For International Prospective Students

For Prospective International Students

Lifestyle Computing Lab accepts international students for pursuing the Master or Doctor Degree. 

Keio University provides the International Graduate Program (IGP) for prospective students starting in April and September every year. IGP does not request the Japanese ability for each student, however, fluent English ability with passing related examinations (like TOFEL, GRE, etc) is necessary. Detailed information can be found on this page. 

Keio University also has a Double degree program. When you complete the degree requirements of both Keio and your home institutions, you will be received with the degrees from both Keio University and your home institution.

We are welcome to students who have a great interest in the Human-computer Interaction or ubiquitous computing field. For the prospective student who would like to join in our lab, should have:

- Experience in electronic design, machine learning, image processing or any other HCI related project.
- Good English ability.
- Good programming ability (Python, C, Java, etc).
- A basic research proposal for future study.
- Understand our interest.

In our lab, students can have a suitable working environment and equality communication opportunity. We encourage the student to participate in the international conference to communicate with others.

If you are interested, please send the CV and the research proposal to Assist. Prof. Sugiura (info-lcl-group@keio.jp). As it is necessary to coordinate with the faculty member in which you are interested to be assigned to, please contact us as soon as possible by email.
Your CV should include: 

- Your educational background.
- GPA Score.
- English Score.
- Your current/privious research superviser (if available).
- Brief introduction of past research projects.
- The awards.
- Working experience (if available).
- Publications (if available). 

Also, your research proposal should include: 

- What you want to do in this lab.
- What you like for this laboratory's existing research.
- Your motivation to study in Japan and Keio University.

Interview with Current International Students

We interviewed international students in this lab.  He is Nick, a Ph.D. student from China. He came to our lab through IGP. You may be able to understand the situation of studying abroad by checking the interview below. 

Why did you choose this laboratory for your doctoral course?

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a comprehensive discipline and has a great application background in this decade. Focusing on the utilization of engineering technique, it attracts me to use my knowledge to conduct practical research. LIFESTYLE COMPUTING lab specializes in HCI field, and has several research projects related to HCI. Besides, the energetic group and great achievement of Prof.Sugiura attract me to join in this group as well.

What kind of research are you doing now?

Right now, my research is related to human motion recognition with user conditions considered. The research concentrates on combining the user’s conditions (like body conditions or preference) with recognition accuracy when applying the motion recognition system to the human with any purpose. It aims to produce a kind of recommendation with the number and position of sensor wearing for individuals. It could help the subsequent development of motion recognition based systems and can be used for injury prevention, rehabilitation and so on.

What skills and knowledge have you learned in this laboratory?

In our lab, I have touched the techniques such machine learning, programming, Unity 3D, etc. Besides, for daily communicating and academic writing, my English and Japanese are both enhanced.

Do you enjoy living in Japan, Keio University, and our lab?

I really enjoy life in Japan. Japan is an excellent country which has great culture and human customs. Keio University is also a great university both on the domestic and international stage. Yagami campus of Keio is provided for students studying the science and technology related subjects. It has a good viewsight and quiet environment. And the staff of graduate school are all kind and warmful.
LIFESTYLE COMPUTING lab is a good place for studying and researching as well. It is a little different from a common research lab. Comfortable and casual environment allows the student not only conduct their research effectively but also have time to rest to relax the self after study and work.

Scholarship information

I have obtained the scholarship from Keio University, which is able to cover my living fees and tuition fees during my whole study period. Keio University offers a lot of scholarships for international students to eliminate the burden of living.

Do you have any comments for prospective international students?

Before you apply for the related international program, I think a good command of English is significant. Japanese is not so necessary but you still need to study it for daily communication (like in supermarket). Moreover, read our lab’s previous projects and ensure you are interested in any one or have some potential idea related or based on our lab’s interest. That could be better for you to adapt to future research life.