Program Objectives

 Istanbul Kultur University International Relations Department also offers a MA degree which can be completed with or without writing a thesis. Aiming to provide its students with an analytical outlook to current international relations, the program includes courses offered by expert academicians, retired diplomats and active journalists. The focus of the MA program lies extensively on diplomacy and the graduates of the program are especially prepared for positions in international organizations and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.       

Establishment

International Relations Department has begun to accept first students in 2004-2005 academic year. The first graduate was in 2005-2006 academic year and the department continues masters education either with thesis or non-thesis. There are 2 professors, 1 associate professors, 3 assistant professors and 1 Ambassador (Retired)  in the department.

Qualification Awarded

MA

Language of Instruction

English

Mode of Education

Formal Training

Admission and Registration Requirements

For Turkish Citizens: Candidates must have (1) a bachelor's degree diploma from departments of social sciences,(2) A minimum score of 55 in the Examination for Academic Personnel and Graduate Studies (ALES) or equivalent international examinations scores for graduate-level programmes such as GRE, GMAT, etc., (3) a minimum 70 points from Istanbul Kültür University English Proficiency Exam or English Language Exams recognized by YÖK and (4) sufficient points from the entrance exam. The average score must be 65 or above. The average is calculated by taking 10% of the CGPA, %50 of ALES score, 10% of the language exam score and 30% of the written exam score. 

During the application, ALES document, diploma, transcript, military service certificate (for male candidates), photocopy of identity card, 2 photographs and registration fee receipt must be submitted. During the final registration process, the originals of these documents and the student contribution receipt are requested. 

For International Students: Candidates must have (1) a bachelor's degree diploma from departments of social sciences,  (2) a minimum 70 points from Istanbul Kültür University English Proficiency Exam or English Language Exams recognized by YÖK. Candidates receive acceptance to the programmes based on their bachelor's degree CGPA and English language exam score. 

The application date is announced by the university.

Fellowships and Discount in Tuition Fee

for detail..

Tuition Fee

for detail.

Double Major–Minor Programs

  There are no double major-minor programmes in the program.

Internship

  There is no internship in this programme.

Grading Scheme

You can find the relevant legislation including the measurement and evaluation requirements of the program here.

Graduation Requirements

The minimum GPA required is 2.70 to graduate. The education duration of the thesis program is 4 semesters. Students have to complete 7 courses and 1 seminar (60 ECTS) successfully to start to study on their thesis. Following the completion of their thesis, they have a thesis defense meeting which consists of three academicians who are experts in the field of the thesis. Thesis students can graduate after the approval of their thesis with the unanimous or majority decision of the jury members by completing 120 ECTS.

International Cooperations

ERASMUS is a European Union based program established to promote collaboration among the higher education institutions of European countries. It provides grants for joint projects and short term student and academic staff exchange programmes. Students have the opportunity to study at a European Union institution and receive financial support during the academic exchange period (one or two terms/ 3 to 12 months). Students of Architecture department may qualify to be Erasmus students in one of the following partner universitie
  For the detailed information see; http://www.iku.edu.tr/5/31247/giden.html  

Occupational Profiles Of Graduates

Diplomacy, academy, international organizations ( EU, NATO, UN etc.), think tanks, media enterprises, private and public organizations, private firms, banks.

Access to Further Studies

Istanbul Kültür University offers a Thesis Master's program within the scope of the Department of International Relations. In the program, which aims to provide students with an analytical perspective on today's international relations, courses are prepared under the coordination of expert academics and retired diplomats. The main goal of the program is to prepare graduates to take positions in academia, international organizations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The language of education of the program is English. The students are encouraged to participate in the Erasmus Exchange Program in order to get to know different cultures and contribute to their education. Graduate students can apply to PhD programmes.

Departmental Facilities

Global Political Trends Center (GPoT/(GPOT is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution established under the auspices of Istanbul Kültür University in January 2009. 

Our mission is to conduct high quality, independent and innovative research and education, acting as a link between policy-making institutions, academia, civil society and the media. 

The Center aims to achieve this by routinely bringing together opinion leaders, government officials and other policy-makers, analysts and members of the media from Turkey, the region and elsewhere. Our activities range from conducting projects and research that analyze the contemporary social, political and economic trends in regional and international politics and producing policy recommendations, contributing to public debate through roundtable discussions and international conferences to publishing policy briefs and monographs, among others.

In accordance with its mission, GPoT Center has been active in virtually all fronts concerning not only Turkish foreign policy but the current regional and international agenda, including Turkey’s European Union accession process, the Cyprus issue, NATO, the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process, issues in the Middle East and North Africa, national and regional democratization, the Arab-Israeli Conflict and, most recently, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. 

Having become one of Turkey’s most active think-tanks in a short amount of time, GPoT Center conducts these activities either independently or in partnership with national and international institutions. The Center has collaborated with institutions such as the London School of Economics, Center for Geostrategic Studies at the École Normale Supérieure, The Swedish Institute for International Affairs, Ibn-Khaldun Center for Development Studies, EUROPEUM, Center for Arab Unity Studies, Arab Democracy Foundation, Slovak Foreign Policy Association and Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) on various projects.

Besides, international organizations, international meetings and various visits are organized. In this context, it is ensured that the theoretical knowledge students learn with their departmental courses is reinforced with practical experiences.

Thanks to the dynamic and competent academic staff of our department, the students are ready for their professional lives with the scientific knowledge and theoretical background they have in their education life.

The students of our department have the opportunity to study abroad for 6 months and 1 year, besides the Erasmus program, thanks to bilateral agreements made by our school. For bilateral agreements, see http://www.iku.edu.tr/eng/14/358/ogrenim-hareketliligi.html

Program Activities


The International Relations Department of İstanbul Kültür University offers two types of M.A degree programmes which can be completed with or without a thesis. Aiming to provide its students with an analytical outlook to current international relations, the program includes courses offered by expert academicians, retired diplomats and active journalists. The focus of the MA program lies extensively on diplomacy and the graduates of the program are especially prepared for positions in international organizations, academic staff and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The department of International Relations aims to equip its students with both the theoretical and the scientific sides of the discipline. In addition to courses that orient them to the field, students are given the opportunity to conduct extensive research on contemporary issues, such as the European Union, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus, human rights, democratization, gender studies, public administration, history of both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Türkiye, as well as on regional and identity politics. The expert staff, including visiting professors, offer a wide range of elective courses that allow students to specialize in the areas of their choice from the very beginning of their training. Graduate students find career opportunities at home and abroad in private and public institutions, such as the United Nations, European Union institutions, in the state and ministerial portfolios of the Republic of Türkiye, the media and other private multinational companies. Since the language of the education and evaluation assignments are in English, students gain to use the language in the field effectively. Students who complete the programs successfully have a comprehensive understanding of the world politics and global dynamics. Graduates of the thesis program can apply for the PhD. programmes in Türkiye or abroad. 

Contact Information

Head of the International Relations Department: Prof. Dr. Çağla Gül Yesevi

e-mail: c.yesevi@iku.edu.tr