Institute of Social Sciences

Department of Computer Engineering

Foundation

The Department began to offer postgraduate education affiliated with the Institute of Science in 2013. 

Degrees Offered

PhD in Computer Engineering

Cycle

Third cycle / EQF 8 (PhD)

Admission and Registration Requirements

To apply for the PhD Programme, candidates must hold a bachelor’s and a master’s degree diploma, and be eligible for the admission requirements of Beykent University’s Regulation on Postgraduate Education and Training. Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree holders in the Department of Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering, and particularly the Department of Computer Sciences, Physics, and Mathematics can apply for the Programme. Those who enrolled in a non-thesis programme of the above-mentioned departments before 06.02.2013, and graduated from the programmes can also apply for the PhD Programme. 

Candidates must submit the copy of their ALES score (Academic Staff and Postgraduate Education Admission Exam) which must be at least 55 of quantitative weight (SAY) during their application. The exam is centrally held by ÖSYM (Centre for Assessment, Selection, and Placement). The ALES score of those candidates who apply for the Programme with their bachelor’s diploma must be at least 80 of quantitative weight (SAY). 

Candidates who apply for the Programme with their bachelor’s diploma must have a GPA of at least 3 out of 4, or equivalent. For candidates who apply for the Programme with their master’s diploma, the applications may be evaluated according to their ALES score as well as their score they obtain from the entrance exam, and or their interview, and the GPA from their master’s degree studies. The Senate specifies the required application documents such as letters of references, a letter explaining why the applicant wishes to enrol in the PhD Programme, the copies of the international standard exams, etc. For the admission to the PhD Programme, students must take a centrally held foreign language proficiency exam or any international exam recognised as an equivalent by the Council of Higher Education, and take at least 55 points from the foreign language proficiency exam, or equivalent points from an equivalent international exam. According to the Programme requirements, the minimum points required may be increased upon the Senate’s decisions. The Senate decides how much the ALES scores are taken into consideration during the evaluation process (The percentage determined cannot be less than 50%). The Institute may admit students only according to their ALES scores. The copy of the ALES score is not required for the admission to the conservatoires or the departments of Fine Arts, unless the Senate decides to admit students according to their ALES scores. If the copy of the ALES score is required, the base point is set by the Senate.  

Recognition of Prior Learning 

In accordance with Article 10 of the Regulation on Beykent University’s Postgraduate Education and Training, students are admitted to the programmes at Institutes through horizontal transfer provided that they meet the requirements for horizontal transfer, which are determined by the Academic Board upon the Institute Administrative Board’s decision, and the Head of the Department’s opinion. Students submit a letter of application by means of which they request to be exempt from certain courses within the same postgraduate programme of Beykent University as the courses of the postgraduate programme of another university they had enrolled in before. Their application including the course contents and transcripts will be evaluated upon the Institute Administrative Board’s decision, considering the opinion of the Head of the Department, and the Board will decide which courses the students took will be awarded credits for the courses they must take within the Programme they have recently enrolled. The courses students took at the university they attended may be recognised as the elective or compulsory courses with the Institute Administrative Board’s approval. 

If the prior learning is recognised, credits and letter grades of the courses the students passed successfully at their prior higher education institution are transferred in accordance with Article 19 of the Regulation on Beykent University’s Postgraduate Education and Training. Courses are transferred to the students’ transcripts, which state the equivalents in the course plan of the Programme they are enrolled, and include the original name, code, credit of the courses, as well as the grades received from the courses. Thus, the students will be exempt from the courses on condition that the total credits of the courses taken transferred cannot constitute 70% of the total courses required in the programme.

Competence Requirements and Rules 

6 years, 2 terms in each year, 15 weeks in each term, 240 ECTS in total.

Programme Description 

The PhD Programme in Computer Engineering aims to cultivate students into the academic staff for universities, equip them with modern and latest inventions in science and technique, provide them with the required facilities enabling them to carry out free research in order to prepare them for the collaboration between the institute and university, and carry out scientific research requested by the Department of Computer Engineering, while considering the self-renewing and developing technology. Another aim of the Programme is to suggest scientific models and decision-making processes, to model and improve them in order to improve our country’s industry and the economy, and solve the problems occurred relevant to these factors effectively through the values added with the help of computers. 

In accordance with the changing and developing needs in Turkey and the world, the Programme enables our students to: 

  1. Gain an academic perspective on Computer Engineering, and experience in carrying out research, and scientific publications.
  2. Acquire knowledge, background information, experience, and the discipline regarding Computer Engineering, and practice these skills they acquired.
  3. Combine their analytical and systematic thinking skills with the concepts of Science, Mathematics, and Engineering to build a successful career.
  4. Become qualified academicians in the field of Computer Engineering.
  5. Adopt the concept of lifelong learning to keep pace with the changing and developing world.
  6. Introduce their academic work on national or international platforms.
  7. Be sensitive to the ethics, and cultural and environmental values in their professional life.

Following the development of technology, the Programme fundamentally focuses on the fields of Software Development Methodologies, Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining, Computer Graphics, Computer Networks, Machine Learning, Computer Networks and Security, and Computer Vision. 

In addition, students can study before and after the courses on their own and or in groups. As part of the services offered in the University, we offer the opportunity to benefit from the subscribed databases and the libraries. In this way, we support academic studies. We offer academic advising to our master’s degree students regarding the problems they encounter at their workplaces. 

Enabling the students to prepare a report and a presentation on a subject, we ensure that they make the reports and presentations effectively. During the courses, they have the opportunity to discuss certain academic subjects. In this way, we identify their knowledge level, and make improvements on that matter. 

Learning Outcomes 

Graduates of the PhD Programme in Computer Engineering can work as system supervisors who are in charge of system design and operating the system, database administrators, network administrators, leaders in software teams in large or medium scale departments of public institutions, banks, telecommunication and private companies. They can also manage their own business as entrepreneurs. In addition, they may enrol in a PhD programme enabling them to continue their academic studies. Furthermore, they: 

  1. Have the required knowledge both in theory and practise of abovementioned fields to solve problems relating to Computer Engineering.
  2. Have the skills of developing, choosing, and using techniques and tools necessary for the analysis and solution of complicated problems encountered, and to apply the information technologies effectively.
  3. Collect data, analyse and interpret its results to analyse problems.
  4. Work actively in teams within the field or multidisciplinary teams, and take responsibility.
  5. Aware of the necessity of lifelong learning, and have the skills of accessing information, follow technological developments, and constantly renewing themselves.

Moreover, they abide by a code of ethics, aware of their professional and ethical responsibilities, and have the knowledge of the standards of Computer Engineering applications. 

Career Opportunities

As well as working as academicians at universities, graduates of the PhD Programme in Computer Engineering can work in senior level positions in various public and private institutions and companies such as white good manufacturing companies, communications systems companies, as telecommunication systems operators, internet service providers, defence systems companies, and automotive industries. Their duties usually include software, algorithm development, processing, transferring, acquiring, and storing data, voice, and videos, electronic devices and systems design, antennas and application of electromagnetic fields and waves, and the physics of semiconductor electronic elements. 

Graduates who perform their duties in the above-mentioned sectors can also be managers of companies in those sectors, and they can establish a company themselves, as well. 

Students who completed the PhD Programme successfully may apply for a postdoctoral programme at various universities.