About

The Department of Civil Engineering was established in 2010, and its master's program started in 2013. The undergraduate curriculum covers general topics in civil engineering. The department has an administrative floor and a laboratory. The laboratory is equipped with materials for structural engineering, soil mechanics, structural mechanics, hydraulic, and topography experiments, and the laboratory facilities are continually being improved. The duration for completing the thesis-based master's program is a total of four semesters. Within these four semesters, it is mandatory to complete a minimum of 7 courses (worth at least 21 credits) and a seminar course. Failure to complete these requirements will result in termination of enrollment. The seminar course and the thesis work are not credit-bearing and are evaluated as either successful or unsuccessful. The thesis work can also be completed within the four semesters. If a student completes all the courses within four semesters but fails to complete the thesis, an additional year is granted to complete the thesis. The maximum duration for completing the thesis-based master's program is six semesters. Starting from the semester following the appointment of an advisor, the student must register for the thesis period every semester. Up to two courses can be selected from undergraduate courses, provided they were not taken during the undergraduate program, and with the recommendation of the department chair and the approval of the institute's board of directors, up to two courses from other higher education institutions can also be selected. However, if a student fails in the thesis work or does not defend the thesis within the specified time limits, the enrollment will be terminated. Before the defense of the master's thesis and in the case of theses requiring corrections, the student completes the thesis with the necessary corrections and submits it to their advisor. The advisor, along with their opinion that the thesis is defendable, submits the thesis to the institute. The institute obtains a plagiarism detection software report for the thesis and sends it to the advisor and the jury members. If the data in the report indicates a genuine case of plagiarism, along with the explanation, the thesis is forwarded to the institute's board of directors for a decision. The master's thesis jury is appointed based on the recommendation of the thesis advisor, the relevant department chair, and the approval of the institute's board of directors. The jury consists of three or five faculty members, including the student's thesis advisor and at least one member from outside their own institution. If the jury consists of three members, the second thesis advisor cannot be a jury member. After completing the thesis work, the student submits the required number of copies of the thesis to the thesis advisor. The advisor sends the copies of the thesis, along with their written opinion regarding compliance with the writing rules, to the institute through the department chair. The jury members convene within one month from the date the thesis is delivered to them and conduct the thesis examination, which consists of a presentation of the thesis and a subsequent question-and-answer session. The thesis examination is conducted in open settings, allowing the participation of faculty members, graduate students, and experts in the field as listeners. After the completion of the thesis examination, the jury reaches a decision of acceptance, rejection, or corrections by a simple majority vote. This decision is communicated to the institute through a record within three days following the thesis examination, by the department chair. If the student is deemed unsuccessful and the thesis is rejected in the defense examination, their enrollment is terminated. If the student receives a corrections decision during the thesis defense examination, they must defend the revised thesis before the same jury within a maximum period of three months. If unsuccessful in this defense as well, and the thesis is not accepted, the student's enrollment is terminated. If requested by the student whose thesis is rejected, provided that they have fulfilled the course credit load, project writing, and similar requirements of the non-thesis master's program, they are awarded a non-thesis master's diploma. The student who submits their thesis to the institute within one month from the date of the thesis examination and whose thesis is deemed acceptable in terms of format receives a thesis-based master's diploma. The institute's board of directors may extend the submission period for up to one month upon request. A student who fails to fulfill these conditions cannot receive their diploma, benefit from student rights, and if their maximum duration expires, their enrollment is terminated.

The program consists of a total of four semesters for completion. Within these four semesters, it is mandatory for the student to complete a minimum of 7 courses with a total of 21 credits, including a seminar course. Failure to complete these requirements will result in termination from the program. During the four semesters, the student can also work on their thesis. If a student completes the required courses but fails to complete their thesis, they will be given an additional year to complete it. The maximum duration for completing the thesis-based master's program is six semesters.

The seminar course and the thesis work are evaluated as pass or fail and do not carry credits. Starting from the semester following the assignment of an advisor, the student must register for each semester specifically for the thesis period. Out of the courses the student takes, a maximum of two courses can be selected from undergraduate courses, provided that they have not been taken during the undergraduate program. Additionally, with the recommendation of the department head and the approval of the institute's board, a maximum of two courses offered by other higher education institutions can be selected.

If a student fails to successfully complete their thesis work or does not participate in the thesis defense, their enrollment will be terminated. Before the defense of the thesis in the thesis-based master's program and for theses that require revisions, the student presents their completed thesis, along with the revisions, to their advisor. The advisor submits the thesis to the institute, stating their opinion regarding its defensibility. The institute obtains a plagiarism software report for the thesis and sends it to the advisor and the jury members. If the data in the report indicate a genuine plagiarism, a decision with its justification is sent to the institute's board for a final decision.

The thesis jury for the master's program is appointed based on the recommendation of the thesis advisor and the relevant department head, as well as the approval of the institute's board. The jury consists of the student's advisor, at least one member from outside their own higher education institution, and a total of three or five faculty members. If the jury consists of three members, the second thesis advisor cannot be a jury member. Once the student completes their thesis work, they submit the required number of copies to their thesis advisor. The advisor, in written form, expresses their opinion on the conformity of the thesis with the writing rules and sends the copies of the thesis to the institute through the department head. The jury members convene within one month from the date the thesis is delivered to them and proceed to conduct the thesis defense examination.

The thesis defense examination includes a presentation of the thesis work followed by a question-and-answer session. The examination is conducted in open settings with the participation of faculty members, graduate students, and experts in the field as listeners. After the completion of the thesis defense examination, the jury decides on the thesis with a simple majority vote, either accepting, rejecting, or requiring revisions. This decision is reported to the institute through a minutes within three days after the thesis defense examination by the department head. If the student's thesis defense is deemed unsuccessful and the thesis is rejected, their enrollment will be terminated. If the student's thesis is given a revision decision during the thesis defense examination, they must defend the revised thesis before the same jury within three months. If the student is unsuccessful in this defense as well, their enrollment will be terminated.