Undergraduate - FAQ
1. What is the duration of the undergraduate program?
The normal duration of a four-year undergraduate program at METU is eight semesters.
2. Is attendance mandatory?
Students must attend classes, practice workshops and examinations. Student attendance is monitored by the instructor of the course.
3. How many courses am I required to take in order to graduate and what are the different types of courses?
Students take two types of courses: required and elective. For more information on the number and structure of required courses, please visit the following link:
https://catalog.metu.edu.tr/program.php?fac_prog=312
In addition to the required courses, students also take three types of elective courses: 1. Departmental electives, 2. Non-departmental electives, and 3. Free electives. Students must take 14 departmental and 3 free electives in order to graduate. A maximum of 3 out of the 14 departmental electives can be taken as non-departmental electives provided that certain conditions are met. Please see the next question.
4. What are the non-departmental elective courses?
Any course, except the ones offered by the Department of Business Administration, can be added as a non-departmental elective course provided that it meets the following criteria:
- The course should be worth 3 credit hours or more.
- The course can be any 3rd– or 4th–year course offered by any department at METU (For example:ECON 354, IR 401, MATH 349)
- The course’s weekly schedule cannot overlap with any of the other department courses that the student takes
- The course’s content cannot overlap with any of the required courses that the student has taken or will take in the future
As another alternative, it is possible to take foreign language courses as “non-departmental electives”. The foreign language courses that may be taken as “non-departmental electives” are the third and higher levels of a foreign language. For example, you can take GERM 201 and GERM 202 as your free electives, whereas you can take GERM 203, GERM 204, GERM 205, and GERM 206 as your non-departmental electives.
5. During registrations, how can I register for a course in the “non-departmental elective” category?
Students can add these courses directly at the university’s registration page by selecting “elective” as the course category. If the category of elective does not exist, then the course should be added as a "free elective" and a petition should be given to the Department of Business Administration asking for a category change for the course. The petition template is available at the department secretary offices and should be filled in line with the guidance of your academic advisor.
6. What can I do if I cannot add a course as a non-department elective during registrations?
If you cannot add a course in either the “elective” or “free elective” category, then this is probably because either the course capacity is full or the course has not been defined to accept students from the Department of Business Administration. In this case, you need to see the instructor of the course. If the instructor allows you to take the course, then s/he will inform their department secretary in order to either increase the course capacity or to change the course definition so that students from the Department of Business Administration can register for the course. If the instructor does not allow you to enroll in the course, then you should look for another non-departmental course immediately. It is highly recommended that students contact the instructors as soon as possible since this process may take some time.
7. What is a free elective course?
Students have to take 3 courses as free electives and not taking any free electives is not an option. Free electives can be any course offered by any department (except BA) at METU. Similar to the non-departmental electives,
- The course should be worth 3 credit hours or more.
- The course’s weekly schedule cannot overlap with any of the other department courses that the student takes.
- The course’s content cannot overlap with any of the required courses that the student has taken or will take in the future.
8. What is BA4098 “Honors Seminar”?
It is an individual study under the supervision of a full-time faculty member and taken as a 3-credit departmental elective. It is open only for those students at their fifth or higher semester with a CGPA of at least 3.00. The approval of the faculty member is required for registration. A student can take a maximum of one Honors Seminar course in their curriculum.
9. What is BA4099 “Independent Study”?
It is an individual study under the supervision of a full-time faculty member and taken as not included (NI). It is open only for those students at their fifth or higher semester. The approval of the faculty member is required for registration. A student can take a maximum of one Independent Study course in their curriculum.
10. What is the IS 100 – Introduction to Information Technologies and Applications course?
This course is designed to provide introductory-level knowledge about computers and Microsoft Office programs. It is a non-credit course and students should have a passing grade in the course in order to graduate.
11. When should I register for the IS 100 course?
Students may register for this course either during their English Preparation year or during their first semester at the department. Students may also choose to take an exemption exam in the course. If a student decides to take the exemption exam, then she or he does not have to register for the course at the beginning of the semester. Later, if the student passes the exemption exam, then there is no additional action that the student has to take. However, in case of failure in the exemption exam, all students have to register for the course without exceptions (in other words, registration is not optional; all students are required to register for the course unless they pass the exemption exam). Also, students will continue to register for the course until they pass the course. For more information about the course content, online sections and registering for the exemption exam, please visit the website of the Informatics Institute: http://ii.metu.edu.tr/tr/is100
12. Is it possible to replace a 4-credit foreign language course with any other (not necessarily foreign language) 3-credit course?
