Courses are conducted within an interactive program. For this purpose, PowerPoint presentations and, when necessary, online resources related to the course are used. To ensure more effective learning, students are kept in continuous communication with the instructors via e-mail.
During the 1st and 2nd semester course periods, compulsory courses will be taken first, and the remaining elective ECTS will be completed up to 30.
During the 3rd and 4th semester course periods, all courses, including electives, will be completed to reach 30 ECTS.
Elective courses taken by students will be organized so that they do not fall below 25% of the total.
Each student is required to give at least one seminar within the program.
The success grade is calculated as 40% midterm exams and 60% final exams, with a minimum passing grade of 75 CB (75–79).
Attendance to courses is mandatory at 80%.
The language of instruction is English.
The competency requirements established by the Higher Education Council are applicable. The doctoral program consists of at least seven courses (minimum 21 credits), a qualifying exam, a thesis proposal, and thesis work for students admitted with a thesis-based master’s degree. For students admitted with a bachelor’s degree, the program consists of at least 14 courses (minimum 42 credits), a qualifying exam, a thesis proposal, and thesis work. Undergraduate courses do not count toward course load or doctoral credits.
After the course period, a qualifying exam is administered to test whether the student has gained depth in core subjects and in relation to the doctoral research. Students admitted with a master’s degree must take the qualifying exam no later than the end of the fifth semester, and those admitted with a bachelor’s degree no later than the seventh semester. Qualifying exams are held twice a year, in June–July and December–February. The exam is organized and conducted by a doctoral qualifying exam jury, proposed by the department chair and approved by the Institute Executive Board. The exam consists of written and oral sections. The jury evaluates the student’s performance in both sections and determines success or failure by simple majority. This decision is reported to the relevant institute in writing within three days by the department chair. Students who fail the qualifying exam may retake it in the next semester. The qualifying exam jury may require a student who passes the exam to take additional courses, provided the total credits do not exceed one-third of the required course load.
A student who successfully passes the qualifying exam must orally defend their thesis proposal, which includes the research objectives, methodology, and work plan, before the Thesis Monitoring Committee within six months. The Thesis Monitoring Committee meets twice a year, once between January–June and once between July–December. The student must submit a written report to the committee at least one month prior to the meeting, summarizing the work completed to date and outlining the plan for the following year. The thesis work is evaluated by the committee as either successful or unsuccessful.
A doctoral student must write the results of their research in accordance with the writing rules established by the University Senate and defend the thesis orally before a jury. The thesis jury consists of five members: three from the student’s Thesis Monitoring Committee and at least one faculty member from another higher education institution. The jury convenes no later than one month after the thesis submission date to conduct the exam, which includes the thesis presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. After the defense, the jury decides by simple majority to accept, reject, or request revisions to the thesis. Students who pass the defense and meet all other requirements must submit at least three bound copies of the thesis to the institute within one month of the defense. Students whose thesis is returned for revision must complete the required changes and defend it again before the same jury within six months. Students whose thesis is rejected or fails the defense after revisions are assigned a new thesis topic.
