UNIVERSITY REGULATION
Academic Year
Each academic year consists of two sixteen-week semesters, Autumn and Spring, that include the final examination period. In addition, a seven-week summer semester is offered each year. The academic calendar for 2006-2007 is given at the beginning of this catalog.
Undergraduate Programs
The bachelor's degree is awarded to students who successfully complete an eight-semester course of study (approximately 120 credit units).
Students must fulfill all the degree requirements determined by their department; at graduation their cumulative grade point average must be 2.00 or higher on a scale of 4.00.
The undergraduate programs are organized in departments within nine faculties, two schools and two vocational schools offering two-year programs. These faculties and schools are as follows:
- Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
- Faculty of Business Administration
- Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Humanities and Letters
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Music and Performing Arts
- Faculty of Science
- School of Applied Languages
- School of Applied Technology and Management
- Vocational School of Computer Technology and Office Management
- Vocational School of Tourism and Hotel Services
In addition, the School of English Language offers a vocational degree in English and Translation Studies for students registered in this two-year program. Study at the vocational schools leads to an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science vocational degree.
Graduate Programs
Students who have obtained either a B.A. or B.S., or an M.A. or M.S., or an equivalent degree from an accredited university are eligible to commence studies in the master or doctoral programs, respectively.
The graduate programs are administrated through:
- Graduate School of Business Administration
- Institute of Economics and Social Sciences
- Graduate School of Education
- Institute of Engineering and Science
- Institute of Fine Arts
- Institute of Music and Performing Arts
Each institute coordinates the curricula for its respective departments. Information on the graduate programs are provided in this catalog under the headings of the related departments.
Semester Registration
Students are required to register for courses at the beginning of each semester within the time limits announced by the University. Tuition must be paid prior to registration. (Incoming Exchange students are exempt from tuition fee)
Students with acceptable excuses for late registration may register up to the final date for adding courses.
Course Load
Courses listed in the catalog on a semester basis for each department represent a normal course load. At the proposal of the student's advisor and with the approval of the Chair of the Department, the course load for a semester may be increased or decreased by a maximum of two courses. Should a course load be reduced, the student must at the first opportunity take the course(s) he/she has omitted or dropped. (See section on "Repeating a Course.") For students attending their final semester, the maximum course load may be increased by one additional course at the proposal of the Department Chair and approval by the Dean or the School Director.
There is a "Nominal Credit Load" in each undergraduate program as established by the Department administering the program and approved by the University Senate. This "Nominal Credit Load" is the quotient obtained by dividing the total credits required for the degree by the duration of the program in semesters as described in the program's curriculum. The quotient is rounded up to the nearest integer value. Students in Probation are required to retake the courses in which they are awarded grades below "C" and can take "new" courses only up to 60% of the Nominal Credit Load.
Students with Unsatisfactory academic standing are not allowed to take any "new" courses and are required to retake the courses with grades below "C".
Attendance
Students must attend all lecture, laboratory and practical sessions, take all examinations and participate in the activities which the teaching staff may consider appropriate.
Examinations and Assessment
Apart from work conducted throughout the semester, students must take a final examination at the end of each semester and at least one midterm examination for each course. If a staff member considers it appropriate, practical laboratory work or other such assignments may be assessed as midterm examinations.
Grades are finalized when they are announced via the WEB on the date specified in the Academic Calendar. Students are notified of their grades by the Registrar. Semester grades for practical studies and other non-lecture courses are determined by an evaluation of the student's overall work and performance throughout the semester.
Grades
The official University grading system uses letter grades with pluses and minuses. Passing grades range from A to D; F is failing. The quality-point equivalents of the grades are:
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B+ |
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3.30 |
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C+ |
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2.30 |
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D+ |
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1.30 |
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A |
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4.00 |
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B |
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3.00 |
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C |
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2.00 |
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D |
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1.00 |
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F |
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0.00 |
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A- |
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3.70 |
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B- |
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2.70 |
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C- |
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1.70 |
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Undergraduate students who receive a C or a higher grade are considered to have satisfactorily completed that course. A student receiving between a C- and a D in any course may only be considered successful if he/she has not been on probation during that semester. (See sections on "Students on Probation", "Unsatisfactory Students" and "Repeating a Course.") The letter grade D- is abolished as of September 1, 2006.
