Hi there,
I’m a student from Germany, currently looking for universities to do my master’s. I’m also considering going to Japan for that (not an exchange, but the full master). After looking at several universities there, what baffled me was that they all expect you to submit a “detailed research plan” as well as find a supervisor from one of their labs as part of the application process.
As someone who’s only familiar with German universities, this seems like a rather… weird task?
I’m just doing a master’s degree, what do I even need a research plan for? Sure, I’ll do a thesis at the end, but other than that? Besides, narrowing down your thesis topic 2 years in advance, and without taking into account whatever new impressions you may get during your master’s seems unnecessarily rigid.
For me, it raises the question whether a master’s degree in Japan is done only by people who continue with their doctor afterwards/go into research anyway. If anyone here has more experience with this and is willing to share, I’d appreciate it!