I was wondering if anyone else has applied for the Bi-lingual Program (BiP) which starts late September 2009? We're with two from Belgium, any other countries?

I has applied for this program and recently got an official acceptance letter from their graduate school of law. i am from China. I was wondering how many people will join this program?

Ye, I have no clue about the numbers as well, but I guess we'll have to find out in September. Nice to meet you!

Nice to meet you too! See you in September.

Hi,I am also from China and I am interested in Bip Program.Is there any schlorships provided ?

Hey there. I don't know about future admissions, but three persons got accepted when the program was launched in fall 2009, and we receive each a Monbukagakusho scholarship.
However, being granted the Monbukagakusho scholarship was based on our individual cases and does not appear to be automatically granted upon entering the program. Nonetheless, there is also the possibility to get other scholarships to study in Japan, especially if you are from China. But you'll have to scout the website of the Ministry of Education for that probably.
See the website of BiP for more information, it is all explained there.

http://www.law.kyushu-u.ac.jp/programsinenglish/bipprogram.htm

But my advice, just apply and see what the outcome will be ;-)

Greetz, Thomas

Hi Thomas,

you seem to know much about the BiP at Kyushu. I am also interested in the programme, but I am a bit concerned about the Japanese proficiency requirements.

Could you tell us how tough the Japanese part of the phone interview was in your case? If one has a level between JLPT 2 and JLPT 3, does get addmitted to the programme? And what and how long did they questionned you?

Thank you for answering.

The phone interview went alright in my case (since I am doing the program at this moment). What helps a great deal is the fact that the interviewers are all very pleasant professors. This eases the tension a bit. As with everything in Japan, it always starts out with a smile and some laughs (your face will be on a big tv). If you are between levels 3 and 2 I think you should be able to do alright, although much depends on your fluency. Key is: expressing yourself in response to unpredictable questions, using 専門語, maintaining fluency, and most especially, understanding current themes in the field of research you are interested in. Because apart from 4 to 5 professors interviewing you, they will also bring in a professor specialized in your potential research topic. This professor will question you in Japanese. This is how it went for me last March (2009). Since me and my two other colleagues were the first batch of BiP students in September 2009, you should keep in mind that they might adjust some procedures as the program matures. Nonetheless, you should definitely apply if you are interested in this program. Don't let the interview scare you off.

頑張れ

Hi Thomas,

thanks for your kind (and indeed useful) answer.

You don't happen to be German, by the way?...

So as to the 専門語, do you have a hint for a book or some materials I could start reading/ learning?

Thanks for answering

Close enough, I'm Belgian :-)

Concerning senmongo, I can't really help you. It all depends on your research topic and the questions you get. Needless to say, you will not get selected JUST for using specialized vocabulary (that's pretty much the easy part). However, they concentrate more on your reasoning in Japanese and your instant responses, I'd reckon. But that is generally true for most university interviews, so nothing new under the sun there.

Succes and let me know if it helped you for the interview!

Hi,
I am interested in this degree, and was wondering how many people who are in it have a undergraduate law degree like a LLB? I majored in Japanese, and want to work in Japan in a firm where I could use an LLM to my advantage......
Thanks

We're just three persons in the program right now, who all have majored in Japanology and also simultaneously did economics/business management during our bachelors.

Thanks for the reply. I am seriously considering this program, and would appreciate any advice. I hope to work in a Japanese firm or Gaishikei and was wondering how useful the BiP LLM would be compared to actually completing a LLB beforehand?
I don't intend to be a lawyer in my own country, but I feel that a masters degree would be useful for work in Tokyo.
The other program that I am considering is a masters degree from Waseda (GSAPS), which is a two year course in International Relations. It's really hard here for me to weigh up the two programs for their usefulness in my future career....and wherever that may take me. Or if I should complete a LLB here first...I already have a BA in Japanese.
Thanks again,
Simon

I'm thinking about applying to do this next year for the October 2011 class.

How much does the actual class cost?; and

How much money is the scholarship?

Thanks