Faculty of Political Sciences

Faculty of Political Science (SBF), or Mülkiye is a well established institution in Turkey providing higher education in the fields of  Political Science, Public Finance, Economics, Public Administration, Labor Economics, Business Administration and International Relations.

The establishment and development of our faculty is closely related to our country's ongoing  modernization and westernization efforts which has been continuing for more than a century. Along with new political and structural reforms, the need to educate administrators in modern standards had become vital in order to adapt the new reforms faster and increase the effectiveness of political and administrative institutions.

Our faculty was founded in Istanbul as a community college in 1859 to meet these needs, and has undergone series of changes since the establishment. At first it was named Mekteb-i Mülkiye-i Şahane  under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and in 1918 the name was changed to Mekteb-i Mülkiye under  Ministry of Education. After the founding of the Republic, in 1936-1937 academic year, by the request of Ataturk, the school was moved to Ankara, and named as School of Political Science. With these changes, the duration of education was also increased to 4 years. In 23 March 1950, by the law no. 562, the school was placed under Ankara University, and its name was changed to Ankara University, Faculty of Political Science.

Our faculty has changed its status in 1955 so that the first two years of education have been allocated to common lectures in social and political sciences, and the last two years have been allocated to the specialization courses. Consequently, third year students were asked to choose one of the Diplomacy and Foreign Relations, Economics, Public Finance and Administration departments.

Masters and Doctorate programs are being implemented in our faculty since 1955-56 academic year. In 1982, our faculty has adopted the new framework, re-arranged by the Higher Education law. Accordingly, the number of specialization departments in our faculty increased to six, and departments were organized to be independent starting from the first year. These departments are:

• International Relations
• Political Science and Public Administration
• Economics
• Public Finance
• Business Administration
• Labor Economics and Industrial Relations.

With the same arrangement, the responsibility of the graduate students was given to the Ankara University, Graduate School of Social Sciences. Since the 2008-2009 academic year, Foreign Language Preparatory School has been made mandatory. For the students who can not be exempt from foreign language exam, the duration of education in our faculty is for five years.

In the six departments of our faculty, we have 172 academic staff (42 professors, 33 associate professors, 34 assistant professors, 18 research assistants with doctorate, 35 research assistants pursuing a doctorate degree, and four lecturers, 6 experts) and 78 administrative staff. Our faculty Alumni ,who are also called MÜLKİYELİLER, are employed in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Public Finance and also in public institutions such as banks and private companies in the upper management positions. In addition, there is a large number of faculty alumni who are prime minister, ministers, deputies, ambassadors, governors, journalists, and leading economists.

Our faculty has become a symbol of change, reform and academic freedom in the hearts of Turkish people throughout the history. Aware of its historical mission and responsibility, our faculty has continued to contribute to the intellectual and political evolution of the Republic of Turkey. As a reflection of this responsibility, it continues to use its the right to criticize constructively against the challenges of social and political conflicts.

Ankara

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and is its second largest city. Civil servants and university students comprise a significant portion of the city population. The city is more affordable and less chaotic than other metropolitan areas in Turkey. Although the city is not as popular as Istanbul and Antalya among the foreign tourists, it is the ideal place to get actively involved in the political and intellectual life of Turkey, and to learn Turkish. Furthermore, being located in central Anatolia, a predominant number of cities of Turkey are easily accessible from Ankara by land and air. Its railway station is the centre of Turkey’s growing high speed train network, and its airport is the most important transportation hub for domestic flights.

Ankara University

Ankara University is a city university with its campuses spread all over the metropolitan area. With its 15 faculties, 2 vocational schools, 9 colleges, a state conservatory, 13 graduate schools in addition to 4 research institutes, and its central location, the University and its campuses are natural hubs for cultural and intellectual activities. Furthermore, each campus of the University provides easy access to all the cultural, artistic, and sporting activities that the city has to offer.

(Source: SBF Office of International Partnerships)