Masters of Arts (MA) in Humanities and Social Sciences
The MA in Humanities and Social Sciences is an interdisciplinary program run by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) at Yıldız Technical University. The program aims to attract students with degrees from a variety of fields including sociology, anthropology, politics, international relations, psychology, history, art history, human geography, philosophy, gender and women studies, cultural studies, English literature, American literature, Turkish literature, law, and multicultural education. The program welcomes international students.
Language of the Program
The language of instruction is English. All writing and speaking activities in the program such as courses, theses, assignments, exams and comprehensives are held in English. The program has its own English language requirement. Students must have a score from YDS (the Turkish national examination for English language proficiency) or an equivalent score from international tests (such as TOEFL and IELTS) recognized by Turkish Higher Education Institution (YÖK). For the current updated score requirements please check out the Graduate Institute of Social Sciences website.
ALES Requirement
The applicants must perform a score from the ALES examination for admission. An equivalent score from GRE is also accepted. For the current updated score requirements please check out the Graduate Institute of Social Sciences website.
Coursework and Credit Requirements
Please check out the Graduate School of Social Sciences (YTÜ Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü) and Turkish Higher Educational Institution’s (YÖK) rules and regulations for minimum credit requirements and other procedures for graduation.
As per course requirements, students will have 21 hours of course load (7 courses) for the program. Of these 7 courses, 2 must be core courses and the remaining 5 are electives. Other than these 7 departmental courses, students are expected to pass 2 non-credit (pass/fail) courses, namely Seminar (Spring) and Ethics & Research Methods (Fall). The Seminar course should be taken not earlier than the second semester and could only be taken once the student is officially assigned to a thesis supervisor. Students must have a GPA of at least 2.5/4.0 (CB) in their coursework with no grade lower than a CB to meet the minimum requirements of the program.
Students are expected to organize their own schedule and are responsible for their own choices. MA students should complete their coursework in 4 semesters (2 years). Under normal circumstances one core course is offered every semester. The Theory core course will be available in Fall and the Methods core course in Spring. The non-credit courses may not be available every semester. The Seminar can be taken in the Spring semester and Ethics & Research Methods will be available in the Fall semester.
Students should take the core courses as soon as they are available. Postponing the core courses may risk not completing the course load on time.
Core Courses (Required)
HSS requires all students to take core courses that are fundamental to comprehending theoretical debates within social sciences, humanities and particularly cultural studies and to develop research and academic skills.
· ITB 5101 Major Theories in Social Sciences (Fall)
· ITB 5110 Introduction to Methodology in Social Sciences
Elective Courses
HSS offers a wide range of elective courses each semester. These courses can be divided into three groups. The first group of courses covers theoretical issues in social sciences and cultural studies, while the second group of courses aims to prepare students for research skills such as research design, literature review, data collection, data analysis, and writing skills. The rest of the courses reflect the diversity of faculty expertise and student interest. Students are advised to contact faculty members to be able to choose the courses that best fit their needs and interests.
The elective courses aim to help students customize their own program. Find a list of all approved courses below. Note that some of the courses may not be available every semester as the faculty will decide to open only a limited number of courses from the course pool. Also, the faculty may decide to approve and open new courses that are not on this list. Please check out the elective alternatives from the department at the beginning of each semester. The students are allowed to take up to two courses from the PhD program in Cultural Studies. However, these should not be identical to any course elected from the MA list. Please consult the department or your supervisor in case you have questions.
· ITB 5100 Methodological Discussions in Social Sciences
· ITB 5197 Contemporary Movements in Social Theory
· ITB 5103 Development in Turkey: A Theoretical Approach
· ITB 5104 Cultural Theory and Analysis
· ITB 5105 Historical Analysis in Social Sciences
· ITB 5106 Intellectual History: Conceptual Framework
· ITB 5107 New Approaches to History
· ITB 5108 Development of the Modern World System: Transformations in Society, Politics and Economy
· ITB 5192 Social and Political Movements
· ITB 5111 Ottoman Cultural History
· ITB 5012 Nationalism: Origins, Ideologies, Forms
· ITB 5113 Space, Place and Identity
· ITB 5114 Ethnic and Cultural Diversity
· ITB 5199 Modern World History
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· ITB 5001 Seminar (Spring)
· ITB 5004 Ethics & Research Methods (Fall)
Thesis Requirements
Students should decide on a thesis topic and be assigned to a supervisor by the end of the first semester in order to be able to choose courses for the following semester. It is the responsibility of the student to contact and find a supervisor and agree to formally work on a thesis topic. Once the thesis supervisor is formally identified, students must add from GSIS the following two courses at the registration period of each semester: Yüksek Lisans Tezi and Uzmanlık Alan Dersi. Each candidate must prepare a thesis under the guidance of his/her supervisor to be defended finally in an oral examination. The thesis must be completed in accordance with the deadlines and guidelines of the Graduate School of Social Sciences.
Thesis Defense (Oral Examination)
A full thesis draft must be submitted to the Graduate School of Social Sciences and a preliminary approval received for the scheduling of the oral examination date. The supervisor identifies 2 other jury members one of which is an external examiner. All oral exams are open to public. Students should consult their supervisors for the oral exam details.
Graduation
For a student to graduate from the program, s/he has to fulfil the departmental requirements listed above as well as the requirements of the Graduate School of Social Sciences (SBE) and Turkish Higher Education Institution (YÖK). Students must publish an article with their supervisor in an international/Turkish peer-reviewed academic journal or make a presentation in an international/Turkish academic conference with a published proceeding in the proceedings book. Please consult your supervisor and visit the Graduate School of Social Sciences website for formal requirements for graduation. The maximum duration of the program including the courses and the thesis is 6 semesters (3 years).
For more information on the program and the admission requirements, please visit the Graduate School of Social Sciences website: