Dear Doctoral Students,
In accordance with Article 19, Paragraph 2 of the ITU Graduate Education Regulations, doctoral students admitted with a Master’s degree must take the Doctoral Qualifying Examination by the end of their 5th semester at the latest, and those admitted with a Bachelor's degree must take the examination by the end of their 7th semester at the latest.
Applications for the Doctoral Qualifying Examination for the 2024–2025 Spring Semester must be submitted through the Student Information System > Student Process Management > Qualifying section between March 3–14, 2025.
Graduate School of Science, Engineering and Technology
Attachment: Relevant Article from ITU Graduate Education Regulations – Qualifying Examination
General Principles
Qualifying Examination
ARTICLE 19 –
(1) The purpose of the qualifying examination is to assess whether the student has sufficient knowledge of the fundamental topics in the program and of topics related to their thesis.
(2) (Amended: Official Gazette 30/06/2017–30110, first sentence)
The qualifying examination is held twice a year, at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. Students who have completed their coursework and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 must take the qualifying examination by the end of their 5th semester if admitted with a Master’s degree, or by the end of their 7th semester if admitted with a Bachelor’s degree. Otherwise, they will be considered unsuccessful.
(3) A student who applies for the qualifying examination but fails to take it is considered unsuccessful.
(4) A student who fails the qualifying examination is allowed to retake it in the following semester. A student who fails the qualifying examination twice will be dismissed from the university.
(5) Qualifying examinations are organized and conducted by the Doctoral Qualifying Committee in accordance with the procedures determined by the Senate.
Relevant Articles from ITU Senate Principles – Doctoral Qualifying Examination
ARTICLE 14 – The following procedures must be followed in the administration of the doctoral qualifying examination:
a) The qualifying examination consists of two parts: written and oral. These examinations are held on the dates and times announced by the committee within the calendar set by the Graduate School Administrative Board.
b) (Amended: University Senate 31/10/2019–713)
The scope of the written examination is determined by the qualifying committee, approved by the head of the department, and announced by the Graduate School. The written exam consists of two sessions on two different days, each lasting at least three hours.
c) (Amended: University Senate 31/10/2019–713)
The written examination comprises two separate tests. Even if the student does not achieve a sufficient score in the written exams, they are still entitled to take the oral examination. The oral exam must be conducted within five working days following the second written exam and must last at least 45 minutes. If the student has a co-advisor, only the primary advisor may participate in the jury.
d) In order to pass the qualifying examination, students must score at least 50 out of 100 on each of the written exams (I and II) and the oral exam. The written exams carry equal weight. The overall weight of the written exams is 65%, and the oral exam accounts for 35% of the total score. The weighted average must be at least 65 out of 100.
e) (Amended: University Senate 31/10/2019–713)
The number of questions in the written exam must exceed the number of questions to be answered, and students must be allowed to choose from among them.
f) The juries must submit the exam results and their recommendations to the qualifying committee no later than one day after the exams. The committee evaluates the records of the written and oral exams and determines whether the student has passed or failed, based on the criteria outlined in Article 14(d). This decision must be reported to the Graduate School by the department head within three days following the exam.
g) If a student fails the exam and retakes it in the following semester, they may choose to be examined only in the failed sections. However, if they wish, they may also retake previously passed sections to improve their score. In this case, the most recent score will be considered. If the student does not take the exam in the following semester, this right is forfeited and the student will be responsible for all parts of the exam in future attempts.
h) (Added: University Senate 31/10/2019–713)
Even if a student passes the qualifying examination and has completed the required coursework, the qualifying jury may require the student to take additional courses—up to one-third of the total credit load—subject to the approval of the relevant Graduate School Administrative Board. The student must successfully complete these courses in order to proceed to the thesis defense.