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MASTERS
Thesis Masters Required Information
• The aim of thesis masters programs is to enable students to acquire the ability to access, compile, interpret and evaluate information by using scientific research methods.
• A thesis masters program consists of at least seven courses, one seminar course, and a thesis study, with a total of at least 21 credits. The seminar course is non-credit and is evaluated as “pass” or “fail.” A thesis masters program consists of at least eight courses, including the seminar course, and a thesis study, with a total of at least 120 ECTS credits, with a total of at least 60 ECTS credits per academic semester.
• A maximum of two of the courses that the student will take, provided that they were not taken during his/her undergraduate education, can be selected from undergraduate or graduate courses offered within the University or from graduate courses offered at another higher education institution upon the recommendation of the department and the decision of the institute's board of directors.
• The duration of completing the thesis masters program; Excluding the time spent in preparatory classes, regardless of whether the student is registered for each semester, the maximum period for completing all courses is four semesters, and the program is completed in a maximum of six semesters.
• Students who complete the program courses at the end of four semesters but have a GPA below 2.75/4.00 or who fail the seminar course will be dismissed from the University.
Non-thesis Master's Degree Required Information
• The aim of non-thesis master's programs is to provide students with in-depth knowledge of their professional subject and to demonstrate how to apply that knowledge.
• Non-thesis master's programs consist of at least 10 courses, with a total of no less than 30 credits and 60 ECTS, and a term project. Students are required to register for the term project course in the semester in which they take the term project and to submit a written project and/or report at the end of the semester. The term project course is non-credit and is evaluated as pass or fail.
• The duration for completing the non-thesis master's program is a minimum of two semesters, regardless of whether the student is registered for each semester, and the program is completed in a maximum of three semesters.
• Students who fail at the end of three semesters or cannot complete the program will be dismissed from the University.
Documents Required for New Registration
1. Undergraduate Graduation Certificate
2. Transcript
3. ALES Result Document (control code required.) (Not required for non-thesis programs.)
4. 3 passport photos
5. Photocopy of ID Card
6. Military Service Status Document
7.For Graduates of Universities Abroad; YÖK Equivalence Certificate
8. Criminal Record Certificate
Examination, Evaluation, and Success
• At least one written midterm exam and a final exam are administered for each course. However, only a final exam may be administered for applied courses. The institute’s board of directors may decide whether the exam(s) will be administered orally, remotely, or as practical work.
• Exam dates are determined by the institute’s board of directors upon the recommendation of the department/branch head and announced to students at least 15 days before the exams.
• Students must meet the attendance requirement to take the final exam for a course. A student’s success in each course is determined by evaluating their midterm grade(s) and final exam grade together.
• For students who cannot attend any of the midterm or final exams due to one of the justified and valid reasons determined by the Senate, a make-up exam is administered with the decision of the relevant institute’s board of directors.
• To take a make-up exam, students must submit a document proving their excuse, along with a petition, to the institute they are registered in within five business days following the exam(s) for the course(s) subject to the make-up exam.
• The success grade for a course is determined by the weighted average of the grades received from mid-term work and the final exam. The final/end-of-term exam grade cannot constitute more than 50% of the final grade. The instructor teaching the course must inform the student in writing at the beginning of each semester of the weightings of the mid-term work and the final exam grade in the final grade and post them in the Student Information System.
• Success grades are expressed in letters by faculty members, taking into account the statistical distribution of grades and the students' overall success. Success grades are converted in accordance with the Council of Higher Education's table titled "Equivalent of 4-Point Grades to the 100-Point System." Success grades, the 100-point grade range, and their coefficient values are shown in Table 1:
Postgraduate Registration Freezing and Registration Cancellation
• Upon the student's application and the decision of the Institute's Board of Directors, students in thesis-based master's programs may freeze their registration for a maximum of two semesters, students in non-thesis-based master's programs may freeze their registration for a maximum of one semester, and doctoral students may freeze their registration for a maximum of four semesters, provided that no less than one semester is left at a time. In cases of military service, conviction, or detention, the registration freeze period is the duration of these circumstances.
• In the event of a registration freeze, documents received from students during registration at the Institute will not be returned. The period during which registration is frozen will not be included in the student's period of study. During the period during which registration is frozen, the student may not participate in educational activities or examinations.
• A student whose registration freeze period expires will resume their studies starting from the beginning of the semester in which they left due to an excuse.
• If the student submits a written request, their enrollment in the program in which they are registered will be terminated.
