International Material Flow Management Program (IMAT)
Outline of the Program
IMAT Dual Degree program students spend their first year studying at APU and the second year at the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS), University of Applied Sciences Trier, Germany. The program offers an integrated knowledge in engineering, economics, law, natural and social sciences. In addition to the learning goals of Sustainability Science Division, the program also offers knowledge on how to link economic development with environmental protection in the fields of energy, water, waste or other material streams, through the use of optimized technology management strategies.
At APU the IMAT Program belongs to the Sustainability Science Division. As such, completion requirements for the APU portion of the Program are the same as those for the Sustainability Science Division. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in an internship in Germany.
Due to the intense nature of this dual-degree program, students must participate for the full 2 years – change in program length or transfer from another Division is not possible. IMAT students will submit to IfaS in Germany a Master’s Thesis. A concise summary of this Thesis is to be submitted to APU in the form of a Research Report. Further details regarding course content and Research Report requirements will be provided during the program guidance session.
Subjects
Credit Requirements
APU Master’s Degree IMAT students must successfully fulfill the credit requirements for completion of the APU degree (32 credits from specified subjects and a Research Report).
All subjects except for the Final Research Project (Master’s Thesis / Research Report) will be taken in the 1st and 2nd semesters of enrollment at APU and the Research Report will be submitted in your 4th semester.
※IMAT Students are expected to take IfaS approved classes. Even if a class is not required to pass the APU degree, dropping of IfaS approved classes is not recommended and may increase your study load at IfaS. Please contact the secretariat before dropping such classes to request permission from IfaS.
Credit Conversion
Subjects taken in fulfillment of the requirements for completion of the APU Master’s degree which are approved by IfaS will be converted to IfaS credits and counted towards the completion requirements of the IfaS Degree. Please carefully read the information in the pdf file below for details.
Subject and Credit for the IMAT Program (extracted from the Agreement Annex)
Intensive Courses
While at APU IMAT students will also take IfaS required subjects during the summer/winter session periods, before classes begin or during the quarter breaks. Credits from these subjects will be counted as part of the credit requirements for completion of the IfaS degree and in some cases may also be counted towards completion of the APU Master’s degree.
Master’s Thesis / Research Report
As a final graduation requirement, all IMAT students are required to submit a Master’s Thesis / Research Report to APU in their final semester. (Submission before the 4th semester is not allowed.)
Students will choose their APU supervisors in their 1st semester of enrollment, then their IfaS supervisor in their 3rd semester enrollment. (Your IfaS Supervisor will help screen your final thesis/report so it is important to find one as soon as possible after going to Germany.)
The students will be under daily supervision of their APU and IfaS supervisors. APU Supervisors will supervise students for Research Project I, II and jointly supervise students with the IfaS Supervisor for Final Research Project. APU Master’s Thesis / Research Report length requirements, etc. are noted in the Graduate Academic Handbook and on the Graduate School website.
Below is a flow outlining the submission, screening and evaluation of the Master’s Thesis / Research Report for IMAT students.
| Schedule | Deadline* |
|---|---|
| Research Proposal submission |
By June 30 (2nd semester of enrollment) |
|
Reviewed by the APU supervisor and another APU faculty member |
By August 5 (2nd semester of enrollment) |
|
Research Proposal re-submission** IfaS supervisors are reported to APU |
By January 15 (3rd semester of enrollment) |
| Progress Report submission |
By April 10 (4th semester of enrollment) |
|
Notification of Intent to Submit a Master’s Thesis / Research Report submission |
By May 15 (4th semester of enrollment) |
| Master’s Thesis / Research Report submission |
By June 15 (4th semester of enrollment) |
|
Notification of the Examination Results (Pass / Minor Revision / Major Revision / Fail) |
By July 5 (4th semester of enrollment) |
|
Master’s Thesis / Research Report re-submission (in case of Minor/Major Revision) *Fail – can submit next semester |
By July 25 (4th semester of enrollment) |
| Notification of Final Results |
By August 5 (4th semester of enrollment) |
*If the deadline falls on a weekend or a holiday, or a day when the office is closed, the deadline will move to the immediately preceding working day.
**Please use the designated application form below.
IMAT Research Proposal Application
How to fill out the Research Proposal Form(PDF)
Further Thesis/Report Details (for all GSAM students)
FAQ