Yes, it is possible to replace a 4-credit course with a 3-credit course and vice versa. Your cumulative grade point average (CGPA) will reflect the latest course’s credit hours.
13. Is it possible to reduce the number of courses that I take in a semester?
The “normal course load” per semester for the Department of Business Administration is 5 courses. This load may be reduced by a maximum of 2 courses only if the following conditions are met:
- The student’s CGPA is below 2.0.
- The student’s academic advisor approves the course load reduction.
For students whose CGPA is greater than or equal to 2.0, the course load per semester cannot be below 5 courses.
14. What is the maximum number of courses that I can take in a semester?
The maximum number of courses that you may take depends on your cumulative grade point average (CGPA). If you are not in your graduation year, then the following rules that are determined by the Department Council apply:
|
CGPA |
Maximum number of courses |
|
1.80 - 2.19 |
Normal course load (5 courses for BA) |
|
2.20 - 2.69 |
Normal course load plus 1 course (6 courses for BA) |
|
2.70 - above |
Normal course load plus 2 courses (7 courses for BA) |
If you are in your graduation year, then the following rules, as determined by the university regulations, apply:
|
CGPA |
Maximum number of courses |
|
1.80 - 1.99 |
Normal course load (5 courses for BA) |
|
2.00 - 2.49 |
Normal course load plus 1 course (6 courses for BA) |
|
2.50 - above |
Normal course load plus 2 courses (7 courses for BA) |
Please note that you may increase or decrease your course load only after the approval of your academic advisor. It is not possible for a BA student to register for 8 courses or more in a semester under any circumstances. The zero-credit and one-credit courses are not included in this count.
15. How are the letter grades determined?
Letter grades are determined according to the following table:
|
PERCENTAGE |
COURSE GRADE |
COEFFICIENT |
|
90 - 100 |
AA |
4.0 |
|
85 - 89 |
BA |
3.5 |
|
80 - 84 |
BB |
3.0 |
|
75 - 79 |
CB |
2.5 |
|
70 - 74 |
CC |
2.0 |
|
65 - 69 |
DC |
1.5 |
|
60 - 64 |
DD |
1.0 |
|
50 - 59 |
FD |
0.5 |
|
49 and below |
FF |
0.0 |
16. How high should my CGPA be in order for me to graduate?
Students must have a minimum CGPA of 2.00 and have taken all the courses indicated in the curriculum in order to graduate.
17. What does an “Honor” or “High Honor” student mean?
Students with a CGPA between 3.00 and 3.49 graduate as “honor students” and students with a CGPA between 3.50 and 4.00 graduate as “high honor” students. These designations are also printed on the diplomas.
18. What does it mean to "Withdraw" from a course?
Students are allowed to withdraw from a course (drop a course) during the 10th week of the semester. Please note that all course withdrawals must be approved by the Department and you may withdraw from only one course per semester and the total number of withdrawals cannot exceed 6 during your entire enrollment.
19. What are the necessary conditions for Withdrawing from a course?
For details on the rules regarding withdrawals, please see Article 22 of METU Rules and Regulations Governing Undergraduate Studies:
20. What is the deadline for Withdrawing from a course?
The academic calendar indicates the last day for withdrawals. Therefore, you need to check the academic calendar for the specific date in each semester: http://oidb.metu.edu.tr/en/academic-calendar
The date indicated in the academic calendar is final and cannot be changed. Therefore, it is important that you complete all withdrawal-related procedures, including the Department approvals, before the deadline. Students who do not complete the withdrawal process by the deadline will not be able to withdraw.
Students in graduation status: A student is required to repeat a withdrawn course in the first semester that it is offered after the withdrawal. Sometimes, a student withdraws from an elective course. In this case, a withdrawn elective can be replaced by any other elective. At other times, a student withdraws from a required course that later gets excluded from the curriculum. In that case, the student needs to replace the withdrawn course by another course that will be approved by the Department Chair. It is not possible to graduate unless all withdrawn courses are replaced by another course with a passing grade. In any semester, you will have to first take the course that will replace a previously withdrawn course. If doing so means that you have to increase your course load beyond what is allowed by the regulations, then you will have to drop one of the other courses that you have to take. This may mean that you will have to register for another semester before you can complete your course work and graduate. Please note that even if you are in your graduation year, your course load will not be increased beyond what is allowed by the regulations.
21. May repeat a previously taken course even if I have a passing grade in it?
Courses with passing grades (DD and above) can be repeated in order to increase their grades. A course with a passing grade can be repeated only within the first three semesters that immediately follow the semester in which the course was taken for the first time. If you are repeating a course that you passed previously, you are allowed to withdraw from the course. However, please note that in case of withdrawal, you are required to repeat the course and its previous grade will no longer be valid.
