Political Science and International Relations
Institute of Social Sciences

Political Science and International Relations

Foundation

Beykent University’s PhD Programme in Political Science and International Relations was founded to cultivate students into scientists and specialists who will meet the increasing needs in the field. The foundation of the Programme is closely associated with the increasing needs for the qualified specialists in Political Science and International Relations due to globalisation and the developments in the field.

The normal duration of education of the Programme, which is open to those candidates who completed at least one of their undergraduate or master’s studies in the fields of Social Sciences, is 4 years, and students must complete their PhD studies in maximum 6 years.

Degrees Offered

PhD in Political Science and International Relations

Cycle

Third cycle / EQF 8 (PhD)

Admission and Registration Requirements

To apply for the PhD Programme, candidates must hold a bachelor’s or a master’s degree diploma; or be graduates of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, or Veterinary Medicine, of which the duration of education must be at least ten academic terms excluding the preparatory programme; they must hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree programmes of the Faculty of Pharmacy, or Sciences; or gain a speciality in an area of laboratory, and submit the copy of their ALES (Academic Staff and Postgraduate Education Admission Exam) score which must be at least 55 of the weight required by the Programme (quantitative, verbal or equally weighted). Candidates who apply for the Programme with their bachelor’s diploma must submit their copy of the ALES score which must be at least 80. The candidates who apply for the Programme with their bachelor’s diploma must have a GPA of at least 3 out of 4 from their undergraduate studies. As well as the copy of the ALES score, the scores of the entrance exam and or the interview, and the GPA from the master’s studies may be used to evaluate the candidates who apply for the Programme with their master’s diploma. 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.

Competence Requirements and Rules

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

Programme Description

The aim of the PhD Programme in Political Science and International Relations is to cultivate students into academicians and specialists who are able to comprehend, evaluate, and criticise the current developments within the framework of the theoretical approaches and historical knowledge in the fields of Political Science and International Relations, and come up with a suggestion to them.

The Programme consists of the courses designed to be compatible with the broad framework of the Political Science and International Relations which makes the interdisciplinary research a compulsion. The Programme enables the students to gain critically thinking skills, make multiple analyses, as well as improve their communication skills and the skills of working in teams.

Courses are taught by two professors, and two associate professors. The courses take place on Beykent University’s Taksim Campus at 19.00 on weekdays. Students are offered a library from which they can benefit while they carry out academic studies, remote access to the library, and wireless network. The Programme offers a Turkish-medium education.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Improve their knowledge of Political Science and International Relations.
  • Improve their skills in establishing a functional connection between the two disciplines.
  • Contribute to the development and improvement of the basic concepts used in Political Science and International Relations, the theories based on these concepts, and other concepts and theories.
  • Use the theoretical and factual analyses to present their academic works at an academic conference, and publish them in a peer-reviewed journal.
  • look at the current developments in national and international areas by understanding different viewpoints, analyse, and report them.
  • Direct creative and constructive criticism at the main and current problems in the fields of Political Science and International Relations, and come up with solutions to them.
  • Follow the political, economic, social, and cultural developments on national and international platforms.
  • Use the written and verbal communication techniques effectively.
  • Discuss the national and international developments with other students and faculty members who participated in the Programme, and use the negotiation techniques effectively.
  • Use the terminology of Political Science and International Relations effectively.
  • Use the information technologies regarding the fields effectively, and follow them.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of Beykent University’s PhD Programme in Political Science and International Relations can work as academicians at universities, in international organisations, media organisations, and various departments in the public or private sector.