10 - Turkey - Branches of study, specialisation

Almost all of the higher education institutions in Turkey are gathered under the university roof. Therefore universities include all sorts of vocational, technical and academic study areas. Universities conduct education and research activities together. Study areas that universities have differ from university to university. According to the study areas/branches and terms they are gathered under the roof of either faculty and institute or higher vocational school. When programs are handled from the point of their specialization levels, they are grouped as associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master degree, and doctoral degree programs.

Faculties and Institutions (Graduate Schools)

Faculty is a higher education institution that conducts education, scientific research and publishing on high level. However their names differ in faculties the most common study areas and terms are given below. Some of these areas are divided into sub-study areas and conducted as separate programs. For example fine arts branch is conducted in separate programs of ceramic, sculpture, arts, photography etc. The graduates of the faculties are granted bachelor’s degree on their fields and the rights that the degree provided.

• Health sciences(Programs under this general area are for 12 semesters-6 year for Medicine Field and 10 semester-5 years for other fields excluding preparatory foreign language programs) Students who are graduated from the programs under this area are deemed to have master degree:
• Medicine
• Dentistry
• Pharmacy
• Veterinary
• Language, literature, arts and humanities(Programs under this general area are for 8 semesters-4 years excluding preparatory foreign language programs):
• Philosophy
• History
• Theology
• Turkish Language and Literature
• Western Languages and Literatures
• Eastern Languages and Literatures
• Educational Sciences and Teacher Education
• Psychology
• Archeology
• Librarianship/information document sciences
• Communication sciences
• Fine Arts
• Performing Arts
• Musicology
• Economy and social sciences(Programs under this general area are for 8 semesters-4 years excluding preparatory foreign language programs):
• Law
• Social sciences
• Political sciences
• Public administration
• Business Management
• International Relations
• Economics
• Finance
• Mathematics and natural sciences(Programs under this general area are for 8 semesters-4 years excluding preparatory foreign language programs):
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Statistics
• Computer Sciences
• Space Sciences/Astronomy
• Engineering sciences(Programs under this general area are for 8 semesters-4 years excluding preparatory foreign language programs):
• Architecture
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical-Electronic Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Physical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering Science
• Metallurgical Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Geological Engineering
• Food Engineering
• Materials Engineering

Institutes (graduate schools) are units responsible for conducting graduate degree programs (master degree, doctorate and proficiency in arts). The above mentioned programs are also applied to graduate degree programs. The departments listed above are handled in three categories and institutes are formed. These are structured as institutes of health sciences, applied sciences and social sciences. In some universities there are institutes specific to a certain field excluding these such as fine arts institute.

Graduate degree programs are minimum two year, doctorate programs are minimum four year educational programs. Students who graduate from these programs hold the rights of master degree and doctorate degree and the rights provided by these degrees.

Higher schools

Higher schools are higher educational schools that mostly emphasize on a specific profession. Higher schools consist of departments, each conducting a separate educational-instructional program.

Higher schools are divided into two groups in sense of terms and objectives:

Higher Schools (Four-year)

In these schools vocational and technical programs are conducted for raising high-level professional staff on bachelor’s degree level (four-year). It is possible to categorize the fields that are affiliated to these schools as health, tourism and hotel, trade and social services.

• Health services field:
• Midwifery
• Nursing
• Health Officer Education
• Nutrition and Dietetics
• Physiotherapy and rehabilitation etc.
• Tourism and hotel services
• Accommodation and Traveling
• Tourism guidance
• Tourism and Hotel Management etc.
• Trade and industrial services field
• International logistic and transportation
• Business Information Management
• Banking and Finance
• Accounting information systems
• International Commerce
• Insurance business
• Actuarial
• Social service fields
• Child development and education
• Social services
• Translation and Interpretation
• Physical education and sport fields
• Coaching
• Teaching Physical Education and Sport
• Sports Management etc.

Higher Vocational Schools (two years)

In these schools vocational and technical programs are conducted for raising intermediate vocational staff on associate degree level (two-year). These fields include almost all vocational fields within vocational technical high schools as a single program. In these schools there are programs pertaining to 260 vocational fields.

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