Bilkent University (In Turkish: Bilkent Üniversitesi), the first private university of Turkey, was founded in Ankara on October 20, 1984 by İhsan Doğramacı through the resolution of the foundations which had earlier been established by him. The establishment of this private university was later approved by an act of Parliament, which opened the way to the foundation of other private universities. The aim was to create a center of excellence in higher education and research. The name Bilkent exemplifies the founder's aim, since it is an acronym of bilim kenti, Turkish for city of science and knowledge. Today, Bilkent University is the highest ranked instution of Turkey, and also is an eminent university worldwide.
Motto: Veritas Established 1984 Type: Private (Foundation university) Provost: Prof. Dr. Abdullah Atalar Rector: Prof. Dr. Ali Doðramacý Students: 12,000 Location: Ankara, Turkey Website: www.bilkent.edu.tr
Ýhsan Doðramacý, a distinctive professor in medicine, had previously contributed to the establishment of numerous public institutions of higher education and served as rector of Ankara University, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Middle East Technical University and founder and first rector of Hacettepe University.
Preparations for Bilkent University had begun as early as 1967, with the purchase of a large tract of land to the west of Ankara. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the above mentioned foundations undertook construction, on the future site of Bilkent, of the buildings which now house administrative offices, the Faculty of Engineering, and the library. Construction of residences for academic staff, cafeterias, student dormitories, the Student Union building and various academic buildings followed in rapid succession.
In October 1986 Bilkent University admitted its first students. That year there were 386 undergraduate and graduate students. Currently there are over 10,000 students in nine faculties, two four-year professional schools, two two-year vocational schools and the School of English Language plus six graduate schools (called institutes). Among them are foreign students from 72 countries. With funds from the endowments provided by the founder, the university each year awards full scholarships to over 2,500 students of high academic achievement.
From the outset, the design of the university structure provided for student union representatives to be members of the administrative committees of various schools, as well as of the University Senate. Beginning in the second year of instruction, the practice of student evaluation of courses and instructors, at the time not a common practice in Turkey, was instituted.
To promote the enrichment of teaching and research programs, Bilkent University entered into collaborative projects and exchange programs with many universities abroad. Bilkent has special student exchange agreements with the University of California system, Purdue, Johns Hopkins, University of Maine, University of Texas at Austin, University of Missouri, Bowling Green State University, Iowa State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Carthage College, Franklin and Marshall College in the U.S.; University of Laval and McGill University in Canada; and Tel-Aviv University in Israel. Bilkent is a member of NIBES (Network of International Business and Economic Schools) and exchange programs are established with Pforzheim University in Germany and the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Clarmont and the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Lille of France. Also, Bilkent University is the most active Erasmus partner of all Turkish universities, with hundreds of exchange students coming in and out every year and semester.
The university also has a communications office at 600 Madison Avenue in New York City, equipped with interactive video conferencing capabilities. A number of courses are delivered by well-known professors of highly acknowledged universities in New York, through this office via satellite connection, to the students of Bilkent.
To meet the expanding needs of the university, construction has continued throughout the years since the admission of the first students. New buildings and facilities include two gymnasiums; the Faculties of Humanities and Letters, Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Art, Design and Architecture, Science, the Computer Center, and Music and Performing Arts; a Concert Hall for the Bilkent Academic Symphony Orchestra; a secondary school, a preschool and nursery; new dining facilities; two health centers and a pharmacy; and the East Campus which has additional classroom space, catering facilities, and student and faculty housing.
The faculty comprises an academic staff from 43 different countries. Most of them were working in prominent universities in North America and Europe when they received offers from Bilkent University. According to ISI Citation Indexes, Bilkent continues to be first in Turkey in number of published papers per faculty member and ranks high internationally.
Undergraduate Programs
The bachelor's degree is awarded to students who successfully complete an eight-semester course of study (approximately 120 credit units, although the weight varies in different departments).
Students must fulfill all the degree requirements determined by their department; at graduation their cumulative grade point average must be 2.00 or higher on a scale of 4.00 (stands for circa 65% in Bilkent's grading scale).
The undergraduate programs are organized in departments within nine faculties, two schools and two vocational schools offering two-year programs. These faculties and schools are as follows:
In addition, the School of English Language offers a vocational degree in English and Translation Studies for students registered in this two-year program. Study at the vocational schools leads to an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science vocational degree.
Graduate Programs
Students who have obtained either a B.A. or B.S., or an M.A. or M.S. or M.B.A., or an equivalent degree from an accredited university are eligible to commence studies in the master or doctoral programs.
The graduate programs include:
Further information on graduate programs of the University can be acquired from annually published Graduate Catalog. The catalog is also available online.[1]
The Career Development and Placement Center, another service established at the incentive of Bilkent's founder early in the University's development, helps final-year students to acquire the skills necessary to apply successfully for a job. The Center arranges interviews between representatives of major corporations and students seeking employment.
Each year, more than 1,600,000 high-school graduates take the national examination to enter the 53 state and 23 private universities in Turkey.
The University has more than 10,000 students and a teaching staff of 1000. Bilkent attracts students of the highest caliber nationally and from abroad. Every year, the largest proportion of top scorers in the Turkish National University Entrance Examination choose to study at Bilkent. International students come from more than 70 different countries.
Proficiency in English language for non-native speakers is also a must in admission, since all departments (except for the Turkish Language and Literature department) use English as the main language of education by 100% weight. Minimum score of 213 from TOEFL, or success in the university's own English proficiency exam is obligatory to register the Associate, Bachelor, Master, or Doctorate level courses.
The faculty is composed of a motivated and dynamic academic staff from over 40 different countries. In terms of publications per faculty, Bilkent ranks first in Turkey, and ranks high internationally. Bilkent University hires academic and administrative staff and admits students regardless of gender, race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to staff and students at the university.
A high proportion of Bilkent graduate students receive some form of financial support from the University. Graduate students who have completed their studies at Bilkent go on to find jobs in Turkey and around the world, at prominent universities, research institutes and international organizations.
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