31 January 2003 is the “Early Admissions” deadline for the History MA and PhD Programs at Sabanci University (Istanbul, Turkey). Depending on first-round results, there may or may not be a second round of admissions in June ’03.

Both the MA and the PhD programs revolve around Ottoman, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish History, though this is not an exclusive focus, and is accompanied by a strong emphasis on situating the Ottoman empire and modern Turkey within their proper Balkan and Near Eastern contexts. An innovative curriculum strives to combine broad comparative and theoretical perspectives with empirical rigour, teaching with learning, and personal research with institutional projects. The language of instruction is English.

At the time of writing, the standing faculty comprises three pre-Tanzimat Ottomanists (Metin Kunt, Tulay Artan, Hulya Canbakal), two "long 19th century" specialists (Hakan Erdem, Aksin Somel), and two historians of the Republican era (Cemil Kocak, Halil Berktay). This is supplemented by instructors in the relevant research languages, as well as through strong interdisciplinary cooperation with adjacent or overlapping programs in Political Science and Cultural Studies.

Hence the Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish History track in particular benefits from additional support in intellectual history (Serif Mardin, Ayse Kadioglu) as well as in popular culture (Ayse Gul Altinay), literature (Hulya Adak, Annedith Schneider), and oral / family history (Leyla Neyzi). A two-term sequence in “the present as history” (Ustun Erguder, Ahmet Evin) explicitly allows for connecting past legacies with current problems. In addition, there is a regular rotation of one or two visiting professors per term who are mostly specialists of the Ottoman Balkans (Elizabeth Zachariadou, Rossitsa Gradeva) or of Modern Balkan History (Diana Mishkova, Stefanos Yerasimos, Fikret Adanir).

Ongoing institutional projects (such as the Joint History Project, the Shared History Project, or the Alternative History Textbooks Writing Project) are well-connected to Turkish and Balkan networks in nationalism studies, critical historiography, and education reform.

The 2-year MA program envisages a minimum of 12 courses spread over four semesters, plus a short (average 75 pages) thesis that can and should be produced over the last term of course-work plus the following summer (end August) at the latest. The PhD program requires an additional 12 courses plus a minimum of three years for thesis research and submission.

There are no field restrictions for applying to the MA Program in History, while PhD applicants must have an MA (or the equivalent) in History, Art and Architectural History, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science or Literature.

All candidates must:

1. fill out a standard Application Form, including
2. a statement of purpose (min. 1500 words) reflective of their intellectual horizons and research interests. They should also submit
3. at least two letters of recommendation
4. an official, stamped and sealed BA or BSc transcript (with a minimum 2.50/4.00 CGPA) for the MA Program and both the undergraduate and master’s transcripts for the PhD Program
5. valid LES scores (in the top 8 percent on the Verbal or Equally Weighted scale) for applicants from Turkish universities, and GRE scores (of a minimum total of 1100 for the Quantitative and Analytical components) for all others
6. a valid English language fluency score (min. 237/580 for TOEFL, or 7 for IELTS)

Admissions procedures entail, in addition to a committee review of all files : A written exam in February for all applicants from Turkish universities, followed by an interview within a week of the written exam for all short-listed candidates. The calendar for these exams and interviews will be announced separately.

The annual tuition fee for graduate studies at SU is currently USD 7500, while the total cost per year may come to 11,000 dollars (including on-campus room and board). To offset these costs, scholarships may comprise a half-tuition waiver, a full tuition waiver, or a tuition waiver combined with a 9-month stipend. These are all competitive and merit-based, and are available to all candidates. All admissions and scholarship offers will be going out in late March or early April, on the same lines with most North American graduate admissions procedures.

For further information, please contact: