The Keio University Graduate School of Medicine Doctoral programs welcome students who have completed six years of University study majoring in Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, or Pharmacy, or have finished a Master's program in a relevant field.
The Graduate School of Medicine offers two unique doctoral program options: the Medical Science Program and the Applied Medicine Program.
The goal of the Medical Science Program is to train students to conduct creative research in the fields of basic medical science and clinical medicine, as well as research into the mechanisms of diseases and the development of new therapeutic approaches.
The Applied Medicine Program is designed mainly for practicing physicians and other medical professionals. Its aim is to guide students in using their clinical knowledge and analytical skills to plan and conduct comprehensive clinical trials and clinical research especially in the fields of oncology and cardiology.
Curriculum
The doctoral program aims to develop world-class researchers in medicine and medical science. Students take lecture-based courses in both basic and clinical medicine, as well as related disciplines, while actively engaging in research as they prepare for their doctoral dissertation. The curriculum is designed to foster students’ ability to conduct internationally relevant, practical research and formulate innovative research concepts. Typically, students register for courses in April of their first year and begin their coursework and research in close collaboration with their academic advisor. By July, students must submit a two-year research plan and obtain approval from the Graduate School of Medicine Faculty Meeting to ensure the long-term feasibility of their research. By the end of their second year, students are expected to have completed all required credits for both core and elective subjects. Following the Screening for Completion of Course Requirements in the third year, students must submit their doctoral dissertation by early November of their fourth year. If the dissertation is approved by the Graduate School of Medicine Committee, a dissertation defense is typically held around January. Upon final approval, students will be conferred their doctoral degree in March.
Students have opportunities to attend seminars that are hosted regularly by the Keio Medical Society, which consist of lectures, presentations, and discussions held in English with leading researchers from Japan and abroad.
Students are able to participate in the one month joint summer school program, established together with Peking University and Karolinska Institutet in 2012, followed by Kings College London in 2014. In this program, participants travel to the host institution and conduct research in the laboratory of their choice, after taking a series of lectures for one week.
Students can also pursue research contributing to their degrees at partner institutions in Japan, such as the National Cancer Research Center, Shizuoka Cancer Research Center, National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center, Kanagawa Children's Medical Center and RIKEN.
Cutting-Edge Research Facilities
In order for graduate students to carry out high-quality, meaningful research, it is necessary to have easy access to fully-equipped laboratories and facilities.
Therefore, students in our graduate school can make full use of the numerous innovative research facilities on our campus. The Center for Integrated Medical Research (CIMR) provides a shared environment for collaborative translational research and scientific work, integrating basic science, clinical research and patient care through the creation of related clusters across academia and industry. The Keio-Med Open Access Facility is part of the CIMR and makes available state-of-the-art technologies such as next-generation DNA sequencing, laser capture microdissection, confocal microscopy, mass spectrometry, microarray analysis, histological analysis, cell sorters, and other cutting-edge devices.
The Center for Clinical Research (CCR), which is a government-funded medical research center, focuses on early and exploratory clinical trials. As a flagship medical research center in Japan, the CCR contributes to the development of novel advanced medical technologies and innovative new drugs through specialized implementation of high-quality clinical trials, large-scale observational studies, translational studies of new technologies and other biomedical research.
Other research facilities include the Kitasato Memorial Medical Library, the Laboratory Animal Center and the RI Center. Our Laboratory Animal Center boasts the first bio-bubble clean room in Japan, which maintains specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice and rats.
These facilities allow students to carry out high-quality research not only with university staff, but also with researchers from outside institutions and companies. Students can experience first-hand the process of translating research success into medical treatments, along with the process of acquiring patents for new drugs and intellectual property.
