Eligibility
- 18 years of age or above
- Good academic and disciplinary standing at Penn State
- 3.0 cumulative GPA or better at the time of application review
- Junior standing or above at the start of the program
- This exchange program is only open to students in the College of Engineering, and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Program Description
This exchange program with Tohoku University offers Penn State students in the College of Engineering, and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences the opportunity to enroll in courses that can be applied to their Penn State degree programs. The main purpose of this program at Tohoku University, Junior Year Program in English (JYPE), is to offer an opportunity for students to take science, engineering, and agriculture courses, without having to attain the Japanese language proficiency that would be necessary to take the same courses in Japanese. All lectures are given in English and course credits will be given by the standards for the equivalent courses offered in Japanese.
Students are eligible to study on this program during the Penn State academic year (fall and spring semester), or spring semester only.
Dates
Academic Year: late September - early August
Spring: early April - early August
Refer to Tohoku University's website for the specific dates.
Location
Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku Region, is located about 350 km to the northeast of Tokyo. It can be reached in two hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen Superexpress, the Bullet Train. It is an important economic and cultural center in northern Japan with many universities, government agencies, and corporate branch headquarters. Sendai, often called the City of Trees, is a city known for its tree-lined streets, and it is also regarded as an academic city with its center on Tohoku University. Sendai is regarded as one of the most pleasant Japanese cities in which to live.
Tohoku University was established in Sendai in 1907 as Tohoku Imperial University by consolidating an agricultural college and a science college. It is the third oldest former Imperial University after Tokyo and Kyoto. Tohoku University is well known for its open and progressive policies. It was the first Imperial University to admit women and foreign students, and also pioneered in opening a university by offering public lectures. In 1911, Tohoku University graduated its first foreign students, thus becoming the Japanese university with the longest history of foreign graduates.
Education Abroad in Countries with a Penn State Restricted Travel Designation
In order to comply with Penn State’s International Travel Policy, students interested in studying abroad in countries that Penn State has designated as “restricted” for travel, a petition for a waiver must be submitted. Once a petition is complete, and if the student is approved for study on the program in question, the student may be asked to meet with the Director of Education Abroad and the petition will be reviewed by the Penn State International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC). The necessary petition will be included in the online application process for this program. To see if your program is taking place in a restricted travel country, please visit the Penn State Global website.