Universities are authorized to form their own curriculums that carry to
a degree or diploma in a vocational and academic field, prepare,
present and evaluate education and research services. In this context
departments in faculties or higher schools which they are affiliated
are academic and administrative units that are responsible for the
arrangement and conduction of education and research activities in a
specific discipline. Within this frame they have a determining effect
on their policies of education and research, development plan and
strategy, determination and review of the programs. Excluding teacher
training programs upon suggestion of departments, courses, branches of
a program, course definition, credits, weekly hours of courses, whether
they are to be theoretical or practiced, compulsory or optional, terms,
consecutiveness of courses or prerequisites, training course conditions
etc. are determined by university senates as a result of some internal
process. Department can suggest lessons from other departments to be
included in their programs. Arrangements on university level about
these issues are accomplished by regulations on undergraduate education
and regulations on graduate education which are prepared by
universities’ own senates. The lessons of the teacher training programs
are determined by Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK) in collaboration with the
Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı (MEB).
Courses can be given on days or
evenings and all the programs are full time programs which have
foreseen minimum and maximum terms (except open programs) and these
terms are determined by article no 44 of the Yükseköğretim Kanunu, No.
2547. Except foreign language preparatory classes in higher education
institutions associate degree and bachelor’s degree students are given
maximum four years for the two year associate degree programs and seven
year for bachelor’s degree programs to accomplish their education.
Students have to accomplish five year programs maximum in eight years
and six year programs maximum in nine years.
Terms for graduate
degree programs are determined by Lisansüstü Eğitim ve Öğretim
Yönetmeliği. Period of accomplishment for a master degree program
without thesis is six half terms maximum and four half terms with
thesis. Period of accomplishment for a doctorate program is eight half
terms for the ones who are admitted with master degrees and ten years
with bachelor's degrees. Universities arrange additional periods to be
given for students who can not graduate within these periods with
regulations. Minimum graduation credits for associate degree and
graduate degree programs are arranged by university senates with
regulations. Generally excluding common mandatory courses (some lessons
that students of all the programs have to take are not included in
graduation credit) five year educational programs contain minimum 160
credits, four year programs minimum 128 credits, higher vocational
school programs minimum 64-credit courses. Minimum credits for graduate
degree programs and frame of graduation terms and conditions are
determined by Lisansüstü Eğitim ve Öğretim Yönetmeliği. Universities
can make additional arrangements. Master degree program with thesis
consists of minimum seven courses, one seminary course and one thesis
study totally not less than twenty-one credits. Seminary courses and
thesis study are without credit and evaluated as successful or not.
Master degree program without thesis consists of minimum ten lessons
and a term project totally not less than ten credits. Doctorate
programs consist of minimum seven courses; one qualifying exam,
dissertation proposal and dissertation study totally not less than
twenty-one credits, excluding scientific preparatory courses. Students
who are admitted with bachelor’s degree consists of minimum 42 credit
fourteen courses, qualifying exam, dissertation research proposal and
dissertation study.
Universities determine minimum compulsory
attendance times for courses and practices. Generally this is 70% for
theoretical hours and 80% for practice hours. Students who do not
fulfill compulsory attendance can not enter the final examination for
that course.
Foreign Language Education
In
higher education institutions teaching at least one foreign language is
a basic principle. Foreign language education is tried to be given
through preparatory classes or courses within program period. Foreign
language education is arranged by the law named Yükseköğretim Kanunu
No. 2547 (Article 5/ı), and by the regulation named Yükseköğretim
Kurumlarında Yabancı Dil Eğitim-Öğretimi ve Yabancı Dille
Eğitim–Öğretim Yapılmasında Uyulacak Esaslara İlişkin Yönetmelik.
In
higher education institutions, instruction language is Turkish. Yet
higher education institutions by satisfying all the requirements in the
aforementioned regulations education can be in all or some of the
bachelor’s degree or graduate degree programs in foreign language
partially or completely with the reasoned decision of the senates,
proposition of rectors and approval by Yükseköğretim Kurulu (YÖK).
Program
students who are given education in foreign language partially or
completely are subjected to a proficiency examination in foreign
language to be used in education. One year foreign language preparatory
education is applied to students who are deemed to be insufficient.
Also compulsory preparatory classes can be included in the programs in
which the education language is Turkish. Students who are registered in
programs in which education is partially or completely in foreign
language and programs that education is in Turkish and preparatory
class is a must, have to enter for Foreign Language Proficiency
Examination and in case that they are unsuccessful in this examination
they should attend and accomplish preparatory school. Students who are
educated in the preparatory school have to accomplish preparatory
school successfully in order to begin their education in bachelor’s
degree or graduate degree programs. Students who continue preparatory
school also take vocational foreign language lessons that related to
their fields during their education period.
Students who are
registered in programs that preparatory foreign language education is
not foreseen should also enter for Foreign Language Proficiency
Examination and in case that they are unsuccessful in this examination
they should take lessons of a foreign language and accomplish it
(Yükseköğretim Kanunu No. 2547 article 5/ı). Compulsory foreign
language lessons are programmed and studied at least for two half terms
not less than 60 hours totally. In the following half terms compulsory
or optional foreign language lessons can be opened for students who are
exempt from compulsory foreign language lessons or who took these
lessons and accomplished them successfully.
Also language and literature departments have to educate in concerned language.
Institutions:
Ministry of National Education Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı Atatürk Bulvarı
Bakanlıklar Ankara/TÜRKİYE Tel.:+90 312 424 08 87 Fax:+90 312 417 70 27 Website: http://www.meb.gov.tr
Higher Education Council Yükseköğretim Kurulu Başkanlığı 06539 Bilkent
Ankara/TÜRKİYE Tel.:+90 312 298 70 00 Fax:+90 312 266 51 53 E-mail: webadmin@yok.gov.tr Website: http://www.yok.gov.tr
EN 
CS
DE
ES
FR
HU
IT
PL
PT
РУ
SK
TR
УК
AR
中文
