How helpful is having a MS in finding technical jobs?

I'm from America and have a BS in applied math and a science (not computer science-related) field from a school that is considered prestigious to Japanese people. However, I am nowhere near fluent in Japanese.

Since I want to work in Japan, I'm not sure if sticking with my current job and working for maybe 1-2 more years is more helpful than just getting an MS degree in applied math or computer science. I think enrolling in a MS program in Japan would be a great way to live in Japan and improve my future job prospects. I am also open to living and working in other countries in Asia

I had some questions about the admissions process and how MS degrees are perceived in Japan. First, I heard that prestige of schools is a huge deal, so is it true that having an MS degree from Japan is looked down on? Because those who attended a prestigious undergrad school have no need to go to grad school? Also, do these programs expect their MS students to pursue a phD as well? I just want to leave with the MS. I also do not want to do a thesis.

Anyone know how the admissions process works? How important are the entrance exams and interviews? I heard that even if you bomb the entrance exam, you can still get admitted if your prospective professor likes you. I graduated a few years ago with a 3.7+ gpa from a well-known school. I'm looking at the science/engineering English-speaking MS programs at the University of Tokyo and Osaka University. Anyone know how competitive these programs are?

I'm also thinking about just coming to Japan to work as an English teacher or enroll in a language course in Japan, and then use my free time to practice programming and networking with people to find a job. Or maybe I'm better off getting an MS from another country and then look for jobs in Japan?

i have heard of my friend who lives in japan for 10 years alredy that once when you find a job in some of the western companies its impossible to get a job in any of the japanese companies

The prestige you speak of really only pertains to Japanese people and the universities from which they graduate, not for foreigners. J companies use the school reputations here to determine which J college grads they recruit.

Any higher degree will be looked upon more favorably than a lower one.

You currently have a degree, which means you are eligible for a work visa. To get hired by a J company, you need to focus on getting language proficiency up to N2 levels in most cases, and in gaining work experience. Otherwise, you have nothing to offer a company that a Japanese local can't do better.

Admission procedures vary with the type of institution in Japan. Language proficiency may play a role there, too. Few schools teach classes in English. You'll just have to see what school offers a program you like and see what their admission procedures are. U of Tokyo and Osaka are very competitive, but what else is new? Have you looked into getting a JSPS scholarship? Sometimes the Ministry scholarships require that you spend 3-6 months in intensive language courses before you start your master's/doctoral studies, although that doesn't really make you all that proficient.

Don't come and teach. Get the right experience. Programming jobs are a dime a dozen here, and many that go to foreigners are given to people from India (they accept lower wages than they should). Internships might also be an option for you.

I graduated from an US university and got an MS in Japan and then a naitei.
With regards of getting an MS, as long as you get into one of the top universities in Japan (such as TokyoU) it will probably help you. Also, depending on the firm, having a graduate degree means that you will be able to collect bonuses on the first year instead of 2nd year, which can add up to a substantial amount of money for the first year(something like $25k more).

Admissions process: You can just fly over to Japan, hand over the admissions form (usually in July) and take the entrance exam with the Japanese students (in August), if you are accepted, the university will help you get the visa and everything. You don't need an English program for grad school, just email the professor first. If the professor can speak English, you can even go even if the program is in Japanese.

"Anyone know how competitive these programs are?"
As long as you pass their entrance exam, you are good to go.

Regarding JLPT:
OK, as long as you can pass the SPI exams and do interviews in Japanese, you don't really even need JLPT. That being said, the SPI exams does test Japanese, and are sometimes even harder than the N1 level exams. For top firms such as Dentsu, you may need a score of 89%+ to pass the exam phase. (if you don't pass the exam, won't even get an interview. So if you do come to Japan, focus on studying for the SPI exams rather than the JLPT, if you can pass the SPI exams then they will likely never ask you about JLPT)

Getting a job in Japan:
If you actually got an MS in a top Japanese university and can at least speak Japanese, I don't think it's a problem for you especially since you are STEM. Some companies such as Ajinomoto actually have foreigner quotas that their HR must fill (something like 10% of new grad hires). On your first year, you should sign up for all the job hunting sites: rikunabi, mynavi, goodfind etc.

and with regards to transferring into a Japanese company after work experience?
Next to impossible especially if you don't have native level Japanese. Japanese companies hires most people as new grads.

biscuit00 said:

"Anyone know how competitive these programs are?"
As long as you pass their entrance exam, you are good to go.

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Not always. The uni where I work has a screening process for foreign applicants. Despite passing exams and showing various paperwork, they often just select the next candidate based on what country they were from. They won't choose a Canadian if they had one the previous year, for example, no matter how qualified he is. If it's time to take on a person from Thailand (based on how often they were taken in the past), that's who gets picked. I know. I've been on the selection committee (and been frustrated over this).

how is it possible to get a Master of Science from a Japanese university without proficiency in Japanese?

Are the course taught in English?

FinancialWar said:

how is it possible to get a Master of Science from a Japanese university without proficiency in Japanese?

Are the course taught in English?

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There are courses taught in English, but for STEM graduate school, the courses are often only graded on attendance, so if you just know a little bit of Japanese you can pass. Whether you graduate or not depends almost entirely on your thesis (which can be written in English, in fact for Ph.D. even Japanese students needs to write thesis in English).

Therefore, as long as you can communicate with your professor, you can get an MS.