Ⅲ. Guidelines for Doctoral Degree Conferral Process
2. Graduate School of Music
2.1. Definition of Dissertation Research
In the practice-based doctoral courses, dissertation research consists of three closely-related constituent elements: artistic, academic, and extracurricular research. Artistic research refers to artistic practice that is meant to improve compositional and performance skills and expressiveness (lessons and rehearsals for concerts). Academic research refers to scholarly research that is derived from artistic practices and enhances artistic abilities. Finally, extracurricular research refers to off-campus musical activities, such as study abroad, concert activities, and other pertinent off-campus activities. Musical activities related to academic research topics, participation in public concerts overseas, prizes won in competitions, and other activities that have received external evaluations are particularly worthy for inclusion in dissertation research.
2.2. Doctoral Research Archival Files
Doctoral research archival files (hereafter “ doctoral files ” ) are used to monitor the status of doctoral research progress. Geidai's conventional research plan and progress report formats are integrated into doctoral files, and this allows the dissertation research process to be monitored at a glance. All records related to dissertation research, including doctoral recital programs and the content of Advisory Committee meetings are primarily managed in these doctoral files.
Currently, these files are made available (in the form of a set of Word documents) on the campus website. The Office of Educational Affairs handles all file management. Files can be viewed by the owners of the files as well as their advisors (i.e., members of the Advisory Committee). They will be administered on the Internet in the future.
2.3. Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee comprises an advisor
and two assistant advisors. The advisor appoints two assistant advisors on the basis of a student's
research topics and goals. Providing additional
assistant advisors (including outside experts) is also
possible when necessary. The Advisory Committee
should preferably include faculty members from other
performance or academic areas. Advisory Committee
membership is document in the doctoral file at the
beginning of the academic year, after which the
Office of Educational Affairs office is notified.
The Advisory Committee must convene twice a
year. However, for the first meeting of the year(s)
other than the first and final years of the program, the
attendance of all members of the Committee is not
required, although all assistant advisors ’ attendance
is preferable. The meeting can be convened if the
student, his/her advisor, and one or two assistant
advisor(s) are present (a style hereafter referred to as
a “Small Group Advisory Committee” ).
The advisor should promptly organize an
Advisory Committee after a student enrolls, and
then convene before course registration. The main
topic for the meeting will be the long-term plan
for research in the doctoral program. The student
in question will collect his/her doctoral file from
the Office of Educational Affairs (no later than one
week prior to the Advisory Committee meeting)
and attach a draft research plan for the perusal of
all advisors in advance. From the second year on,
an Advisory Committee meeting (or Small Group
Advisory Committee meeting) will be held before
the completion of course registration to discuss that
particular year's research plan. The doctoral file
will be handled as it was in the first year.
The second-year Advisory Committee meeting
must be held after the doctoral recital, but no later
than the end of the academic year (at the end of the
academic year for music composition majors). The
main discussion items include the achievements
demonstrated at the doctoral recital performance (or,
for composition majors, the achievements related
to the submitted work or public performances of
the work), the interim results of academic research,
extracurricular research achievements, and the
following year's research plans.
Students record the meeting content immediately
after their Advisory Committee meeting and
submit it with their doctoral file to the Office of
Educational Affairs.
2.4. Doctoral Recital
Students in musical performance as well as dance
majors perform doctoral recitals for special research
credits. Doctoral recitals are open to the public and
students are expected to present musical or dance
performances, publicize the status of their progress
on academic research (as well as extracurricular
research activities) in program notes or presentations,
and seek evaluations. The members of a student’s
Advisory Committee attend the doctoral recital
and convene an Advisory Committee meeting on a
scheduled date after the recital. With the advisor’s
guidance, students submit the recital plans to the
Office of Educational Affairs in advance.
For special doctoral research credits, composition
students either perform doctoral recitals or submit
records (e.g., programs, recordings, and reviews)
of a public concert performance (on or off-campus)
related to the dissertation research, and then hold
an Advisory Committee meeting.
