I’m originally from Southeast Asia and am currently doing my Bachelor’s in Computer Science in the UK. I expect to graduate next year and is currently looking into the possibility of doing a postgraduate course in Japan. I’m looking to apply for a tech-related or adjacent programme, but as my Japanese is rather minimal, I’m currently considering trying to get into an English-based course. A lot of the big name unis do offer postgrad programmes in English, but I’ve been seeing some people saying English language programmes in Japanese unis isn’t really all that good.
Given the hassle of applying to Japanese unis in the first place, I’m starting to question if trying to get into an English-based course would be a very good idea. Any input/advice would be appreciated
2 comments
Depends on your desired outcomes. You can research it: Go to LinkedIn and find people who have completed the degree you are interested in and see what their employment outcomes have looked like. Alternatively if your focus is academia you could look into that.
Japanese universities and non-US universities generally lose out in rankings for 2 reasons: graduate salary outcomes (skewed by US exchange rate and does not take into account cost of living) and research outcomes (many universities publish through associated institutions and not under the name of the university), so depending on “global rankings” can be unhelpful.
If the program is good, you may simply have to do a lot more work marketing your skills and education to future employers.
Speaking with over 10 years of experience at J-universities, some from the “big names” and working in the STEM fields, the short answer is: not so good. The ugly: even if you are near native level fluent, there is preferential treatment to Japanese students and this later extends into academic/industry career opportunities upon graduation. The positive: you get to study in Japan, if that is your cup of tea. I hope this answer might save you a lot of time.