Prof. Dr. Akile Gürsoy

Chair

REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM

The Social Anthropology doctoral program is open to all candidates holding a Master’s degree (with a minimum of 3.00/4.00 or 75/100). Those holding MA and MSc. degrees other than anthropology will have to go through the scientific preparation program where necessary courses will be tailored according to the needs/ backgrounds of the candidates. The language of the program is English, and candidates must have taken the TOEFL (with a minimum score of 550, or 213 in the new system), the TWE (with a minimum score of 4.5) and University Language Exam (with a minimum score of 70). Candidates whose English is not sufficient for doctoral education may enter the doctoral program upon successful completion of an English Preparation Class.

The candidates have to achieve a LES score of 45 EA (quantitative and verbal joint section).

In addition to that, they have to pass the written and oral entrance exams. These exams help determine whether the candidates are keenly interested in social issues and are able to present themselves effectively in writing and speaking. Candidates are asked to present two reference letters from their previous university. The reference letters will be taken into account in the evaluation process of the candidates.

CURRICULUM

To complete the program, students must successfully complete a total of 48 credits (8 Master level courses and 8 PhD. level courses). This is usually accomplished in two years. Each semester the students will be required to take 2 compulsory and 2 elective courses. Students who have completed a Master’s program in Anthropology will be exempt from those courses that they have already taken in the Master’s program.

After successful completion of the two year long curriculum, the students will take the written and oral exam before starting to work on their doctoral thesis. Successful students will have to prepare the proposal for their doctoral thesis and present it to a jury of 3 people, two of whom are faculty from the department. Students with approved proposals start their thesis work by beginning fieldwork. The thesis is expected to be completed in between 2 to 5 years. The doctoral thesis has to be based on fieldwork using anthropological methods. Also, as in the rest of the world, the doctorate should be an original contribution to scientific knowledge.

ERASMUS Agreements:
Students who join the ERASMUS Programme study or make an internship for a period of at least 3 months to an academic year in another European country. The Erasmus Programme guarantees that the period spent abroad is recognised by their university when they come back as long as they abide by terms previously agreed. Anthropology Department has bilateral student exchange agreements with Leopold-Franzens Universitaet in Austria; Georg-August Universitaet, Universitaet Leipzig, Universitaet Bielefeld, Universitaet Bremen, Philipps Universitaet Marburg in Germany; AGH University, University of Warsaw, University of Wroclawski, University of Szczecin in Poland; University of Macedonia in Greece; University of Ljubljana in Slovenia; IEP Toulouse in France; University of Suceava in Romania; Middlesex University in England. In addition to the ERASMUS programme, Yeditepe University has student exchange agreements with many universities around the world.