Perceived Importance and Resource Constraints of Graduate Information Systems Courses in Turkey

Is Graduate Programs In Turkey

As of September 2008 there are 94 public and 36 private universities in Turkey. The private universities are run by foundations that have been established solely for educational purposes. Currently, there are 12 undergraduate and 13 graduate IS programs in the country. The 13 graduate programs are offered by four public and four private universities. Seven of the 13 programs are offered by the public universities. All students who want to have a postgraduate study have to sit an exam called ALES that is conducted all over the country twice a year. Three of the graduate IS programs in Turkey (all from the public universities) require some small tuition fees, but these programs usually require high ALES grades. Although the grade requirement of the remaining 10 programs is usually lower, they cost the students in excess of USD 10,000 for a two-year study and some institutions demand about twice that figure. This is quite high in Turkish standards and can be mainly be afforded by the students who are working in diverse areas and aiming an IS-related career.