PhD Programme in Architecture
Institute of Social Sciences

PhD Programme in Architecture

Foundation

The Department began to offer postgraduate education in 2009 affiliated with the Institute of Sciences.

Degrees Offered

PhD in Architecture

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 Architecture, Interior Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering can apply for the 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). 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 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

In accordance with the vision of Beykent University’s PhD Programme in Architecture of the Institute of Sciences, Department of Architecture, we enable our students to improve their knowledge and competences they acquired during their undergraduate studies in the field of Design in parallel with their interests and skills, build the interactive relationship between the theory and professional practice in Architecture, and acquire practical knowledge through the theoretical knowledge. In addition, we enable them to analyse the subjects regarding the fields of Architectural Design, Architectural Theory and Criticism, Environment and City, and carry out remarkable studies using various approaches, methods, and techniques relevant to Architecture. The Programme enables research on the contemporary theories and strategies in Architectural Design, Generative Systems, Contemporary Approaches, Maintaining/Renovation/Transformation, Housing and Energy Policies, and Regional/Local/Climate Strategies.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Interpret scientific research with a critical view, and evaluate the opposing views.
  • Use the methods of science and technologies to test propositions.
  • Identify the architectural problems in terms of science, and solve them with a professional manner and creative thinking.
  • Suggest an original scientific research topic in the fields of research and publication using scientific norms and standards.
  • Establish the research framework; plan, conduct, and finalise the research, and make the report of the research results.
  • Present, and support their thesis, and the original works they produced on academic platforms, come up with solutions to them considering the criticism, and produce information regarding Architecture.
  • Access the existing, current national and international scientific information regarding the research topic, communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, and acquire the knowledge of the ethics, disciplines and culture of the group and individual research project.
  • Benefit from different disciplines to carry out research, make analysis and interpretation.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the PhD Programme in Architecture generally pursue an academic career, and work as academicians at universities. Besides, they will have different options such as working in public institutions, or as a freelance architect, as a project architect in an architecture office, as a worksite architect in a worksite, in a building control company, or a consultancy firm.