2.5. Annual Procedures
2.5.1. First Year
Doctoral program students promptly collect their doctoral files from the Office of Educational Affairs following enrollment and outline their long-term research plan for the three years and their short-term plan for the first year in consultation with their advisor. The initial Advisory Committee meeting is held before the completion of course registration and the advisor convenes the Advisory Committee meeting. The student revises his/her research plan in response to the discussions at the meeting and submits it immediately to the Office of Educational Affairs.
When a doctoral recital is held, the student collects his/her doctoral file from the Office of Educational Affairs and submits it at the Advisory Committee meeting after the recital. After the meeting, he/she makes a record of the Advisory Committee meeting discussion and then returns the doctoral file to the Office of Educational Affairs with documentation of the doctoral recital program and, if necessary, other attached records.
When a composition major does not hold a doctoral recital, the student submits records (e.g., programs, recordings, and reviews) of a public concert performance (on or off-campus) to the advisor before holding an Advisory Committee meeting, and then requests that a meeting be held. The advisor subsequently convenes the Advisory Committee meeting. The student makes a record of the Advisory Committee meeting discussion after the meeting concludes, after which the student returns the doctoral file to the Office of Educational Affairs with a recording of the public concert performance and other attached records.
Students retrieve their doctoral files from the Office of Educational Affairs in January and fill in the required items of their research progress status report. The advisor notes the details of the instruction provided to the student and submits the doctoral file to the Office of Educational Affairs by the end of January. Procedures for approval of special doctoral research credits begin at this point.
2.5.2. Second Year
Students promptly retrieve their doctoral files from the Office of Educational Affairs when the second academic year begins. After reflecting on the previous year’s progress status report, they put together a proposal or a research plan for the new year with advice from their advisor and request that a Small Group Advisory Committee meeting be held. The student revises his/her research plan in response to the discussions at the meeting and immediately submits it to the Office of Educational Affairs.
When a doctoral recital is held, the student collects his/her doctoral file from the Office of Educational Affairs and submits it at the Advisory Committee meeting after the recital. The student then makes a record of the Advisory Committee meeting discussion after the meeting and then returns the doctoral file to the Office of Educational Affairs with documentation of the doctoral recital program and, if necessary, other attached records.
When a composition major does not hold a doctoral recital, the student submits records (e.g., programs, recordings, and reviews) of a public concert performance on or off-campus to the advisor before holding an Advisory Committee meeting, and then requests that a meeting be held. The advisor subsequently convenes the Advisory Committee meeting. The student makes a record of the Advisory Committee meeting discussion after the meeting and then returns the doctoral file to the Office of Educational Affairs with a recording of the public concert performance and other attached records.
Students retrieve their doctoral files from the Office of Educational Affairs in January and fill in the required items on their research progress status report. The advisor notes the details of the instruction provided to the student and submits the doctoral file to the Office of Educational Affairs by the end of January. Procedures for approval of special doctoral research credits begin at this point. If a student submits the dissertation during the following academic year, then a note to that effect must be made in the research progress status report. Preparations for the preliminary application promptly commence.
2.5.3. Third Year (or scheduled final year)
Students who plan to submit their dissertations collect their doctoral files at the Office of Educational Affairs once the academic year begins. When preparing an overview of their dissertation (title, a 2,000 Japanese-character summary, and a table of contents) and a progress report, students request that an Advisory Committee meeting be convened. The advisor subsequently convenes the Advisory Committee meeting. Once approval for the preliminary application has been given in an Advisory Committee meeting, the documentation required for the preliminary application must be submitted to the degree committee via the Office of Educational Affairs by the end of April.
The documentation required for the preliminary application consists of (1) an application for preapproval for the dissertation submission (2) a dissertation overview (title, a 2,000 Japanese-character summary, and a table of contents) (3) a progress report (describing the state of progress to date and an action-plan until submission of the report), and (4) the doctoral file (a record of the research plans up to the current academic year, progress status reports, documentation related to the doctoral recital, and records of Advisory Committee meetings). The degree committee first reviews the preliminary application and then notifies the student of its findings.
If a student plans to withdraw from a defense of their thesis, then he/she must submit a withdrawal petition to the degree committee.
