Frequently Asked Questions

Yeditepe University Department of Philosophy  is the first Philosophy Department to start undergraduate education among foundation universities (1996) and the first to receive FEDEK accreditation among all Departments of Philosophy in Turkey (2012). The program received its second-five-year accreditation, covering  2017-2022, and the third-five-year accreditation has also been received in 2023. The philosophy department offers B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees as well as a non-thesis M.A. program. Moreover, a joint M.A. program with Paderborn University Department of Philosophy specializing in "Women in Philosophy throughout History" has recently commenced.

The focus of the philosophy undergraduate program is a problem and text-centred approach. Intending to endow students with philosophical knowledge and attitude simultaneously, Yeditepe University Department of Philosophy prioritises both the teaching of the history of philosophy and contemporary philosophical discussions. For students to gain such philosophical accumulation, it is aimed not only to learn at least one foreign language so that they can get access to original texts but also to become competent in their native language so that they can contribute to the philosophical language in Turkish. With the education given in the department, it is ensured that students have a good command of at least one foreign language besides Turkish, that they can use these languages effectively in the field of Philosophy, and that they can make individual contributions to the philosophical language in Turkish and to local and international philosophical studies. 

The Department of Philosophy aims to endow the students with the capacity to act upon their own critically justified evaluations based on the philosophical analysis of human nature, individuals, events and phenomena and contribute to philosophical knowledge in Turkish and in other languages. Ancient Greek or Latin is compulsory for undergraduates in order to provide them the possibility of access to the original texts. The department also aims to provide students with the ability to apply philosophical knowledge to cultural, social, ethical, aesthetic, and political issues, to review, analyse and interpret literature, to make readings in different fields, to analyse interdisciplinarily, to define fundamental philosophical problems and to gain awareness of professional and ethical responsibility with the effective communicative skills. Students, receiving the required education to understand the universal and social implications of philosophical problems, gain philosophical knowledge of contemporary issues and problems of the current age, as well as the awareness of the necessity of lifelong learning and the ability to realize it.

Click here to watch the introduction video (in Turkish).

The undergraduate programme of the Department of Philosophy at Yeditepe University aims to provide students with the knowledge of the main thinkers, questions and texts that constitute the history of philosophy from antiquity to the present day, based on original texts. Accordingly, in the four-year undergraduate program, besides the history of philosophy courses such as Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy in the Middle Ages, 17th Century, 18th Century and Contemporary Philosophy courses, certain problem courses such as Ethics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Political Philosophy, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Law and Human Rights are also included. 

In order to enable students to access original texts, the undergraduate programme also includes compulsory Ancient Greek or Latin language courses so that the students can read and analyse the original texts themselves without being restricted to certain translations.

In addition, students can take "Free Elective" courses from many different departments within the university. In this way, they can improve themselves in other fields, recognise the differences between philosophy and other ways of knowing, and combine the knowledge they have acquired in these different fields with philosophical knowledge.

Click here for the undergraduate philosophy courses.

DOUBLE-MAJOR PROGRAM: 

The Philosophy Department has active and ongoing Double Major agreements with the departments of Psychology, Translation and Interpreting Studies, Psychological Counselling, History, English Language and Literature, Theatre, Plastic Arts and Painting, Visual Communication and Design, Turkish Language and Literature, Sociology, Radio, Television and Cinema, Physics and Anthropology. 

STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM: 

The department has Erasmus student and academic staff exchange agreements with the Departments of Philosophy of the following universities: Cologne, Paderborn, Bremen, Berlin Freie, Hildesheim, Münster, Witten/Herdecke, Stuttgart, Potsdam,  Bologna, Leiden, Marie Curie, Saints Cyril and Methodius.

PEDAGOGICAL FORMATION TRAINING FOR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY AND RELATED SUBJECTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL: :

Philosophy students can complete the Pedagogical Formation Certificate Programme required to become a Philosophy Teacher within the 4-year undergraduate programme courses without paying additional fees

For graduates having received a good education in the Department of Philosophy, there are many working areas and job opportunities available. One of the main aims of undergraduate education in the Department of Philosophy at Yeditepe University is to enable graduates to carry out individual studies in academia and contribute to the philosophical literature through their academic studies. Some of our graduates work as academics in different universities within Turkey. Also, some of our graduates, to become a scholar and contribute to the field of Philosophy with their distinctive studies in academia, continue their education in master's and doctoral studies both in Turkey and abroad. 

Graduates can also work as philosophy teachers in high schools with the pedagogical formation programme which they can receive during their undergraduate education. In order to become a philosophy teacher, students are required to receive pedagogical formation education during their undergraduate education. Students who complete the pedagogical formation education are also able to work as counseling teachers at educational institutions.

On the other hand, Department of Philosophy graduates can find employment in public institutions, culture and arts departments of public and private institutions, non-governmental organisations, advertising sector, press and media organs and some other private sector areas. Graduates of the Department of Philosophy can also take part in social projects conducted by private and public organisations.

With the support of the philosophy education they have received, our graduates have improved themselves, become competent in many working areas, and have had the opportunity to find employment in different fields. 

Click here to see the working areas and institutions of our graduates.