The Turkish National Education System consists of 3 stages:
It involves the education of children in the age group of 3 to 5 who have not reached the age of compulsory primary education, on an optional basis. State and private preschools are available.
Compulsory education for children starts with the primary education at the age of 6 - 7 and comprises elementary (4 years) and middle school (4 years) education. At the end of the compulsory primary education, students take standardized exams to qualify for various secondary schools. The length of secondary education is also 4 years and divided into two categories; General High School Education and Vocational and Technical High School Education. State and private primary and secondary schools are available.
The higher education system in Türkiye is supervised by the Council of Higher Education (CoHE). The CoHE is an autonomous institution which is responsible for the planning, coordination and governance of higher education system in Türkiye in accordance with the Turkish Constitution and the Higher Education Laws. Universities decide upon their own academic calendars; however, academic year generally starts in September and ends in June. There are winter and summer breaks. Summer school is also available at some universities.
Turkish universities offer:
Faculty (College): A division conducting higher education, scholarly research and publication. Various departments and programmes may be connected to it. Students earn a Bachelor’s degree at the end of an educational programme that lasts for at least four years.
Graduate School: An institution in universities concerned with graduate education, scholarly research and applications. Graduate schools award MA, MSc or PhD degrees.
4-year School: An institution of higher education which is mainly concerned with providing instruction for a specific profession. It lasts for eight semesters.
Conservatory: An institution of higher education in which artists are trained for music and the performing arts. It lasts for eight semesters.
Post-Secondary Vocational School: An institution of higher education that is aimed at training human capacity in specific professions and provides instruction lasting four semesters.
Research and Application Center: An institution of higher education carrying out research and applied studies to meet the applied study needs of various areas and to provide preparatory and support activities for various professional areas, with the aim of supporting education in institutions of higher education.
Degrees
Associate's degree (short cycle): Awarded on completion of a two-year study program. The associate degree programs are offered by universities and foundation postsecondary vocational schools. Some distance education programs are also available. The associate degree programs may require a period of on-the-job training.
Bachelor's degree (1st cycle): Awarded after the completion of a four-year course and 240 ECTS of study. The duration of study for dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy is five years and that of medicine is six years. The qualifications in these four fields are considered to be the equivalent of a Master's degree.
Master's degree program (2nd cycle):Two-year program leading to the Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Sciences (MS). There are two kinds of Master's programs, with or without a thesis. The Master's with thesis program is a two-year program generally consisting courses with a minimum of 120 ECTS followed by submission of a thesis. Non-thesis programs are to be completed in one or one and a half years and call for the completion of graduate courses of a minimum 90 credits and a term project.
Doctoral degree program (3rd cycle): Usually an eight-semester program leading to the PhD degree. It consists of courses, with 180-240 ECTS, a proficiency exam, a dissertation proposal, a dissertation and its oral defense. After successful completion of the course work and the proficiency exam, students must submit the dissertation and defend it orally before an examining committee.
Specialization in Medicine Programs: They are equivalent to doctoral degree programs and are carried out in the faculties of medicine, university hospitals and research and training hospitals. For the specialization in medicine, there is a competitive selection examination in various branches of medicine for those graduating from the faculties of medicine. Specialist candidates are required to submit a dissertation and defend it before an examining committee.
Proficiency in Art: It is at least a six-semester post-Master's program in the visual and performing art branches making it equivalent to a Doctorate. It requires the presentation of an original work of art or (in music and the performing arts) a superior, creative performance.
The National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Türkiye (TYYÇ) developed with reference to the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area and the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning was adopted by the Council of Higher Education in 2010. The levels of the TYYÇ with reference to the European overarching qualifications frameworks as well as that to ECTS credits and student workload are shown here.
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