FAQ

• Is the medium of instruction English in the department?

The medium of instruction at Boğaziçi University is English. Undergraduate students can start taking departmental courses if they succeed in one of the exams listed below. Those whose English is not sufficient are supposed to attend the Prep School. The proficiency of the candidates who are from the countries where the official language is English, is determined by an interview or in some cases by a written exam given by the School of Foreign Languages (SFL).

Exams:

BUEPT (Bogazici University English Proficiency Test)
Minimum Score: 60
This test is administered by the SFL several times a year. Please apply to the SFL to get information concerning test dates. The validity of the BUEPT is two years. http://www.yadyok.boun.edu.tr

USA: TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
Minimum Score: 550, TWE: 4.5
Computer Based TOEFL: 213, TWE: 4.5
TOEFL IBT Test: 79, TWE: 24
The TOEFL test is given in a large number of countries several times a week. The validity of this exam is two years. All the above mentioned three types are accepted only together with TWE.

UK: IELTS Test (International English Language Testing System)
Minimum Score: 7
The validity of this exam administered by the British Council is two years.

• Who can take Turkish for Foreigners courses?

Foreigners the native language of whom is not Turkish and Turkish citizens who have lived for a very long period in a country where medium of instruction is not Turkish.

• With which majors is double major program available for the students of the Turkish Language and Literature? What are the requirements?

Please click: Undergraduate/Double Major

• What is a required course?

Please click: Undergraduate/Course Descriptions/Required Courses

• What is an elective?

Please click: Lisans/ Ders Tanımları/Seçmeli Dersler

• Are there any limitations for the electives?

Please Click: Undergraduate/ Course Descriptions/Limitations on Electives

• Is there a course not accepted as an elective?

Please Click: Undergraduate/Courses Which are not Accepted as Elective

• What is a course requiring a prerequisite course?

Please Click: Undergraduate/Course Descriptions/Courses Requiring a Prerequisite Course

• The quotas of some courses are generally full, is there a way to take these courses?

The quotas of some courses are generally filled early because of high demand. Trying to register early on the first day of Registration through the computers on campus might raise your chances of taking mass courses whose quotas fill up quickly. Moreover, if taking that course is really important for you, you can request a consent through the web page of the Registrar's Office. If your request is rejected and you are still insistent, then if s/he's ready to spare time for you, it would be for your advantage to get together with the instructor of the course and explain politely to him/her why taking that course means a lot to you.

• What can I consult my advisor about?

You can obtain information concerning courses and programs that you cannot find on the web page, get advice about your academic problems, and also forward your suggestions.

• How can I learn who my advisor is and what his/her office hours are?

For contact during the Registration period, you can get information by clicking the Academic Calendar on the Boğaziçi University web page. During the academic year, however you can learn about their office hours from the schedules posted on the advisors’ office doors, and you can get in touch with them at those times.

• Can I withdraw from a required course?

You cannot withdraw from any compulsory courses in the first two semesters. As of your third semester, you can withdraw from a required course on the condition that you take it in the first semester it is reopened.

• Can I withdraw from an elective course?

You can withdraw from an elective course. However, the following semester, you have to take that course or an equivalent elective. Click for detailed information: Undergraduate/Course Descriptions.

• I am going to fail a course; what can I do?

You may have difficulties if the contents of your courses are heavily loaded or the number of your courses is too many. You may not be able to spare time for your studies because of private reasons. Whatever the reason, if you think that you will fail in a course and that your GPA will drop, you can withdraw from that course. Click for detailed information: Undergraduate/Withdrawing

• Do I have to take this course?

It depends on whether that course is a required or an elective one. Click for detailed information: Undergraduate/Course Descriptions

• Can I withdraw from a non-credit course that I have taken as elective?

You can also withdraw from a non-credit course by completing the same procedures required when withdrawing from a credit course. When you complete all the procedures and withdraw from the course, you do not have to take that course or another one to replace it in the next semester, which is the case for credit courses. However, there will be a “W” mark in your records, indicating that you have withdrawn. If you quit or fail a non-credit course without officially withdrawing, you do not have to take that course again, but in this case, having received an “F” in the course, you will be warned by the system to repeat the course and it will appear as “F” in your records. If, despite the appearance of “F” in your records and the warnings of the system, you do not improve your “F” grade before graduating, you will have to petition the FAS (Faculty of Arts and Sciences) Faculty Council, since the Registrar's Office cannot solve this problem without the decision of the Faculty Council. No matter whether your excuses stated in the petition are accepted, the grade for that course will remain as “F” in your graduation records.

• I am still a prep student, what can I do as preparation for departmental courses?

Since 1/3 of your undergraduate courses are given in English, we expect you to learn English and to pass the Proficiency exam with a high grade. If you still say “I have enough time,” we advise you to visit museums in İstanbul, to get to know the city and its monuments, to spare time for art and culture, and to benefit from the university library and the opportunities of social life on campus. Please keep in mind that these suggestions are valid throughout your student period.

• What are the job opportunities for Turkish Language and Literature graduates?

They can become academicians by pursuing an academic career in Turkish, European, and American universities. Upon the completion of a one-year, non-thesis graduate program in a Faculty of Education offering pedagogical formation, they can become Turkish Language and Literature teachers in public schools and private teaching institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education.

They can work as teachers in private teaching institutions offering high school and university preparation courses.

In addition to working in the field of education, graduates can work in jobs related to the various skills and fields of interest (via other languages they have learnt, certificates they have earned, and social relationships they have developed) that they have developed throughout their university life besides Turkish Language and Literature, with editing and advertising in the first place.

• How can I get information about campus life, student clubs, sports facilities, dormitories and other opportunities?

You can get detailed information from http://www.boun.edu.tr/students/index_tur.html

• How can I get information about scholarships?

Please click for scholarships http://www.boun.edu.tr/government/rules/bu_burs_yonetmelik.html

• Where can I submit my petition regarding registration and some other processes?

You can write your petition by printing out the Student Petition Form, which you can access in the left bottom corner of http://www.fef.boun.edu.tr/ and submit it to the FAS Council after having collected the required signatures. If a problem stated in your petition is connected to a certain date, keep in mind that FAS Council generally meets on Tuesday afternoons.

• I can't register.

You might not be eligible for registration if you have not paid the university fee or have not returned a borrowed book to the library in due time. Try to contact the Registrar's Office so as to find out the problem.