The Department of Educational Sciences
The Department of Educational Sciences is part of the Faculty of Education. It was created in 2007 to offer a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Curriculum and Instruction to practicing teachers. In 2011, the Department began also offering a PhD program in Curriculum and Instruction.
In 2021, a new MA program has been designed for newly qualified teachers. This new program has been recognized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) for the award of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Certificate in Teaching and Learning. Students who graduate from the MA program will also gain the IB Certificate.
All of these programs are tailored to meet the needs of new or practicing teachers, and young researchers, enriching and deepening their educational and research knowledge and practice. The Department of Educational Sciences works in collaboration with the Graduate School of Education. The teacher education programs are all based on the vision of Professor Ihsan Dogramaci, the founder of Bilkent University, an eminent pediatrician recognized world-wide for his work on the health, welfare, and education of children.
The Graduate School of Education
The Graduate School of Education (GSE) at Bilkent University has produced quality teachers since its foundation in 2000. Dr. Margaret Sands was the GSE’s founding director. The GSE’s first program was MA in Teacher Education, a graduate degree without a thesis which also awarded qualified teacher status. When this program ended, the GSE started a new MA program, which included a thesis. It was called the CITE program, awarding an MA in Curriculum and Instruction, as well as qualified teacher status. The CITE program was recognized by the IBO as eligible for the award of the IB Certificate in Teaching and Learning.
During the twenty years since the opening of the GSE in 2000, nearly seven hundred qualified teachers have graduated with an MA and a teaching Certificate. They easily found jobs in prestigious private schools, and many of them now hold administrative positions in their school.
School partnerships
The Department of Educational Sciences works with partner schools in Ankara, in other parts of Turkey, and abroad. Partnerships are especially valuable for the new MA program as students will visit schools on a regular basis to provide educational services and gain teaching experience.
International Baccalaureate Organization
For the development of successful teachers, especially those who will teach in schools with international curricula, international mindedness is essential. The Bilkent teacher education program gained international recognition in 2010 when, following inspection by a team from the IBO, it became the first university outside the US, UK and Australia whose education graduates were granted the IB Certificate in Teaching and Learning.
Since then, its in-depth academic program has helped many students to research aspects of the IB philosophy and curricula for their MA theses. In addition, IB research grants have been awarded to faculty members, two for nationwide investigations of program implementation in Turkish schools.
Research
Students work with a supervisor to conduct collaborative and interdisciplinary education and school-based research. Coursework is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and support to complete their investigations. See more.
Employment and practice
It is anticipated that, like previous alumni of the Graduate School of Education, graduates from the new program in the Department of Educational Sciences will find teaching jobs in Turkey’s prestigious private schools, many of which implement the IB diploma program. It is also anticipated that, like some of our previous alumni, graduates might choose to continue with a Ph.D. program in Turkey’s or worldwide prestigious Universities. As teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and researchers, Bilkent graduates help school their students become innovative and inquiring learners. Bilkent University is transforming future generations of students and helping to change the face of education in Turkey.