Students in the OIST PhD program must earn a minimum of 30 credits from coursework to fulfil their degree requirements. These 30 credits required comprise 20 from Elective courses and 10 from Mandatory courses. Students entering with a Masters degree or equivalent in a STEM field may be given a waiver of up to 10 elective credits, in recognition of prior relevant learning.
The OIST PhD is taught as a flexible program tailored to each student's individual needs, and there is no set program of study, nor do students choose a major field of study. This facilitates interdisciplinary study and research, and allows students to cross disciplines. OIST PhD students are expected to take elective courses within their field to prepare for research, and outside their field to broaden their exposure to other fields. See the OIST Teaching Vision and OIST Graduate Attributes below.
Students work with their mentor and academic advisors to choose the courses needed to prepare for their intended research, and to broaden their experience. Elective courses in science subjects are offered at both Basic (minimal prerequisites, open to anyone) and Advanced (focused, high-level, with significant pre-knowledge required) levels to provide a wide range of options for students.
OIST uses a 15-week 3-term system (beginning in September), with a minimum of 13 teaching weeks. OIST elective courses require a minimum of 20 hours class time per credit. Laboratory or exercise components in those elective courses require additional hours as they are considered less 'dense' than lectures.
Three laboratory rotations in the first year, a thesis proposal in the second year, and continuing professional development training are mandatory for all students, and comprise 10 of the required 30 credits for graduation.
Click the links below (in blue boxes) for more information on OIST elective and mandatory courses. Groupings of courses into disciplines in the accompanying documents are for the convenience of the reader only, and do not imply any formal categories or majors.