The Brief History of the Undergraduate Program
International Relations undergraduate program, which was officially established in 2005 with the decision of YÖK dated 18/03/2005 and numbered 524-005474, provides education in English instead of Turkish starting from 2021 with the approval of YÖK (with the letter of the Presidency of the Council of Higher Education dated 19/03/2021 and numbered 20238). Thus, the education period of the program has increased to five years in total, including one year of compulsory English preparatory class.
The education in the undergraduate program started when the number of professors had increased to three and so far a total of 497 undergraduate students graduated from the program since 2013, when it produced its first graduates.
The International Relations has three divisions: International Politics, International Law and Organizations, and Political History. There are currently three professors, two assistant professors, and three research assistants holding academic positions and serve as academic members. There are two professors, an assistant professor, and two research assistants in the Division of International Politics, a professor in the Division of Political History, and an assistant professor and a research assistant in the Division of International Law and Organizations.
The department of International Relations also offers a master’s program, which was established in the fall semester of 2010 and has been educating postgraduate students for 13 years. Depending on the expansion of the program's faculty staff, it is planned to open a doctoral program in the upcoming years.
The program offers an interdisciplinary education and training opportunity with giving emphasis to issues such as the history of the international system formed by the world states; the phases it has gone through; the political, economic and legal structure and functioning of the system; as well as Turkey's place in this system and its foreign relations.
Vision, Mission and Objectives
The vision of the department is to be a department of International Relations known for its qualified education and academic publications at the regional and national level.
The mission of the department is to raise individuals who are knowledgeable about national and global issues, have leadership skills, are proficient in at least one foreign language, can look at international events and problems critically and impartially, and have social responsibility awareness. Also, the department aims to be known for its qualified national and international publications in its region in the line with its mission as a research university.
Within the framework of this vision and mission, the aims of the program are:
To provide students an international relations education that approaches to the issues of the discipline such as the history of international relations, the political, economic and legal structure and functioning of the international system and Turkey's foreign relations from an interdisciplinary perspective.
In addition to curriculum courses, to organize extra-curricular academic activities and to develop comprehensive international collaborations with foreign universities and academic institutions on this subject.
To attract students with higher scores and rankings and to be competitive internationally after the transition to English as the language of instruction.
To ensure that students act with an understanding of social and ethical responsibility both within the scope of the curriculum and in extra-curricular activities.
Department of International Relations Secretary: Kevser ALSOY
Phone: + 90 352 207 6666 - Ext: 30050
E-Mail: kevseralsoy@erciyes.edu.tr
MASTER PROGRAM (M.A.)
Accepted its first students in Fall 2010, our MA program has been contributing to the specialization and education of professionals from both public and private sectors. Embedded in the multidisciplinary structure of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Erciyes University, our MA program provides education and a creative atmosphere for those whose primary interest is a professional career in especially foreign affairs in public or private sectors and in wide range of topics such as the relationship between politics and economics or international law.
Our MA program does not offer any narrow specializations such as policy training or decision making in foreign affairs but it is rather designed to broaden students’ intellectual horizons by introducing them to a variety of conceptual perspectives on international relations and to a variety of substantive international issue through required and elective courses. With its highly qualified faculty members, our program offers courses such as International Organizations, Research Methods and Theories of International relations as required courses while it gives the students options of several elective courses such as International Political Economy, Women and International Relations, Turkish-American Relations, Religion and Politics and Middle East and International Relations. Students planning to apply to our program should check Course Information Package of Erciyes University for the most current lists of courses.
Besides academic excellence and merit, Department of IR and the design of our MA program values social values and diversity. Therefore, it aims to create an academic environment that contributes not only to the academic or professional excellence of our students but also contributes to their lives and societies. As of Fall 2020, with its more than 20 graduates, our program has added to the developments at both regional and global scales within different public and private sectors. With its more than 40 currently enrolled students including international students, it excels at helping students with their education goals with an interdisciplinary and dynamic understanding of changing dynamics of world affairs.
Program Requirements
Our MA program is designed as requiring students to fulfill the program requirements in a minimum 4 academic terms time. Depending on their coursework and research plans, students have the right to extend their studies to a maximum of 6 academic terms. Students are required to successfully complete minimum 10 courses and submit a thesis proposal to be approved by the faculty members of the field. Upon completing the required thesis proposal, students are required to successfully complete at least two semesters for Special Field Courses and Thesis Studies and write and defend a MA thesis. Students fulfilling the requirements graduate with a degree of Master of arts in International Relations which is required for PhD programs.
Admission Requirements
Students from International Relations, Political Science and other relevant majors can apply to be considered for the admission to IR MA program. Students with a major that is considered outside the relevant fields can only apply with the requirement of 1 year of Prior learning that is designed according to the general regulations of Erciyes University, Institute of Social Sciences. The program accepts applications for both Fall and Spring Semesters depending on general university, faculty and department decisions. Students who plan to apply for IR MA program are required to meet the following general requirements:
Applications are to be submitted to the Institute of Social Sciences—not Department of International Relations—and the institute ranks the applicants according to total score calculated as: 50% (ALES) + 30% (GPA) + 20% (YDS). Each application term, the Institute announces successful candidates and further details for registration.
