Department of English Language and Literature
Institute of Social Sciences

Department of English Language and Literature

General Description

Foundation

Affiliated with the Institute of Graduate Studies, the English Department has been offering postgraduate education since 2003. The department is a home to expert faculty members; and the courses it offers are equivalent to those taught in similar programs at elite universities in the West.

Degrees Offered

Master’s Degree in English Language and Literature (Thesis)

Cycle

Second Cycle / EQF 7 (Master’s Degree)

Admission and Registration Requirements

To apply for the MA Degree Program in English Literature, candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university preferably in English Language and Literature, or any related areas such as Comparative Studies, American Studies, English Language Teaching among several others. Turkish candidates must submit a copy of their ALES score (Academic Staff and Postgraduate Education Admission Exam), with a minimum score of 55 points. The ALES exam is centrally held by ÖSYM (Centre for Assessment, Selection, and Placement). Foreign candidates must submit a copy of their GRE or GMAT with a score equivalent to a minimum of 55 points. An evidence of English proficiency should be submitted by the candidates, as well. This can be in the form of an exam conducted by the School of Foreign Languages at Beykent University in the absence of a YDS, TOEFL, or IELTS scores.

Recognition of Prior Learning

In accordance with Article 10 of Beykent University’s Postgraduate Education and Training Regulation, candidate students may submit a letter of application requesting to be exempted from certain courses in the program that are similar to courses they passed in another university. Candidates’ applications, including the course contents and transcripts, will be evaluated by a relevant academic board and a decision will be taken on the courses to be accredited along with their categories. 

Competence Requirements and Rules

Maximum time 3 years, 2 terms in each year, 15 weeks in each term, 120 ECTS in total.

Program Description

The program provides specialized knowledge in English Literature with emphasis on certain period-literature, literary genres, literary theory and criticism, major English and American critics and authors, world literatures in English translation, Film Studies, and research methodology. The Program is open to all candidates who have a good command of English with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and Literature, or a relevant area. The courses are taught through in-class lectures and seminars. When needed, the department is fully equipped to offer its courses online without interruption and in a very effective manner. The evaluation procedures are carried out through term papers, classroom presentations and written examinations. The Program consists of 8 courses spread across two terms during which students are offered such courses as Research Methods, Drama, Literary Theory, Gender Studies, Film Studies among several others. Upon passing the required courses, students will enroll in the thesis course and start working with their theses advisors.  By or before the end of the sixth term, students with accepted theses will have to defend their work in front of an academic committee made of two in-house staff and an external examiner nominated by the head of the program. Those who pass their Viva-voce successfully will be awarded the degree of Masters in English Language and Literature.

Learning Outcomes

  • The program aims at enabling students to
  • Show an appropriate level of knowledge in literary history, literary theory, and rhetoric.
  • Exhibit skills in literary research and scholarly writing.
  • Demonstrate critical and analytical skills in the analysis and assessment of written and visual texts.
  • Display an advanced command of spoken and written English
  • Perform research and scholarly activities in an ethical manner

Career Opportunities

Language proficiency combined with a critical and analytical thinking mind are golden keys to a variety of careers for the postgraduates of the English Department. Among these careers: foreign language teaching at schools and higher Institutions of Education, translation careers in a variety of sites such as notary offices, media centers, public offices, embassies and consulates; writing and editing careers in publishing houses, journals, magazines and the list is way longer than this. It goes also without saying, that an MA in English Literature paves the way for the enthusiast elite to start a career in academia as research assistants at universities inland and abroad which in turn paves the way for them to enroll in a doctorate program of studies.