In today's world, while the business world is becoming more and more specialized, there is an increasing need for interdisciplinary studies that could train students who can work across various fields. Moreover, public institutions and the private sector prefer employing people who are knowledgeable about many areas and open to improvement. As the Department of Political Science and International Relations, our fundamental approach to higher education is strengthening the skills of acquiring, accessing, and using knowledge. In this context, we aim to educate social scientists who are sophisticated, who can think critically, and who can produce analytical solutions to various problems.
With this goal in mind, our department values an interdisciplinary approach. The undergraduate curriculum's first two years consist of core Political Science and International Relations courses. As of the junior year, students can select elective courses for their domain of interest. In the senior year, the students take courses related to their career goals and interests while at the same time developing their intellectual knowledge with regional and free electives. An essential strength of our department is the elective courses offered by the regional experts. Our department offers courses on society and politics in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and the United States. In addition to English, students can take elective courses in a wide variety of foreign languages throughout their education, including Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, and others.
We update the departmental curriculum in line with academic changes and business needs of the time. We aim to ensure that our students are aware of the global changes and developments to understand and address the questions that face the public, countries, and regions.
Our students can pursue minor or double-major degrees from different departments, including business administration, psychology, sociology, international trade, etc. Plus, with 526 international programs, the students could participate in university-supported exchange and Erasmus programs and spend one or two semesters in different universities worldwide.
Our graduates are employed in many sectors, from public institutions to non-governmental organizations, from multinational companies to private firms. Several of our students continue their academic careers at prestigious universities in Turkey and abroad. With the legal changes approved in 2018, our graduates can now apply to become administrative judges in state institutions.
The Department of Political Science and International Relations consists of 14 full-time academics. All our faculty members are experts in their areas of interest. In addition to prominent scholars like Feroz Ahmad and Cemil Oktay, we host several promising political scientists who are recognized in their fields and receive various national awards. With its faculty and objectives, the department considers diversity, academic freedom, and academic integrity as its core values.