a dual MBA/MA in Asian Studies degree, and features the famous FALCON intensive language program.  (Thanks to Johnson alum A.J. Figliolini (Niigata-ken, 1998-2001) for the info.)   http://lrc.cornell.edu/asian/graduate/MA/joint; http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/academic/dualdegree.html; http://lrc.cornell.edu/falcon/Home

Doshisha’s Global MBA (Kyoto, Japan) – http://gmba.doshisha.ac.jp/ – See JetWit post on JET alum Eleanor Robinson who has been involved with administration of the program – http://jetwit.com/wordpress/2009/08/19/jet-alum-working-to-build-new-global-mba-program-at-doshisha-university/

Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvannia – Enables one to get a Wharton MBA or Penn J.D. in combination with a Japanese-focused MA.  JETs have gone there and it has a great reputation.

McGill University MBA in Tokyo – Very good program.  Competitor of Temple MBA in Tokyo program.

Moore School of Business (University of South Carolina), International MBA Program (Columbia, SC) – Ranked as the #2 International Full-time MBA program by US News & World Report.  (MBA alma mater of playwright Randall David Cook (Fukui-ken, 1991-93).)

Temple University – Japan Campus (Tokyo) – Offers MBA, Law and Ms.Ed./Ed.D. in TESOL degrees.

Thunderbird School of Global Management (Glendale, AZ) – Ranked as the #1 International Full-time MBA by US News & World Report.

Technology/Engineering/Technical

University of Washington – Technical Japanese Program (Seattle, WA) – http://www.tjp.washington.edu/main/ A number of JET alums have graduated from this program.

University of Wisconson – Masters in Technical Japanese http://metj.engr.wisc.edu/index.lasso

Law Schools

Columbia University Law School (New York, NY) – Law school has a Center for Japanese Studies.

Temple University – Japan Campus (Tokyo) – Offers MBA, Law and Ms.Ed./Ed.D. in TESOL degrees.

University of Washington Law School (Seattle, WA) – Law school as an Asian Law Center with excellent Japan-related resources and professors.