Faculty of Agriculture (YU) and Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Food Science (UNITO)
Faculty of Agriculture (YU) and Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Food Science (UNITO)
The academic agreement with the University of Torino started in 2018. Since then, students exchange, joint symposiums, joint publications, internships and Post-doctoral positions of students from YU at UNITO. Summer and Winter Schools in Italy and Japan have promoted stronger collaboration between our universities and together with other activities have led to the establishment of a Double Degree Program between the Master Program in Agricultural Sciences at the Faculty of Agriculture of Yamagata University and the Master of Agricultural Sciences and the Master of Forest Systems and Environmental Sciences at DISAFA (Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Food Science) at the University of Torino. The DDP started in October 2024 and will last for 5 years. DDPs are fit to the characteristics of the participating universities, and in this particular case the need to include courses from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering of Yamagata University, make this DDP unique in Japan. We invite students from all over the world to join this innovative and international program in Japan and Italy.
Scheme of studies in both Universities
The DD program is a two year program, where students should spend one year (or two semesters) in each country. During this period students should complete 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) in the home and host university respectively. The equivalence of 1 JC (Japanese Credit) is 2 ECTS. If the student does not complete the credits required in 2 semesters, they can prolong their stay in the host university with previous understanding of the university administration.
The official language of the DD program is English. Students at both universities need to have the B1 CEFR certificate to be able to apply. In YU, students are accepted with a TOEIC higher than 700 points. For the first 5 years of the DD, the selected students also have the option to present a certificate from the university of Turin that they are proficient in English.
Students in the DD do not to pay any tuition in the host university but continue paying the tuition fee in the home university during the year abroad.
Yamagata University offers scholarship for Japanese students for the year they spend in Turin (¥110,000 per months once you start the Master program. Students from Turin coming to Yamagata University will receive a scholarship of ¥80,000 per month.
You need to follow the same procedures as for applying to a Regular Master Program at each of the universities. In case of YU you choose the DD Program at the application stage, before you start the Program.
In the case of UNITO, you have to enter the regular Master Program in Agricultural Sciences and Forest Systems and Environmental Sciences (in Italian) and choose the DD once you start the Master Program.
The total number of credits needed is 120 ECTS. Students are expected to take 60 ECTS in YU and 60 ECTS in UNITO. For Students that started in UNITO the 30 ECTS assigned to the thesis are recognized by both universities. In the case of students starting in YU, students have to obtain these 30 ECTS through courses.
The approximate cost of living in each city, including rent, food and other basic bills is between 600 to 900 euros.
In YU, there is a dormitory available in the Faculty of Agriculture for the DD students. You can also rent a private room (for one person) for about 30,000 to 40,000 yen. In Japan it is not common to share rooms. In UNITO there is a dormitory too, but the probabilities of getting a room are very low and sharing is very common.
A tutor (Japanese student) at Yamagata University and a tutor (Italian student) in UNITO are available.
In Tsuruoka there are part-time jobs that are announced in the Faculty, where in some cases you do not need to speak Japanese but there are other ones where you can teach English. This part-time jobs are not related to the university and so it is not guaranteed by the university.
In UNITO there are formal courses of Italian language where you can also get credits for them. In Japan this system does not exist, but in Tsuruoka there are free courses offered by volunteers but not as intensive as you would expect.
The documents will be slightly different for each university but the most important ones are the bachelor degree certificate, the English certificate and the fees that need to be paid at each university (UNITO students do not pay any fee in Japan). Below are the documents needed for students coming to Japan (if possible 4 month before the start of the semester):
1. Bachelor's degree certificate.
2. Certification of Enrollment for Master courses.
3. Recommendation letter from supervisor.
4. English Test Results equivalent to CEFR B1,*TOEIC score of 700-800 or above, etc.
(must be results from within the last 2 years)
5. Letter of Motivation.
6. Application for certificate of eligibility.
7. Copy of your passport.
Under Review
1. Certificate of Eligibility (CoE): original and copy.
2.Passport (original and copy).
3. Non-Italians and non-EU citizens: valid residencepermit for Italy.
4. Visa Application form.
5. One passport photo.
6. Fast track confirmation.
1. Certificate of enrollment in UNITO.
2. Bachelor transcript.
3. Master transcript (if available)
4.Recommendation letter.
5. Motivation letter.
6. One passport photo.
7. Passport (copy)
1. Go to the city office. Bring the following documents:
Passport, House renting receipt and Certificate of Enrollmentin YU.
2. Opening Bank Account (Preferably Yamagata Bank)
3. Immigration office (if you want permission for working).
In Japan, students must join the National Insurance System. It is approximately 18 euro per month. In Italy the cost can be around 110 euro per month.
