Higher Education Qualifications

Academic Degrees

Academic degrees are awarded to those who graduate from universities (including Professional and Vocational universities, junior colleges, and Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges) and those who successfully complete postgraduate programs.

　　▼ Bachelor's degree　　　▼ Bachelor's degree (Professional)　　▼ Associate degree
　　▼ Associate degree (Professional)　　▼ Master's degree　　▼ Doctoral degree
　　▼ Professional degrees [Master of xxx (Professional), J.D. (Juris Doctor), Master of Education (Professional)]

Academic Titles

Academic titles are awarded to those who graduate from Colleges of Technology (KOSEN) and those who successfully complete Post-secondary Courses of Specialized Training Colleges that fulfill certain requirements stipulated by law and are approved by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

　　▼ Associate　　　▼ Diploma　　　▼ Advanced Diploma

Bachelor's degree [学士/Gakushi]

Bachelor's degree (Professional) [学士（専門職）/Gakushi (Senmonshoku)]

Associate degree [短期大学士/Tankidaigakushi]

From July 1991, when the title of Associate was established by the Act to Partially Amend the School Education Act (Act No. 25 of 1991), to September 2005, junior college graduates were awarded the title of Associate. (In accordance with the Act, those who have graduated before July 1991 may also be called Associate.) Effective October 2005, Associate degrees have been awarded to junior college graduates, and the title of Associate previously awarded to junior college graduates is considered an Associate degree since then.

Associate degree (Professional) [短期大学士（専門職）/Tankidaigakushi (Senmonshoku)]

Master's degree [修士/Shushi]

* The legal provisions regarding dividing, or not dividing Doctoral programs into first and second half do not apply to Doctoral programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences (clinical), or veterinary medical science (Article 44 of the Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools). Therefore, this requirement does not apply to Doctoral programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences (clinical), or veterinary medical science.

Doctoral degree [博士/Hakushi]

Professional degrees

Master of xxx (Professional) [修士（専門職）/Shushi (Senmonshoku)]

J.D. (Juris Doctor) [法務博士（専門職）/Homu hakushi (Senmonshoku)]

Master of Education (Professional) [教職修士（専門職）/Kyoshoku shushi]

⁽¹⁾ JEQF (2025): JEQF (Japanese Educational Qualifications Framework) is an official guide to qualifications that can be obtained in the Japanese school system. It was developed by NIAD-QE and endorsed by MEXT, Japan. This qualifications framework aims to increase the transparency and social understanding of Japanese educational qualifications at home and abroad and ensure qualification holders who wish to pursue higher education or find employment will not be disadvantaged. It was formulated through mapping based on legal grounds such as course completion requirements and admission eligibility.

⁽²⁾ ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) is a framework developed by UNESCO to enable comparison of education systems around the world, and was first approved at the UNESCO General Assembly in 1976. Currently, the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) is in charge of it. Please be advised that the 2011 version is already obsolete. In 2023, the OECD published then-current standard classification of education in the Education GPS. For more detailed and up-to-date information, please refer to JEQF.

⁽³⁾ ISCED 2011 classification applies only to the second type of NIAD-QE degrees (awarding degrees upon completion of a study at a NIAD-QE approved program).

NIAD-QE evaluates various learning outcomes at the higher education level and awards degrees to persons recognized as having academic ability equivalent to or greater than those who have graduated from a university undergraduate program or completed graduate school.

NIAD-QE awards degrees in two schemes: (1) for graduates of junior colleges and Colleges of Technology, who have accumulated credit hours to a certain level of learning (such as a Bachelor’s degree); and (2) for those who have completed courses at educational institutions operated by government ministries and agencies recognized as equivalent to university undergraduate programs or graduate programs (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees).

(1) Awarding Degrees to Learners Who Have Completed Study at a Junior College or College of Technology (Bachelor’s Degree)

NIAD-QE awards Bachelor's degrees to learners who have attained certain level of studies at a HEI, acquired certain academic credits on top of that from a university as a non-degree student or from an advanced course recognized by NIAD-QE, and then recognized, as a result of NIAD-QE examination, as having academic ability equivalent to or greater than the graduates of university undergraduate program.

　　▶ See NIAD-QE website for details.

(2) Awarding Degrees Upon Completion of Study at a NIAD-QE-Approved Program (Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees)

NIAD-QE examines academic programs offered by educational institutions operated by government ministries and agencies in light of the School Education Act, Standards for the Establishment of Universities, and Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools, and recognizes programs offering education equivalent to a university undergraduate program or a graduate school Master’s or Doctoral program. Those who completed these academic programs, applied to NIAD-QE, and passed the examination are awarded corresponding degree. As a rule, NIAD-QE confirms that the above-mentioned level is being maintained by conducting a review of education conditions every five years for each program.

　　▶ See NIAD-QE website for details.