Branches of Study

According to the Regulation for Post Graduate Education issued on 20th April 2016, master program is carried out in two ways, with and without thesis. The issues regarding the permission for transition between master programs with and without thesis which is under the authority of higher education institutions with regard to which institute, department/art major will carry out these program and how they will do it are arranged with a regulation that will be made by senates (Article No 4 (1)). Master program with thesis provides the student with an access to information, gathering, commenting and evaluating it by using scientific research methods (Article No 6 (1). On condition that master program with thesis has twenty credits at least in total, it is made up of seven courses at least, one seminar and thesis study. Seminar course and thesis have no credit and it is evaluated as success or failure. Master thesis with thesis is made up of 120 ECTS in total, on condition that it should have 60 ECTS credits, eight credits and a project study including thesis, in one academic year at least (Article No 6 (3). The duration of the master program with thesis is four semesters regardless of enrolment, starting from the semester when the courses enrolled, excluding the period spent in the preparatory class and it is completed in six semesters the most (Article 7(1).

Master program without thesis shows how to use the current knowledge in practice by making students attain information in vocational issues (Article 11 (1).  Master program without thesis is made up of thirty credits in total and of ten courses and one semester project on condition that it must be 90 ECTSs at least (Article 11 (2). The duration of master program without thesis is two semesters the least regardless of enrolment for each semester, starting from the semester when the courses enrolled, excluding the period spent in the preparatory class and it is completed in three semesters the most (Article 12(1), as given in the regulation concerned.

Admission Requirements

In order to apply for a graduate program, candidates must have a bachelor's degree and ALES score determined by the senate, not less than 55 points in the type of score of the program applied for. But

a) Conservatory programs and the programs of the faculties of fine arts that only accept students with special talent exams, in the acceptance of students to the departments of the institutes,

b) In the applications of doctorate / proficiency in art / specialty in medicine / specialty in dentistry / specialty in veterinary medicine / specialty in pharmacy to graduate programs,

ALES condition is not required. (Article 5 (1)).

Higher education institutions may not seek ALES score in admission to non-thesis graduate programs, if ALES score is requested, the base score is determined by the senates (Article 5 (2)).

The principles regarding the application of candidates who are / may be graduated, how much the ALES score will be evaluated on condition that it is not less than 50%, and other issues regarding student admission to graduate education are determined by the senate (Article 5 (3)).

According to the 5th article of the Postgraduate Education and Training Regulation, higher education institutions may accept students to graduate programs with only ALES score, as well as ALES score, in addition to their undergraduate grade point average, written scientific evaluation and / or interview results (Article 5 (4). )).

For the evaluation procedures of the candidates under item (b) of the first paragraph of the 5th article of the Postgraduate Education and Training Regulation; (Article 5 (5)).

a) Regardless of the type of score at the entrance to the graduate program or the field of expertise, a score of less than 55 and not more than 75 is determined by the university senates and announced in the terms of the relevant program.

b) These candidates can apply in a different field from the type of score they have previously received or from the field of doctorate / proficiency / expertise.

c) The announced score is included in the calculations as ALES score regardless of the type of score.

Curriculum

The teaching program of post graduate programs in the departments/major arts in institutes is the total sum of compulsory/elective courses, thesis, seminar and other studies that need to be taken in order to graduate from post graduate programs. These syllabi are approved by the board of institute on condition that they meet the minimum content decided by university senates. The issues of which post graduate courses to be opened and by which lecturers they will be taught in a semester are determined by the boards of institutes with the recommendations of the heads of departments/major arts in the related institutes. It is a must to have at least one course containing the issues of scientific research techniques and the ethics of research and publication during post graduate education. The issue of which ones of the courses approved by the board of institute will take place in the syllabus of students is decided by the student and his/her supervisor (Article 34-(2)-(5)-(6). 

Teaching Methods

There is not a regulation on the selection of teaching methods at a national or institutional level. Generally instructors are free to choose teaching methods appropriate to the course they teach. Different kinds of materials/classes/methods can be used. For example, computer-aided instruction, e-learning, etc., such as new technologies are increasingly developed. Materials and applications are paid, but the computer can be utilized free in the libraries.

Progression of Students

According to Regulation of Post Graduate Education, each university course organization determines the arrangements of post graduate education that would be enacted by authorities in the master programs with and without thesis. At the end of four years in the master program with thesis, those who cannot complete the courses with a credit and seminar taking place in teaching program successfully or the ones who cannot fulfil the success conditions/criteria envisaged by the higher education institution in this period, and the students failing in thesis study in the maximum period or those not having a thesis defence are dismissed from the higher education institution (Article 7 (2). The arrangements regarding the students with a possibility of graduation from the master program before its time are determined by the regulations approved by the senate (Article 7 (3). In case an application by the student whose thesis is disapproved, he/she is given a diploma of master program without thesis on condition that he/she fulfils the requirements of credit loads of the courses in the master program without thesis, project delivery and others (Article 9 (9).