Scientific Preparatory Program
• Students accepted to master's, art proficiency, and doctoral programs who have received their bachelor's or master's degrees in a field different from the master's, art proficiency, or doctoral program to which they have been accepted, as well as candidates for master's, art proficiency, or doctoral programs who have received their bachelor's or master's degrees from higher education institutions other than the University, may apply a scientific preparatory program to address their deficiencies.
• Required courses in the scientific preparatory program cannot replace courses deemed necessary for completion of the relevant graduate program. However, a student in the scientific preparatory program may take graduate program-related courses in addition to the scientific preparatory courses with the recommendation of the relevant institute department/major art department head and the approval of the institute's board of directors.
• Attendance, course exams, course grades, requirements for passing courses, course repetition, registration cancellation, and other principles related to the scientific preparatory program are determined by the Senate.
• The duration of the scientific preparatory program is a maximum of two semesters. Summer term is not included in this period. This period cannot be extended except for semester leaves, and students who fail at the end of this period are dismissed. Time spent in this program is not included in the master's or doctoral program duration.
Proficiency in Arts Program
• Proficiency in Arts is a higher education program equivalent to a doctorate that aims to produce an original work of art and to achieve superior application and creativity in music and performing arts.
• For students admitted with a thesis-based master's degree, the art proficiency program consists of a minimum of seven courses totaling twenty-one credits, with a minimum of 60 ECTS credits per academic year, and a minimum of 240 ECTS credits, including practical work, thesis, exhibitions, projects, recitals, concerts, and performances. For students admitted with a bachelor's degree, it consists of fourteen courses totaling at least forty-two credits, including practical work, thesis, exhibitions, projects, recitals, concerts, and performances, totaling at least 300 ECTS credits.
• Graduate courses may be selected from courses offered at other higher education institutions, with the recommendation of the relevant institute department/main art department head and the approval of the institute's administrative board, from among courses for students admitted with a master's degree, and a maximum of four for students admitted
with a bachelor's degree. • The duration of completion of the Arts Proficiency Program is eight semesters, starting from the semester in which the courses related to the program are offered, excluding the time spent on scientific preparation, for those admitted with a master's degree, regardless of whether they register for each semester, and the maximum completion period is twelve semesters. For those admitted with a bachelor's degree, it is ten semesters, and the maximum completion period is fourteen semesters.
• The maximum duration for successfully completing the credit courses required for the Arts Proficiency Program is four semesters for those admitted with a thesis master's degree and six semesters for those admitted with a bachelor's degree. Students who cannot successfully complete their credit courses or who cannot achieve the 3.00/4.00 cumulative grade point average required by the University will be dismissed from the University.
• Students who successfully complete their credit courses and practical applications, but cannot complete their thesis, exhibition, project, recital, concert, or performance work within the maximum twelve or fourteen semesters specified in the first paragraph, will be dismissed from the University.
• Students who have applied to the art proficiency program with a bachelor's degree and who are unsuccessful in the art proficiency thesis will be granted a non-thesis master's degree upon request, provided that they have met the required credit load, project, and other similar requirements.
Transfer from Non-Thesis Master's Programs to Thesis Master's Programs
• The number of students to be admitted when transferring from a non-thesis master's program to a thesis master's program is determined by the recommendation of the relevant department head, the decision of the institute's board of directors, and the approval of the Senate, and cannot exceed 20% of the quota of the thesis master's program to which the transfer is requested announced for the same period.
• Such transfers are made in the same semester and following the same procedures as student admission to the thesis master's programs.
• Course adjustments are made by the relevant department to ensure that courses taken by transferring students in the non-thesis master's program can be counted towards courses in the thesis master's program.
Completion of the master's thesis
• A student in the thesis master's program prepares their thesis in accordance with the principles of the institute's thesis writing guide and submits it to their advisor for an oral defense before a jury. The advisor submits the thesis to the institute through the relevant department head, along with a written opinion stating that the thesis is defensible. The institute obtains a plagiarism software report on the thesis in question and sends it to the advisor and the jury members. If actual plagiarism is detected in the report, the thesis, along with the justification, is sent to the institute's administrative board for a decision.
• The master's thesis jury is appointed upon the recommendation of the relevant department and the decision of the institute's administrative board. The jury consists of three to five faculty members, one of whom is the student's thesis advisor and at least one from outside the university.
• The student must defend their thesis within one month of the date it is submitted to the jury by the institute. The thesis defense date is determined by the advisor in consultation with the other jury members and notified to the institute. The thesis defense consists of the presentation of the thesis work followed by a question-and-answer session. The thesis defense is open only to faculty members, graduate students, and field experts who will be present as listeners.
