The following questions and answers have been arranged according to the YÖK Graduate Education and AGÜ Graduate Education and Examination Regulations; for detailed information and additional details, please refer to the Regulations.
What is a Master's Thesis Defense Exam?
In a thesis-based master's program, a student writes their results in accordance with the writing rules set by the senate and orally defends their thesis in front of a jury.
What is required to take the Master's Thesis Defense Exam?
Before the defense of the master's thesis, and in cases where corrections are given, the student completes the thesis and submits it to their advisor. The advisor expresses their opinion on the defensibility of the thesis on Form YL 4 and submits it to the department chair along with an unbound copy of the thesis. This form also includes a plagiarism software program report related to the thesis. Additionally, the form contains a proposal for the master's thesis defense jury and the examination date. This form must be signed by both the student and the advisor.
Who comprises the Master's Thesis Defense Jury?
The master's thesis jury is appointed with the recommendation of the relevant Institute department chair and the approval of the Institute Management Board. The jury consists of three or five faculty members, including the student's thesis advisor, with at least one member from outside their higher education institution. If the jury consists of three members, the second thesis advisor cannot be a jury member. Assignment letters and an unbound copy of the thesis are delivered to the jury members by the student.
How is the Master's Thesis Defense Exam conducted?
The jury members convene to examine the student within a month of receiving the thesis. The thesis exam consists of a presentation of the thesis work followed by a question-and-answer session. The thesis exam is conducted face-to-face in environments open to participation by faculty members, graduate students, and experts in the field.
How is the result of the Master's Thesis Defense Exam announced?
After the completion of the thesis exam, the jury decides by simple majority to accept, reject, or require revisions to the thesis. Form-5 is filled out in detail by the jury members and the department chair and submitted to the Institute along with other documents during the graduation phase. Students whose thesis is found unsuccessful and rejected are discontinued from the University. Students given a revision decision must defend the revised thesis in front of the same jury within three months. Students who need to extend these procedures into a new term are required to enroll for the new term by taking thesis and specialization field courses (597/599), even if they have already conducted their thesis defense. If the thesis is again found unsuccessful and not accepted after this defense, the student's affiliation with the University is discontinued.