The student has to enrol for the term project in the semester when the course of term project is taken and accordingly submit the project and/or report in written form at the end of the semester. The course of semester project has no credit and is evaluated as success or failure (Article 11 (2). According to the principles determined by the senate, a test of proficiency could be applied at the end of the master program without thesis (Article 11 (4). Those attending to the master program without thesis could make a transition to the master program with thesis on condition that the minimum conditions determined by the higher education institution for the master program with thesis they applied for. In this case, the courses taken in the master program without thesis could be substituted for the courses in the master program with thesis by the decision of the board of institute (Article 14 (3).

Employability

The Higher Education Law envisages that higher education institutions should make a collaboration with private and state departments and help their graduates find a job (The Law of Higher Education with a No of 2547, Article No 47). In some higher education institutions, Carrier Centres have been founded in order to give these services. Some vocational publicity meetings have been organized by these centres and various units for students and the representatives of private sector institutions are made to involve in these activities. In this way, it is aimed to bring students and employer institutions together.

Student Assessment

According to the Regulation for Post Graduate Education, master thesis with thesis is made up of 120 ECTS in total, on condition that it should have 60 ECTS credits, eight credits and a project study including thesis, in one academic year at least (Article No 6 (2). Attendance, tests for the courses, course notes, the success in the courses, repeating a course and other principles concerning post graduate programs are determined by the regulations approved by the senate (Article 34 (4).

A student having an education in the master program with thesis writes the results he/she obtains in compliance with the rules determined by the senate and defences the thesis in front of the jury (Article 9 (1).

Thesis supervisor is chosen from the lecturers with qualities to be determined by the senate in the master program with thesis. In the case of absence of a lecturer with these qualities, another advisor from another higher education institution could be chosen as a supervisor by the board of institute within the framework of the principles determined by the university senate. The second supervisor who will be appointed in the cases needing more than one advisor in terms of the quality of the thesis could be a person having a doctoral degree at least from other staff out of university personnel (Article 8 (2).

Master program thesis jury is appointed by the board of institute with the recommendation of thesis supervisor and the head of department/major art in the related institute. The jury is made up of three or five academic members, the thesis advisor of the student, and a lecturer out of his/her university at least. In the case of three jury members, the second thesis supervisor cannot be a member of the jury (Article 9 (3).

Thesis exam is made up of presentation part and question and answer part following it. Thesis exam is carried out in a surrounding with the involvement of lecturers, post graduate students, the experts in the field and other audience (Article 9 (5). Following the completion of thesis defence, the jury decides on acceptance, refusal or correction with absolute majority. This decision is submitted to the related institute within three days following the thesis defence by the head of department/major art at the institute (Article 9 (6). The student with a refused thesis is dismissed from the higher education institution (Article 9 (7). The student having a correction decision defences the thesis with the necessary corrections within three months in front of the same jury. If the student is refused as a failure as a result of this defence, he is dismissed from the higher education institution (Article 9 (8). In the case of application, the student with a refused thesis is given a diploma of master program without thesis on condition that he/she fulfils the requirements of credit loads of the courses in the master program without thesis, project delivery and others (Article 9 (9).

The student of master program without thesis has to enrol for the term project in the semester when the course of term project is taken and submit the project and/or report in written form at the end of the semester. The course of semester project has no credit and is evaluated as success or failure (Article 11 (2). According to the principles determined by the senate, a test of proficiency could be applied at the end of the master program without thesis (Article 11 (4). The presidency of institute department/major art in the master program without thesis determines a lecturer determines an academic member as a supervisor in the selection of the courses for each student and in supervision of carrying out term projects or another lecturer with the a PhD having the same qualities up to the end of the first semester the latest (Article 13 (1).

Certification

A student of master program submitting the master thesis in one month from the time he/she has the thesis exam onwards to the related institute and whose thesis is found suitable in terms of format is given a diploma of master program with thesis (Article 10 (1). On the diploma of master program with thesis is written the program’s name which was approved by the Council of Higher Education in the department/major art of the institute where the student is enrolled (Article 10 (2). 

The student completing the courses with a credit and the term project successfully is given a diploma of master program without thesis. On the diploma of master program without thesis is written the program’s name which was approved by the Board of Higher Education in the department/major art of the institute where the student is enrolled. Those attending to the master program without thesis could make a transition to the master program with thesis on condition that the minimum conditions determined by the higher education institution for the master program with thesis they applied for (Article 14).