Internship in Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University (iELST)

Overview

iELST is an educational internship program organized by the Graduate school of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology (ELST hereafter), Okayama University. iELST provides a high-level education program to international students who will be enrolled in research topics and in specific classes if necessary with Japanese students. Through this program, iELST encourages students to learn and understand deeply the disciplinary science as well as to gain broad pictures of the interdisciplinary science including natural science, engineering, agriculture and environment. This program provides international students with an ideal environment for their study abroad (in Japan) by having an opportunity to study at one of the prominent universities in Japan with benefits of personal experience and enrichment.

Outline of the program

Based on each student’s preferences, the iELST program manager will recommend a professor or associate professor from the Graduate School to serve as their supervisor.
After receiving the recommendation, the student will select their supervisor and contact them directly to discuss their research plan.

During the internship period, students will engage in two main activities: Research and Lectures/Tutorials.

Research
Students will conduct research in their supervisor’s laboratory, working alongside Japanese students and staff members.

Lectures/Tutorials
Students may attend regularly scheduled lectures or request additional on-demand tutorials as needed.
All lectures and tutorials are conducted in English.

Evaluation and Credits

Students who complete iELST will receive a Certificate of Completion issued by the Dean of the Graduate School of Environmental, Life, and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University.

An official transcript, listing the lecture titles, grades, and credits earned will also be issued

The total number of credits obtained will be the sum of Research and Lecture/Tutorial credits.

TStudent’s research will be evaluated by the supervising professor based on the student’s report and presentation. Based on the internship duration, students may earn up to 10 credits for their Research activities.

Lectures and tutorials will be evaluated by the respective professors, considering final exam, submitted reports and class participation. Number of credits awarded are according to the courses selected from the iELST syllabus.

Credit of Lectures and tutorials are calculated as follows:

• 1 Lecture credit = 15 study hours
• 1 Tutorial credit = 30 study hours

Recognition of credits earned at Okayama University is the responsibility of the students’ home institution. 1 credit in this program corresponds to 1.5 ECTS.

Reference: Okayama Univerity Academic Year 2025 Schedule

Expected enrolling students

This course is targeted to the inbound Master students, who are registered as a regular student in the graduate school having an international student exchange agreement with Okayama University.

Status of the iELST students

The student enrolling the iELST is accepted as a “special research student” (non-regular student) of ELST.

Academic Curriculum

iELST provides students from European partner universities with an excellent opportunity to study interdisciplinary science in Japan with comprehensive learning experiences at Okayama University. See the iELST Syllabus.

At the time of submission of application documents, you need to list the lectures and tutorial studies which you would like to take on the application document.

*You cannot basically change the subjects you chose at the time of application, so please consult with the supervisor (or iELST manager) about which lectures / tutorial studies you would like to take in advance.

Application procedure

Applicants who wish to participate the iELST must contact us at least 4 months before your desired start date of iELST .

Any questions and inquiries are welcomed to: ielst-mgr◎okayama-u.ac.jp (change ◎ to @)

[Application Procedure]

Application documents (Updated on October 1st 2025)

– Form 1 & 2 Application & Letter of Recommendation 

– Form 3 (Statement of Purpose and Study Plan)

– A scanned copy of Passport (the page with your photo and passport number)