• After the thesis defense is completed, the jury decides by a simple majority whether to accept, reject, or make corrections to the thesis. This decision is communicated
to the institute in a report within three days following the thesis defense. • A student whose thesis is deemed unsuccessful and rejected will be dismissed from the University.
• A student whose thesis is deemed corrected will re-defend the corrected thesis before the same jury within three months. A student who fails to make the necessary corrections within three months of the decision to make corrections and then defends, or whose thesis is deemed unsuccessful and not accepted after making the necessary corrections, will be dismissed from the University.
• If a student whose thesis has been rejected requests it, he/she may be awarded a non-thesis master's degree, provided that the course credit load, project writing and similar requirements of a non-thesis master's program that is being conducted and deemed appropriate in terms of content are met.
• Students who successfully defend their thesis must submit three bound and approved copies of their accepted master's thesis to the institute within one month of the defense date. The institute's board of directors may extend the submission period for a maximum of one month upon request. Students who fail to meet these requirements cannot receive their diploma until they meet the requirements, cannot benefit from student rights, and will be dismissed from the university if they exceed the maximum term.
Master's Diploma
• Students who successfully defend their thesis are awarded a master's diploma, subject to fulfillment of their obligations and by the decision of the institute's board of directors.
• A provisional graduation certificate may be issued only once until the diploma is prepared. •
A diploma is issued by the institute on behalf of students who qualify for a master's diploma. The diploma includes the name of the department and program in which the student is enrolled, as approved by YÖK (Higher Education Council of Turkey). The graduation date is the date the thesis copy, signed by the examination jury committee, is submitted to the relevant institute.
• Students who lose their diplomas are issued a second copy in accordance with relevant legislation.
• A copy of the master's thesis is sent electronically to the Council of Higher Education by the institute within three months of the submission of the thesis to be used for scientific research and activities.
Maximum Duration for Master's and Doctoral Degrees
MASTERS
Thesis Masters Required Information
• The aim of thesis masters programs is to enable students to acquire the ability to access, compile, interpret and evaluate information by using scientific research methods.
• A thesis masters program consists of at least seven courses, one seminar course, and a thesis study, with a total of at least 21 credits. The seminar course is non-credit and is evaluated as “pass” or “fail.” A thesis masters program consists of at least eight courses, including the seminar course, and a thesis study, with a total of at least 120 ECTS credits, with a total of at least 60 ECTS credits per academic semester.
• A maximum of two of the courses that the student will take, provided that they were not taken during his/her undergraduate education, can be selected from undergraduate or graduate courses offered within the University or from graduate courses offered at another higher education institution upon the recommendation of the department and the decision of the institute's board of directors.
• The duration of completing the thesis masters program; Excluding the time spent in preparatory classes, regardless of whether the student is registered for each semester, the maximum period for completing all courses is four semesters, and the program is completed in a maximum of six semesters.
• Students who complete the program courses at the end of four semesters but have a GPA below 2.75/4.00 or who fail the seminar course will be dismissed from the University.
Non-thesis Master's Degree Required Information
• The aim of non-thesis master's programs is to provide students with in-depth knowledge of their professional subject and to demonstrate how to apply that knowledge.
• Non-thesis master's programs consist of at least 10 courses, with a total of no less than 30 credits and 60 ECTS, and a term project. Students are required to register for the term project course in the semester in which they take the term project and to submit a written project and/or report at the end of the semester. The term project course is non-credit and is evaluated as pass or fail.
• The duration for completing the non-thesis master's program is a minimum of two semesters, regardless of whether the student is registered for each semester, and the program is completed in a maximum of three semesters.
• Students who fail at the end of three semesters or cannot complete the program will be dismissed from the University.
Documents Required for New Registration
1. Undergraduate Graduation Certificate
2. Transcript
3. ALES Result Document (control code required.) (Not required for non-thesis programs.)
4. 3 passport photos
5. Photocopy of ID Card
6. Military Service Status Document
7.For Graduates of Universities Abroad; YÖK Equivalence Certificate
8. Criminal Record Certificate
Examination, Evaluation, and Success
• At least one written midterm exam and a final exam are administered for each course. However, only a final exam may be administered for applied courses. The institute’s board of directors may decide whether the exam(s) will be administered orally, remotely, or as practical work.
• Exam dates are determined by the institute’s board of directors upon the recommendation of the department/branch head and announced to students at least 15 days before the exams.
• Students must meet the attendance requirement to take the final exam for a course. A student’s success in each course is determined by evaluating their midterm grade(s) and final exam grade together.
• For students who cannot attend any of the midterm or final exams due to one of the justified and valid reasons determined by the Senate, a make-up exam is administered with the decision of the relevant institute’s board of directors.
