Qualification Awarded

A master's degree in Political Science and International Relations is awarded.

Specific Admission Requirements

Candidates who want to get a master's degree in this department; a) Must have a four-year undergraduate diploma, b) Must have received the required score from ALES, c) Must document that they have the required foreign language knowledge, d) Must be successful in the examination held by the department.

Qualification Requirements

Political Science and International Relations graduate program students are required to complete at least seven courses, one seminar and thesis work throughout their education. In order for students to be successful in a course, the final grade of the semester must be at least CC. Grade point averages of 2.00 out of 4.00 and minimum 120 ECTS credits are required.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Students who have completed at least one semester in graduate programs in other higher education institutions can be admitted to the graduate programs of the university through horizontal transfer. The courses taken by the student while enrolled in a graduate program of another university, in case of enrolling in a graduate program at the University later on, which of them will be counted as a minimum course load is determined by the approval of the Graduate School Administrative Board.

History

Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Institute of Social Sciences was established in accordance with the additional article 25/e of the Law No. 3837 dated 30.07.1992 and started its educational activities in 1993. The Department of Political Science and International Relations, which started accepting students for undergraduate education in the 2012-2013 academic year, started to accept students for the graduate program as of the spring semester of the 2014-2015 academic year. On February 4, 2021, the department received the approval of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) to open a doctoral program.

Profile of the Programme

Political Science and International Relations Master's Program with Thesis aims to enable students who have acquired the basic knowledge in the field in undergraduate education to increase their basic knowledge, to examine the basic concepts in the field in a more comprehensive and detailed way, and to evaluate the issues in the field of political science and international relations with a scientific approach in a conceptual and practical framework. In this context, in addition to the courses for a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of basic concepts and theories, regional studies and courses in which current developments are examined in order to improve the ability to apply theoretical knowledge are also included in the program content. In addition, the aim of the program is to provide training and consultancy for the comprehension of scientific thought and scientific ethics, and the acquisition and application of scientific study systematics during the education.

Program Outcomes

1-	To have basic knowledge on local and international politics and the mechanism of world order , or deepen already gained knowledge.

2-	To have theoretical and practical knowledge about studies on basic fields of political science, such as political institutions, operation of political systems, comperative politics.

3-	To understand international relations on level of actors, institutions and systems, and to be able to analyse within the frame of theories on this field.

4-	To systematically comprehend behaviors and strategies of international actors, and have ability to develop predictions on their acts on different analysing levels.

5-	To understand historical transformation of international system and contemporary trends in international community.

6-	To properly use academic knowledge, skills and abilities gained at university education in the intellectual and social-personal development phase.

7-	To develop a professional vision, to determine the necessary knowledge and abilities in this direction and to acquire this knowledge and skills

8-	To be able to take proper steps for producing solutions in professional life by having neutral and common sense approaches in national and international political, economic, social, cultural, legal and military matters.

9-	Having the competence to develop and execute community-focused projects and activities with an understanding of political culture that emphasizes conscious citizenship and participation during education.

10-	To be aware of global and international problems, to have ability to analyse these problems and to develop solution proposals, taking initiative.

11-	To have an intellectual understanding with an ability of making wide and deep analysis in the field of Political Science and International Relations.

12-	To have an understanding of life-long learning, to follow the developments in the related area, to use acquired knowledge and skills in political science education in professional life and efficiently transfer them to practice.

13-	To comprehend scientific research methods such as literature review and field study, to acquire the capacity to use these methods independently.

14-	To have ability to explain ideas about international issues and suggestions for solutions to problems to experts and non-experts by supporting quantitative and qualitative data

15-	Learning at least one foreign language at the level of the European Language Permanent B2 in accordance with the aim of following the literature and developments in Political Science and International Relations and to express their thoughts in this area in writing and orally.

16-	Acquiring the capacity to use diplomatic communication and correspondence language in its own language and foreign language

17-	To have a computer skill , enough for literature search, information gathering and data analyse and enough for supporting expressions by production and use of visual and audio designs

18-	To undersatand cultural differences, to develop critical approach in the frame of social justice, equality, ecology, conflict resolution, human rights sensitivity and to solve the problems they face.

19-	To acquire the habit of internalizing and studying concepts related to scientific study and publication ethics in scientific systematic and ethical rules.

Exam Regulations & Assesment & Grading

Each student must register for the courses at the beginning of the semester and must attend at least 70% of the courses in order to take the final exam. Students are subjected to at least one midterm exam, final exam and unsuccessful students take a make-up exam for each course. The contribution of the midterm exam to the success grade is 50%, and the contribution of the final exam is 50%. All exams are evaluated over 100 points. The final exam grade is required to be at least 70. Students who get one of the letter grades (AA), (BA), (BB), (CB) and (CC) in a course are considered successful in that course.

Graduation Requirements

To complete this program, students must complete at least 120 ECTS and successfully defend their master's thesis by taking all compulsory courses and electives of their choice.

Occupational Profiles of Graduates

Students who will graduate from the Political Science and International Relations Master's Program with Thesis can find jobs in both the public and private sectors in parallel with their education. They can take part in the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as in the foreign relations units of other ministries. On the other hand, since it is a discipline that provides the opportunity to focus on many different fields such as economics, finance, business, communication and media, law, public administration, as well as political science, diplomacy and international relations; it consitutes a basis for students who are interested in political and social issues, but have not decided a field of expertise yet. Students who take this basis can decide which of these different fields they will focus on in line with their interests and expectations with the courses they will take during their education. The availability of elective courses in the program provides the necessary training for students to specialize in these fields and facilitates their knowledge of the sectors they will apply for a job.

Access to Further Studies

Candidates who successfully complete their master's education can study in doctoral programs, provided that they get a valid grade from the ALES exam.

Mode of Study

Master Degree in Political Science and International Relations (With Thesis)

Programme Director

Prof.Dr. Füsun ÖZERDEM

ECTS Coordinator

Associate Prof.Dr. Pınar YÜRÜR

Course Structure Diagram with Credits

Evaluation Questionnaires

Course & Program Outcomes Matrix