Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet the following conditions to be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. Program in Political Science:

(a) Applicants holding a Master’s degree with a thesis must:

• Hold a Master’s diploma,

• Have a minimum GPA of 75/100 (or equivalent), and

• Obtain a minimum ALES score of 55 (Equal Weight category) or a higher score as determined by the University Senate.

(b) Applicants applying directly with a Bachelor’s degree must:

• Hold a Bachelor’s diploma,

• Have a minimum GPA of 85/100 (or equivalent), and

• Obtain a minimum ALES score of 80 (Equal Weight category) or a higher score as determined by the Senate.

(c) All applicants must demonstrate foreign language proficiency with:

• A minimum score of 55 on YDS, YÖKDİL, or an equivalent internationally recognized exam (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS),

• Equivalency of international exams to YDS scores is determined by ÖSYM,

• The minimum required score may be increased by the Senate upon the proposal of the Department and the approval of the Graduate School Board.

  
  

Evaluation and Selection Process

a) The number of candidates invited to take the written and/or oral scientific evaluation exam is determined by the Senate.

b) Pre-evaluation ranking is based on the following weighted formula:

• ALES Score: 50%

• Graduate GPA (or Undergraduate GPA for direct applicants): 25%

• Foreign Language Score: 25%
  Candidates are ranked from the highest to the lowest score.

c) The final admission score is calculated as follows:

• ALES Score: 50%

• Graduate GPA (or Undergraduate GPA): 20%

• Foreign Language Score: 10%

• Scientific Evaluation and/or Interview: 20%

Candidates scoring below 50 in the scientific evaluation/interview are deemed unsuccessful.
To qualify for admission, candidates must achieve a minimum final score of 65/100, after which placement is made in descending order based on quota availability.

ç) Candidates who do not attend the written and/or oral scientific examination are not considered in the evaluation.

Graduation Requirements

To obtain the doctoral degree, students must complete a minimum of 240 ECTS credits, including:

• Nine courses (3 compulsory + 6 elective, 10 ECTS each),

• Doctoral qualifying examination,

• Thesis proposal, and

• Doctoral dissertation.

Students are also required to produce at least one academic publication (journal article, book chapter, or conference paper) related to their dissertation topic.
A publication acceptance letter is sufficient; the work does not have to be published before the thesis defense.

Note: The program does not include an Integrated Ph.D. track.

Admission Quotas

Additional Notes:

• Applicants from outside the core field (Political Science and Public Administration) are required to complete a Scientific Preparation Program.

• For out-of-field applicants, eligible disciplines are determined by the relevant departmental committee.