• To take a make-up exam, students must submit a document proving their excuse, along with a petition, to the institute they are registered in within five business days following the exam(s) for the course(s) subject to the make-up exam.
• The success grade for a course is determined by the weighted average of the grades received from mid-term work and the final exam. The final/end-of-term exam grade cannot constitute more than 50% of the final grade. The instructor teaching the course must inform the student in writing at the beginning of each semester of the weightings of the mid-term work and the final exam grade in the final grade and post them in the Student Information System.
• Success grades are expressed in letters by faculty members, taking into account the statistical distribution of grades and the students' overall success. Success grades are converted in accordance with the Council of Higher Education's table titled "Equivalent of 4-Point Grades to the 100-Point System." Success grades, the 100-point grade range, and their coefficient values are shown in Table 1:
Table 1: Success grades and coefficient values
- The minimum required grade to pass a course in a master's program is CC, and for doctoral/arts proficiency programs, it is CB.
- Letter grades S and U are used for applied courses such as seminars and term projects, as well as for graduate work.
- Students with a GPA between 3.50 and 3.74 are considered honors students, while students with a GPA of 3.75 or higher are considered high honors students. This designation is stated on the student's transcript.
Postgraduate Registration Freezing and Registration Cancellation
• Upon the student's application and the decision of the Institute's Board of Directors, students in thesis-based master's programs may freeze their registration for a maximum of two semesters, students in non-thesis-based master's programs may freeze their registration for a maximum of one semester, and doctoral students may freeze their registration for a maximum of four semesters, provided that no less than one semester is left at a time. In cases of military service, conviction, or detention, the registration freeze period is the duration of these circumstances.
• In the event of a registration freeze, documents received from students during registration at the Institute will not be returned. The period during which registration is frozen will not be included in the student's period of study. During the period during which registration is frozen, the student may not participate in educational activities or examinations.
• A student whose registration freeze period expires will resume their studies starting from the beginning of the semester in which they left due to an excuse.
• If the student submits a written request, their enrollment in the program in which they are registered will be terminated.
Scientific Preparatory Program
• Students accepted to master's, art proficiency, and doctoral programs who have received their bachelor's or master's degrees in a field different from the master's, art proficiency, or doctoral program to which they have been accepted, as well as candidates for master's, art proficiency, or doctoral programs who have received their bachelor's or master's degrees from higher education institutions other than the University, may apply a scientific preparatory program to address their deficiencies.
• Required courses in the scientific preparatory program cannot replace courses deemed necessary for completion of the relevant graduate program. However, a student in the scientific preparatory program may take graduate program-related courses in addition to the scientific preparatory courses with the recommendation of the relevant institute department/major art department head and the approval of the institute's board of directors.
• Attendance, course exams, course grades, requirements for passing courses, course repetition, registration cancellation, and other principles related to the scientific preparatory program are determined by the Senate.
• The duration of the scientific preparatory program is a maximum of two semesters. Summer term is not included in this period. This period cannot be extended except for semester leaves, and students who fail at the end of this period are dismissed. Time spent in this program is not included in the master's or doctoral program duration.
Proficiency in Arts Program
• Proficiency in Arts is a higher education program equivalent to a doctorate that aims to produce an original work of art and to achieve superior application and creativity in music and performing arts.
• For students admitted with a thesis-based master's degree, the art proficiency program consists of a minimum of seven courses totaling twenty-one credits, with a minimum of 60 ECTS credits per academic year, and a minimum of 240 ECTS credits, including practical work, thesis, exhibitions, projects, recitals, concerts, and performances. For students admitted with a bachelor's degree, it consists of fourteen courses totaling at least forty-two credits, including practical work, thesis, exhibitions, projects, recitals, concerts, and performances, totaling at least 300 ECTS credits.
• Graduate courses may be selected from courses offered at other higher education institutions, with the recommendation of the relevant institute department/main art department head and the approval of the institute's administrative board, from among courses for students admitted with a master's degree, and a maximum of four for students admitted
with a bachelor's degree. • The duration of completion of the Arts Proficiency Program is eight semesters, starting from the semester in which the courses related to the program are offered, excluding the time spent on scientific preparation, for those admitted with a master's degree, regardless of whether they register for each semester, and the maximum completion period is twelve semesters. For those admitted with a bachelor's degree, it is ten semesters, and the maximum completion period is fourteen semesters.
• The maximum duration for successfully completing the credit courses required for the Arts Proficiency Program is four semesters for those admitted with a thesis master's degree and six semesters for those admitted with a bachelor's degree. Students who cannot successfully complete their credit courses or who cannot achieve the 3.00/4.00 cumulative grade point average required by the University will be dismissed from the University.
