The following questions and answers are organized according to the YÖK (Council of Higher Education) Regulations on Graduate Education and the Abdullah Gül University (AGU) Graduate Education and Examination Regulations. For more detailed information and additional rules, please refer to the official regulations.
What is the GPA requirement for graduation from graduate programs?
In order for a graduate student to graduate, their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) must be at least 3.00. Students whose CGPA falls below this threshold must retake or take new courses until the requirement is met.
The maximum duration for taking courses is 4 semesters for Master’s students and 6 semesters for Integrated PhD students.
What must I do to graduate from the PhD program? When should I submit my thesis?
PhD students who have successfully passed the Thesis Defense Examination and fulfilled other graduation requirements set by the University Senate must submit the bound copies of their thesis and other required documents to the Institute within one month from the date of the thesis defense.
If the submitted thesis complies with the formatting rules, the student is awarded the PhD diploma.
Can the thesis submission deadline be extended after the defense?
Upon request, the Institute Executive Board may grant a maximum extension of one month.
Students who fail to meet these requirements within the specified timeframe will not be eligible to receive their diploma, will lose their student rights, and if the maximum period expires, will be dismissed from the program.
What is considered the official graduation date? How is the program name stated on the diploma?
The PhD diploma will display the official name of the program as approved by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) under the student’s registered department.
The graduation date is the date the thesis is accepted during the thesis defense.
Why is an electronic copy of the thesis required?
An electronic copy of the thesis must be submitted to the Institute.
Within three months of submission, one electronic copy of the doctoral thesis is forwarded by the Institute to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) to be made available for academic and research use.
I completed my thesis defense, but the new semester began before I could submit the required documents. What should I do?
Successfully completing the thesis defense alone does not guarantee graduation.
To officially graduate from the Institute of Science, all required documents (thesis and others) must be submitted within the deadlines specified in the regulations, and an official decision of graduation must be issued by the Institute Executive Board.
If these steps extend into the new semester, the student must re-register for the new term and enroll in the thesis and specialization courses (697/699), even if the thesis defense was already completed.
What documents must be submitted to the Institute of Science after successfully passing the Thesis Defense Examination?
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Form_D_10 – Thesis Defense Exam Report (including individual jury reports and exam questions)
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Form_D_11
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Three (3) CDs including the thesis in PDF format, supporting materials in RAR format. (For detailed information: National Thesis Center)
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Three (3) bound thesis copies, signed by the jury with approval dates, prepared in accordance with the Institute’s binding specifications.
NOTE: Bound theses must be submitted within one month following the thesis defense exam.
A student cannot graduate without submitting the bound thesis and other required documents.
For detailed information on thesis binding requirements, click here.
