First of all, I am sorry for these fundamental type of questions that have probably been answered multiple times in the multitude of threads here, but with the vast amount of posts I was unable to find any clear answers. If a kind soul would help me out here, I'd be extremely thankful.
My situation is as follows - I'm currently doing masters degree in law at my home university expecting to graduate around the end of spring. Now, I'm wondering what other options I have with MEXT outside of doctorate in law.
My reasons for wanting to do something different are multiple - first of all, unlike many other fields, legal systems are rather country specific and I fear my studies so far would be of very little use in Japan. Additionally, law programs are generally only in Japanese and MEXT requires higher level of proficiency for someone applying to study law. Even though I have completed JLPT N1 I have 0 confidence in actually being able to complete coursework in japanese after attempting it for a semester during my exchange studies earlier this year. Additionally, I'm interested in certain other fields as of late.
Back here switching to a completely different major would be prepostrous and basically impossible - yet from what I've read on the admission process of multiple japanese universities, you do not need to have completed your undergrad in that specific field to apply. At the same time the MEXT guidelines state that I "should" apply for same or related field as my previous studies, but also that I MUST apply for a field where I can receive instruction and do research. What this means in practice I haven't been able to figure out.
Would it be possible to apply, for example, for masters in International Relations or Economics? I've done a bunch of undergrad courses in both and find them extremely interesting fields. Also, my heavy emphasis on international law in my studies so far would help out with International Relations at least to some degree.
Or could I perhaps apply for the scholarship for MBA? I've heard people say that MEXT cannot be received for MBA, yet some universities directly reference the mext scholarship in relation to their MBA programs.
If neither of those are possible could I potentially go for, lets say, LL.M in comparative law, even though I'm already in process of doing LL.M equivalent back at home? If it's not possible to "repeat" a degree, would it matter if I decided to temporarily take leave from my university without finishing my degree? That way I'd only have my bachelor of laws completed when I apply.
If changing my major for the embassy recommendation is impossible, would it be possible to apply directly to a grad school of interest and hope to get the university recommendation?
Or is my only option to apply for either just research student status or docotorate in law?
Also if someone is doing MEXT in law, I could take recommendations on programs! I've yet to find many options, unless I want to study in Japanese.
Thank you for your help and sorry for the massively long post.
My situation is as follows - I'm currently doing masters degree in law at my home university expecting to graduate around the end of spring. Now, I'm wondering what other options I have with MEXT outside of doctorate in law.
My reasons for wanting to do something different are multiple - first of all, unlike many other fields, legal systems are rather country specific and I fear my studies so far would be of very little use in Japan. Additionally, law programs are generally only in Japanese and MEXT requires higher level of proficiency for someone applying to study law. Even though I have completed JLPT N1 I have 0 confidence in actually being able to complete coursework in japanese after attempting it for a semester during my exchange studies earlier this year. Additionally, I'm interested in certain other fields as of late.
Back here switching to a completely different major would be prepostrous and basically impossible - yet from what I've read on the admission process of multiple japanese universities, you do not need to have completed your undergrad in that specific field to apply. At the same time the MEXT guidelines state that I "should" apply for same or related field as my previous studies, but also that I MUST apply for a field where I can receive instruction and do research. What this means in practice I haven't been able to figure out.
Would it be possible to apply, for example, for masters in International Relations or Economics? I've done a bunch of undergrad courses in both and find them extremely interesting fields. Also, my heavy emphasis on international law in my studies so far would help out with International Relations at least to some degree.
Or could I perhaps apply for the scholarship for MBA? I've heard people say that MEXT cannot be received for MBA, yet some universities directly reference the mext scholarship in relation to their MBA programs.
If neither of those are possible could I potentially go for, lets say, LL.M in comparative law, even though I'm already in process of doing LL.M equivalent back at home? If it's not possible to "repeat" a degree, would it matter if I decided to temporarily take leave from my university without finishing my degree? That way I'd only have my bachelor of laws completed when I apply.
If changing my major for the embassy recommendation is impossible, would it be possible to apply directly to a grad school of interest and hope to get the university recommendation?
Or is my only option to apply for either just research student status or docotorate in law?
Also if someone is doing MEXT in law, I could take recommendations on programs! I've yet to find many options, unless I want to study in Japanese.
Thank you for your help and sorry for the massively long post.