Doctoral Program in Empowerment Informatics, Degree Programs in Systems and Information Engineering

The Doctoral Program in Empowerment Informatics, part of the Degree Programs in Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Tsukuba, is a five-year doctoral program taught in English, with entry each April. Empowerment informatics combines information technology, robotics, and cognitive and behavioral science to develop systems that extend human physical and cognitive capabilities, and doctoral candidates in the program pursue original research under faculty supervision toward a dissertation. The University of Tsukuba describes itself as a future-oriented, open institution offering interdisciplinary education aimed at fostering internationally minded graduates. Its faculties span the humanities, sciences, sports, and the arts, and the university aims to nurture future leaders through a broad range of academic study, drawing on its location in Tsukuba, a center for scientific research in Japan. The five-year doctoral structure in Empowerment Informatics is designed to take students from a foundation in systems and information engineering through to independent, interdisciplinary research combining robotics, human-computer interaction, wearable technology, and cognitive science. Graduates pursue careers in robotics and assistive technology research, academic positions, and technology companies developing human-support systems. English-medium instruction and an April intake are designed to make the program accessible to international doctoral candidates without requiring Japanese-language proficiency at entry.