（海洋産業AIプロフェッショナル育成卓越大学院プログラム）
（Development of WISE Program to foster
AI Professionals for Marine Industries）

The WISE Program (Doctoral Program for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education) is a program implemented by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) since FY2018. Our WISE program was adopted in FY2019.
On November 1, we established the Marine AI Development and Evaluation Center (MAIDEC) at the Etchujima Campus to serve as a central hub for conducting education and academic research on marine AI, education and research guidance as part of the WISE Program, and other projects.

This program is established as an educational program for a five-year integrated graduate school course. (2 years for the first semester program, 3 years for the second semester program) The program fosters talent who are literate in big data analysis and machine learning methods, and can accurately evaluate the performance of artificial intelligence based on the specialized knowledge and abundant experience in the fields provided by the University. They are innovators for social implementation, highly specialized engineers, and marine policy makers.

We have already started accepting applications from students admitted to the master's program in April 2020 and beyond. We will also start accepting students enrolled in the doctoral program through the Special Selection for Working Adults in April 2022 and beyond.

This program aims to nurture "professionals capable of handling AI in the marine field" who are in demand in the maritime field (by industry, research institutions, and government agencies). As such, students can acquire skills that are highly attractive from the perspective of society. We believe that advancing to the doctoral program and participating in this program will not hurt students' employment prospects, but rather will be an advantage in any marine-related field.

The program also provides students with great opportunities to broaden their horizons, get a feel for what work is like, and think about their careers through lectures and internships at institutions outside the university.

We cannot say for certain, as no students have completed the program yet. However, there is a great need in society for doctoral professionals who have both marine expertise and the ability to apply AI technology using data science and big data analysis. This makes the program very attractive from the perspective of society, so students can expect to find career paths in academia, business, or government.

To allow students participating in the program to concentrate on their studies, RA system and support for research expenses are provided throughout the Master's and
doctoral stages. In addition, five students who enter the doctoral program with excellent grades will receive Education and Research Support Expenses of 1,560,000 yen

( See details Financial supports )

Some courses are offered every week, while others are intensive courses. Details about the course schedules and formats can be found in the course registration guide.

Please note that the schedules for intensive courses vary depending on year, course, and other factors. Be sure to check the schedule in advance.

If you are a working student, please consult your academic advisor, as considerations to allow you to conduct your research outside of university laboratories will need to be made before you set your research theme.

Our basic approach regarding class formats is the same as that for the rest of TUMSAT.
Classes are generally held in person, but may be conducted remotely when it is effective to do so.

For courses that emphasize face-to-face communication and field experience, such as internships and Marine AI Workshops, we will use an effective combination of in-person and online classes in consideration of the pandemic situation and other factors.

In addition, the regular weekly Marine AI Student Study Session and the monthly Marine AI Study Sessions are being conducted online.

This is something that you must carefully discuss with your expected academic advisor. However, we ask that applicants describe how they expect to use AI to implement their research in society, with a particular focus on how the research will be returned to society.

This program has no additional application fees, admission fees, or tuition fees.

* Examination fee, entrance fee, and tuition fee for graduate school admission are required.

This program is open to students in any graduate course offered by the Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology. However, as it is a five-year integrated educational program, only master's program students may enroll, in principle.

*Starting April 2022, students admitted to the doctoral program through the Special Selection for Working Adults will be able to enroll in the WISE Program.
(See About program details Q. What is "Development of WISE Program to foster AI professionals for Marine Industries"?)

Yes. For the master's program, program students can acquire knowledge step by step. Students take AI (Machine Learning) courses ("AI and Machine Learning", "Deep Learning") and Big Data Courses ("Introduction to Data Science", ""
Data Engineering ") Take the course in the first year and the practice course in the second year.

You can also supplement your knowledge by using our online learning platform, which can be used whenever you need.

Yes. Even if your academic advisor does not do any research using data science, etc., you can use the program's unique mentor system to receive support with your research and thesis writing just like having a sub-advisor.

We also provide faculty members with hands-on training on how to better utilize AI in their research. A list of faculty members certified as having completed the intermediate-level training is available on the program website.

This is not possible as of fall 2021. However, we are considering allowing students to apply after the first year of the master's program if there is room in the program starting in 2022.
Please check the recruitment information on this website.

Due to a 2012 revision of the Standards for Establishment of Graduate Schools, universities now have the discretion to allow students to complete master's programs and receive master's degrees upon passing a Qualifying Examination (QE), in lieu of passing a review of a master's thesis or the results of a special research project and a final examination, if they deem it necessary for achieving the purpose of the doctoral course.

Since the WISE Program is a five-year integrated doctoral program, the completion requirements require that students must satisfy both (1) and (2) below. However, students who are admitted to the doctoral course through the Special Selection for Working Adults and enroll in the program starting from the doctoral course are required to fulfill only (2).

(1) The number of credits required for completion of the master's program is 31 (one more than the normal credit requirement). Common and specialized courses in the program count toward credit requirements for the completion of your graduate course.

(2) The number of credits required for completion of the doctoral program is 17 (7 more than the normal credit requirement).

Students who complete the Program earn doctor's degree of Marine Science or
doctor's degree of Engineering. They also receive a certificate of degree with a note　stating that they have completed the Development of WISE Program (World-leading Innovative & Smart Education) Program to foster AI Artificial Intelligence) Professionals for Marine Industries .

Upon passing the QE at the end of the master's program, students will be awarded the degree of Master of Marine Science or Master of Engineering.

As the WISE Program is a five-year integrated doctoral program, you will not be able to complete the program if you withdraw.

However, former program students can still apply for and receive a master's degree or a doctoral degree if they pass the respective review processes, just like any other TUMSAT student.

Program students can also choose whether to take the QE or undergo the thesis review upon completion of the master's program regardless of whether they are advancing to the doctoral program. If they pass either review process, they will receive a degree of Master of Marine Science or a Doctor of Engineering.

The Marine AI Development and Evaluation Center (MAIDEC) was set up on the Etchujima campus on November 1, 2019.　The center possesses an array of equipment for the utilization of data, which is the core of the WISE Program, including NAS for marine AI education and research and a GPU server for machine learning calculations.

Next to the server rooms there is a dedicated exercise room for program students where they can use terminals to conduct research. This room is also used for two of the program's exercise courses, Exercise in Machine Learning Exercise and Exercise in Data Science.

*Program students are also provided with a VPN-based environment for attending exercises remotely.

Yes, you can take lecture courses. However, there are certain requirements for exercise courses. Please refer to the syllabi of the respective courses for details.

In addition, students not enrolled in this program cannot use MAIDEC exercise terminals, in principle.