Bilkent University is located in Ankara, Turkey. It is the first university in Turkey run by a private foundation, with the major part of its running costs being covered by a number of companies that are owned by a foundation. It is also one of the newest, it has been established in 1986. All instruction in Bilkent University is in English. (This includes all laboratory work, examinations, recitations, etc.)
The university is located approximately 15 Km from the city, and most of the students live in campus housing. Besides the Faculty of Science, of which the Physics Department is a part of, the university has a Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture, Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative and Social Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Humanities and Letters, and Faculty of Music and Performing Arts.
The Faculty of Science is composed of the departments of Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and Molecular Biology and Genetics. The aim of the departments in this faculty is to produce research at international level. Although the departments (with the exception of Molecular Biology and Genetics, which was established in 1995) have been offering graduate programs since the establishment of the university, an undergraduate program has been initiated 1989, with the purpose of attracting motivated students to the basic sciences. Each of the departments admit 15 students every year. These students typically come from among the top 600 highest scoring students in a nationwide university entrance examination, which approximately 1,000,000 students enter.
The undergraduate program of the Physics Department is structured with the assumption that all of these students will continue into graduate study for the Ph.D. degree. Although a balance is maintained in the undergraduate curriculum among various branches of Physics, the elective courses are usually offered in areas which are among the research directions in the department.
The research areas in the department mainly focus on experimental
and theoretical condensed matter physics. Theoretical research areas
include the study of scanning tunneling and force microscopy,
surface physics, mesoscopics, superlattices, high temperature
superconductivity, and statistical mechanics. Experimental research
areas include STM, PL and Raman Spectroscopy, and III-V micro and
optoelectronic device technologies. The department operates a
compound semiconductor research laboratory, consisting of class
10000 and class 100 clean rooms housing a mask aligner, SEM, PECVD,
RIE, UHV evaporator, magnetron sputterer, RTP, I-V, C-V, and
microwave measurement setups. The experimental capabilities are
improving on a fast pace, the most recent addition being the MOCVD
growth facility. The department has graduate programs
leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and interested international students
are encouraged to apply.
Information for Prospective Graduate Students
The undergraduate program consists of four years of study. There are two "regular" semesters per year. (Fall semester starts in September, and ends late December, the spring semester starts in mid January and ends late May. Academic Calendar) Besides these two semesters, some students stay on campus during the months of June and July for an intensive "summer semester", in which they may courses on mathematics or elective courses. The M.S. program normally takes two years of study, and involves an amount of compulsory course work, research work, and a thesis. The Ph.D. program also has a compulsory course requirement, but emphasizes research, and there is a thesis requirement.
Grading is based on two in-semester exams and a final exam, homework assignments, occasional quizzes, and laboratory performance. Attendance in courses is a requirement, and is checked at different levels by the instructors. All instruction in the Physics Department is in English, and an incoming mobility student must demonstrate his or her proficiency before coming to Bilkent.
In order to encourage exchange under the EMSPS program, Bilkent
University will provide a scholarship to cover the fee for an
on-campus dormitory room shared by two students, to those students
participating in the program during the upcoming academic year.
The EMSPS student will have to pay a deposit (refundable at the end
of the visit) to cover possible breakage or loss in relation to the
use of dormitory and library facilities.
Miscellenous
The student should expect to spend approximately US$2000 per academic year for food and miscellaneous expenses. University Health Center provides free basic services such as general checkups, medical examinations, first aid and referrals. A health mutual fund pays for routine medical services such as medical tests, medicine, and short term hospital costs, but does not cover costs incurred by long term illness.
An EMSPS student should apply, sufficiently ahead of time, to a Turkish
Consulate for the appropriate student visa. The processing of your student
visa application may take up to two months. The student visa may be
obtained only outside of Turkey, and there are stiff monetary penalties
for overstaying a tourist visa!
Contact Adresses
Ceyhun Bulutay
e-mail: bulutay@fen.bilkent.edu.tr
Physics Department phone: +90 (312) 290 2511
Bilkent University fax: +90 (312) 266 4579
06800 Bilkent, Ankara, Turkey
http://www.bilkent.edu.tr (Bilkent - General)
http://www.fen.bilkent.edu.tr (Faculty of Science)
Torsten Bistritschan, Germany (1996)
Natalia Felde, Germany (Fall 1997)
Tomasz Dudziuk, Poland (1998)
Wojciech Gawelda, Poland (1998-1999)
Sascha Mickat, Germany (Fall 1999)
Daniel Sunhede, Sweden (Spring 2000)
Lukasz Michalak, Poland (2002-2003)
Francisco J. Perez Caceres, Granada, Spain (2003-2004)