Other grades used are S (Satisfactory), U (Unsatisfactory), I (Incomplete), P (in Progress) and T (Transfer). These grades do not have quality-point equivalents.
S |
: |
accorded to students who are successful in non-credit courses. |
U |
: |
accorded to students who are unsuccessful in non-credit courses. |
I |
: |
accorded to students who, although otherwise successful, have failed to complete the required assignments for a course due to illness or for some other valid reason. Proof of illness or other reason for non-completion must be submitted to the Department Chair within three days of the date of the final exam. A student receiving an incomplete grade for any course must make up for the deficiencies within 15 days after the final exam in order to obtain a grade. Otherwise, the grade I automatically becomes F. At the discretion of the Department Chair, the term specified above may be extended until the beginning of the following semester. |
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P |
: |
given at the end of the first semester of a year long course. |
T |
: |
reflects approved transferred courses from other universities. |
W |
: |
given for a course withdrawn by a student subject to the approval of the department chairperson. |
Grade Point Average (GPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)
A student's academic performance is determined at the end of each semester by computing an average of the grades he/she has received during that semester.
As an example, if the following grades were received by a student in a given semester,
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Course |
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Grade |
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Quality Points |
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Credits |
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Product |
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ELIT 103 |
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B+ |
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3.3 |
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3 |
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9.9 |
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ELIT 107 |
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C- |
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1.7 |
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3 |
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5.1 |
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ELIT 137 |
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B |
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3.0 |
x |
4 |
= |
12.0 |
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ELIT 139 |
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B |
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3.0 |
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3 |
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9.0 |
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HART 115 |
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C |
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2.0 |
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3 |
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6.0 |
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Total |
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16 |
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42.0 |
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to arrive at the semester grade point average (GPA), the products (credits x quality points) are added and then divided by the number of credits taken. In the above example 42 divided by 16 equals 2.63 (the semester GPA).
The cumulative grade point average (CGPA) -- an average of grades from two or more terms -- equals the sum of the products of all the grades at Bilkent divided by the total number of credits taken.
"High Honor" and "Honor" Students
Students achieving distinction by obtaining a semester GPA of 3.00 to 3.49 while carrying a normal course load are referred to as "Honors" students. Those earning an average of 3.50 and above, under the same conditions, are awarded "High Honors."
"Satisfactory" Students
Students maintaining a CGPA of 2.00 or higher at the end of a semester are deemed satisfactory. However, they must repeat any courses for which they have received F, W or U grades.
Students on "Probation"
Students obtaining a CGPA of 1.80 - 1.99 at the end of a semester are placed on probation. Students on probation are required to retake courses of their choice from among the courses in which they previously received grades of C-, D+, D in addition to courses with F, U or W grades. Additional courses, not previously taken, may also be enrolled, but their number is limited.
"Unsatisfactory" Students
A student with a CGPA of below 1.80 at the end of a semester is an "unsatisfactory" student. Unsatisfactory students are required to retake courses of their choice from among the courses in which they previously received grades of C-, D+ or D in addition to courses with F, U or W grades. No additional courses, not previously taken, may be enrolled.
Dismissal
A student whose CGPA falls below 1.20 at the end of a semester, except during the first three semesters, is dismissed from the university unless the student is granted an internal transfer into another department.
Repeating a Course
Students receiving either a grade of F or U in a course must repeat that course the first time it is offered. Additionally, students receiving below a C grade in ENG 101 or ELS 101 must repeat it in the immediately following semester.
To improve their CGPA, students in satisfactory standing may repeat courses previously taken in which they received a grade of C- or lower, within the subsequent two semesters, subject to departmental approval and semester course load constraints. If the course selected to be repeated is an elective or has been cancelled, students may take an equivalent course approved by their Department.
Period of Study
The normal period for completion of undergraduate studies at Bilkent University is four academic years. Students in four-year programs must complete the requirements of their programs within seven academic years (excluding studies in the School of English Language). Students who fail to graduate within that period or who will be unable to qualify for such graduation are dismissed from the University. Students in two-year vocational schools must complete the requirements of their programs within four academic years (excluding studies in the School of English Language). Otherwise, they are dismissed from the University.