• Students who successfully complete their credit courses and practical applications, but cannot complete their thesis, exhibition, project, recital, concert, or performance work within the maximum twelve or fourteen semesters specified in the first paragraph, will be dismissed from the University.
• Students who have applied to the art proficiency program with a bachelor's degree and who are unsuccessful in the art proficiency thesis will be granted a non-thesis master's degree upon request, provided that they have met the required credit load, project, and other similar requirements.
Transfer from Non-Thesis Master's Programs to Thesis Master's Programs
• The number of students to be admitted when transferring from a non-thesis master's program to a thesis master's program is determined by the recommendation of the relevant department head, the decision of the institute's board of directors, and the approval of the Senate, and cannot exceed 20% of the quota of the thesis master's program to which the transfer is requested announced for the same period.
• Such transfers are made in the same semester and following the same procedures as student admission to the thesis master's programs.
• Course adjustments are made by the relevant department to ensure that courses taken by transferring students in the non-thesis master's program can be counted towards courses in the thesis master's program.
Completion of the master's thesis
• A student in the thesis master's program prepares their thesis in accordance with the principles of the institute's thesis writing guide and submits it to their advisor for an oral defense before a jury. The advisor submits the thesis to the institute through the relevant department head, along with a written opinion stating that the thesis is defensible. The institute obtains a plagiarism software report on the thesis in question and sends it to the advisor and the jury members. If actual plagiarism is detected in the report, the thesis, along with the justification, is sent to the institute's administrative board for a decision.
• The master's thesis jury is appointed upon the recommendation of the relevant department and the decision of the institute's administrative board. The jury consists of three to five faculty members, one of whom is the student's thesis advisor and at least one from outside the university.
• The student must defend their thesis within one month of the date it is submitted to the jury by the institute. The thesis defense date is determined by the advisor in consultation with the other jury members and notified to the institute. The thesis defense consists of the presentation of the thesis work followed by a question-and-answer session. The thesis defense is open only to faculty members, graduate students, and field experts who will be present as listeners.
• After the thesis defense is completed, the jury decides by a simple majority whether to accept, reject, or make corrections to the thesis. This decision is communicated
to the institute in a report within three days following the thesis defense. • A student whose thesis is deemed unsuccessful and rejected will be dismissed from the University.
• A student whose thesis is deemed corrected will re-defend the corrected thesis before the same jury within three months. A student who fails to make the necessary corrections within three months of the decision to make corrections and then defends, or whose thesis is deemed unsuccessful and not accepted after making the necessary corrections, will be dismissed from the University.
• If a student whose thesis has been rejected requests it, he/she may be awarded a non-thesis master's degree, provided that the course credit load, project writing and similar requirements of a non-thesis master's program that is being conducted and deemed appropriate in terms of content are met.
• Students who successfully defend their thesis must submit three bound and approved copies of their accepted master's thesis to the institute within one month of the defense date. The institute's board of directors may extend the submission period for a maximum of one month upon request. Students who fail to meet these requirements cannot receive their diploma until they meet the requirements, cannot benefit from student rights, and will be dismissed from the university if they exceed the maximum term.
Master's Diploma
• Students who successfully defend their thesis are awarded a master's diploma, subject to fulfillment of their obligations and by the decision of the institute's board of directors.
• A provisional graduation certificate may be issued only once until the diploma is prepared. •
A diploma is issued by the institute on behalf of students who qualify for a master's diploma. The diploma includes the name of the department and program in which the student is enrolled, as approved by YÖK (Higher Education Council of Turkey). The graduation date is the date the thesis copy, signed by the examination jury committee, is submitted to the relevant institute.
• Students who lose their diplomas are issued a second copy in accordance with relevant legislation.
• A copy of the master's thesis is sent electronically to the Council of Higher Education by the institute within three months of the submission of the thesis to be used for scientific research and activities.
Maximum Duration for Master's and Doctoral Degrees
| Degree | Doctorate | |||
| Without thesis | Thesis | Master's Degree | Licensed | |
| Normal Time | 2 Semesters | 4 Semesters | 8 Semesters | 10 Semesters |
| Maximum Duration | 3 Semesters | 6 Semesters | 12 Semesters | 14th Semester |
| Failure Condition | Those who could not finish in 3 semesters | Those who cannot complete the courses and seminars in 4 semesters | Those who cannot complete the courses and seminars in 4 semesters | Those who cannot complete the courses and seminars in 6 semesters |
| Those who cannot finish their thesis in 6 semesters | Those who cannot finish their thesis in 12 semesters | Those who cannot finish their thesis in 14 semesters | ||
