[Bilimsel Haber] History MA and PhD Programs at Sabanci University

[Onur Inal]

EARLY ADMISSIONS, SABANCI UNIVERSITY, HISTORY GRADUATE PROGRAMS

20 January 2009 is the Early Admissions deadline for the History MA and PhD
Programs at Sabanci University (Istanbul, Turkey). Depending on the
first-round 
results, there may or may not be a second round of admissions in June 2009.

Both the MA and the PhD programs revolve around Ottoman, Late Ottoman and
Modern Turkish History, though this is not an exclusive focus, and is 
accompanied by a strong emphasis on situating the Ottoman Empire and Modern
Turkey within their proper Balkan and Middle Eastern contexts. An innovative

curriculum strives to combine broad comparative and theoretical perspectives
with empirical rigor, teaching with learning, and personal research with
institutional projects.

The language of instruction is English.

The standing faculty comprises specialists in the pre-Tanzimat era, (Metin
Kunt, Tulay Artan, Hulya Canbakal), the 19th century (Hakan Erdem, Aksin
Somel), the Republican era (Cemil Kocak, Halil Berktay), Central-Southeast
Europe (Fikret Adanir), modern Europe (Evi Gkotzaridis), and Byzantine and
Balkan art and architecture (Bratislav Pantelic).

In addition, there is a regular rotation of one or two visiting professors
per term who are mostly specialists of the Ottoman Balkans (Elizabeth
Zachariadou, 
Rossitsa Gradeva) or of Modern Balkan History (Diana Mishkova).Sabanci
University participates in the Socrates program of the European Union, which
offers universities an opportunity to work together with counterparts in
other European countries. It has various agreements with British, Danish,
Dutch, German, Norwegian and Spanish universities. The History Graduate
Programs also have a student exchange agreement with the Turkish Language
and Cultures Program at Leiden University, the Netherlands.

Ongoing institutional projects (such as the Joint History Project, The
Shared History Project, Alternative History Textbooks Writing Project, Urban
History: 
Tesvikiye District Project, Topkapi Palace "1680 Treasury Registers"
Project, Royal Courts and Households Project, Distribution of Wealth,
1600-1840) are well-connected to national or international networks ranging
from nationalism studies, education reform, critical historiography, and
comparative empires to community societies and museums.

*The History Graduate Programs offer scholarships ranging from half or full
tuition waiver to full scholarship, i.e. tuition waiver combined with a
9-month stipend. Scholarships are open to all candidates on a competitive
basis; they are renewable according to merit. *The two-year MA program
offers two options for MA diploma, either *by* *thesis* or *by*
*examination*. MA by thesis requires nine courses, to be completed by the
end of the third semester, and a short thesis to be produced over the fourth
semester. MA by examination, on the other hand, envisages a minimum of 12
courses spread over four semesters, and a finishing exam. The PhD program
requires additional 8 courses plus a minimum of three years for thesis
research and submission. There are no field restrictions for applying to the
MA Program in History, while PhD applicants must have an MA (or the
equivalent) in History, Art and Architectural History, Sociology,
Anthropology, Political Science, or Literature.

All candidates must:
(a) Fill out an online Application Form (*) including
(b) A statement of purpose (min. 1500 words) reflective of their
intellectual horizons and research interests.
They should also submit
(c) at least two letters of recommendation,
(d) an official, stamped and sealed BA or BSc transcript (with a minimum
2.50/4.00 CGPA) for the MA Program, and both the undergraduate and master's 
transcripts for the PhD Program,
(e) valid LES scores (in the top 8 percent on the Verbal or Equally Weighted
scale) for applicants from Turkish universities, and GRE scores (of a
minimum total of 610 for the Quantitative components) for non-Turkish
students, and
(f) a valid English language fluency score (min. 237/580 for TOEFL, or 7 for
IELTS).
Applicants from Turkish universities are expected to take a *written* *exam*
(*26* *January*, *Monday*), followed by an *interview* *for* *all*
*short*-*listed* *candidates (28 January, Wednesday)*. These examinations
will be held following the application deadline (20 January 2009). Both exam
and interview will be made on the Orhanli, Tuzla campus of the University.

The annual tuition fee for the history graduate programs at SU is currently
YTL 13,000 (roughly USD 8,750) while the total cost per year may
approximately amount to YTL 19,500 (USD 13,000) including on-campus room and
board.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. Hulya Canbakal
hcanbakal at sabanciuniv.edu <mailto:hcanbakal at sabanciuniv.edu>
Phone +90-216-483 9240
Postal Address :
Sabanci University
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Orhanli, Tuzla
34956 Istanbul
Turkey
http://www.sabanciuniv.edu/ssbf/hist/eng 
(*) Application form can be downloaded from
https://admission.sabanciuniv.edu