Courses taken in the Not Included (NI) category can be repeated only once in the same category. The category of an NI course cannot be changed once the course is graded.
22. What is course replacement?
Students are required to replace the courses for which they have received an FF, FD, NA, U, or W grade with another course. They are also allowed to repeat a course that they have passed before in order to increase their grade in the course. For both of these cases, the previous course should be “replaced” by the later course. Course replacements are carried out electronically during the registration process at the beginning of the semester.
23. What are the rules for Course Replacement?
- Only a course taken previously can be replaced with a course taken later.
- It is not possible to do replacement between two courses that are taken in the same semester.
- If a course with an already passing grade is going to be repeated, then the replacement must take place within the first three semesters that immediately follow the semester in which the course was taken for the first time.
- Students are required to replace a course for which they received a grade of “W”.
24. Is it possible to replace a required course with another course?
Required courses can be replaced by only the same course provided that it is taken within the first three semesters that immediately follow the semester in which the course was taken for the first time
25. What is the Erasmus Program?
Erasmus is a program that enables students and academics to study, do research, and work as an intern in the higher education institutions and companies of EU member countries and of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Serbia, Norway, Macedonia, and Turkey. International cooperation between the institutions in these countries is established through bilateral agreements. The program provides monthly stipends for students to cover living expenses during their mobility period abroad. For more information, please refer to the following links:
Erasmus+ European Mobility: https://ico.metu.edu.tr/information
Erasmus+ EU Traineeship: https://ico.metu.edu.tr/information-0
Erasmus+ Non-European Mobility: http://ico.metu.edu.tr/information-1
26. What is the International Exchange Program?
There are two types of exchange programs available for METU BA students. The Overseas Exchange is a program which allows students to study at a partner university for one semester or academic year. No scholarship is provided for this program. Students generally do not pay tuition at the host university but they pay their regular tuition at METU during their participation in the program. More information is available at http://ico.metu.edu.tr/information-3.
Mevlana is a program coordinated by the Higher Educational Council (YÖK). Students can benefit from the program with a scholarship only once for the same academic level. They continue to pay tuition at METU but they will be exempt from paying tuition at the host university. More information is available at http://ico.metu.edu.tr/information-2.
27. Who can participate in Erasmus and Exchange programs?
Applicants must be enrolled as full-time students at METU. Students enrolled in scientific preparation programs are not eligible to apply for Erasmus and exchange programs. Also, since undergraduate students must take all required courses in their first and second years while they are enrolled at the Department of Business Administration, first and second year students are not eligible to participate in these programs, either. Undergraduate applicants should have a minimum CGPA of 2.5 and graduate applicants should have a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Students are also required to take the English Proficiency Exam for Exchange Programs held by the School of Foreign Languages, Department of Basic English at METU. CGPA and language score have equal weights in ranking applications and selecting students. For more detail regarding the application procedures, please refer to the following links:
Erasmus+ European Mobility: http://ico.metu.edu.tr/application-0
Erasmus+ Non-European Mobility: http://ico.metu.edu.tr/application-1
Overseas Exchange: http://ico.metu.edu.tr/application-2
Mevlana: http://ico.metu.edu.tr/application-3
28. Does the Erasmus program offer any special accommodation for students with severe disabilities?
For students with severe disabilities, Erasmus programs pay particular attention to guidance, reception, physical accessibility, pedagogical and technical support services, and, especially, financing of extra costs. The grant for students with severe disabilities is relatively higher to offset the specific difficulties they are likely to face. More information is available at http://ico.metu.edu.tr/application-0 and http://ico.metu.edu.tr/application-1.
29. What are the financial rules for the Erasmus and Exchange programs?
Students continue to pay tuition at METU while being exempt from the tuition at the host university. They continue to receive scholarships, grants, and loans as if they were in Turkey. Students also become eligible for mobility grants provided by the European Commission through the Turkish National Agency. The grant is paid in two installments. Students are expected to use these grants for all kinds of expenses such as travel and accommodation in the host country. In order to be eligible for the grants, students are required to take at least 30 ECTS credits per semester and pass at least 20 ECTS credits; otherwise, they will be asked to refund the grant. More information is available at https://ico.metu.edu.tr/.
30. Are there language preparatory courses for Erasmus and Exchange programs?
Students may enroll in preparatory courses either at METU or at private language schools in Turkey to learn the native language of the host university. They can also take intensive language preparatory courses offered by most host universities.
31. Where can I see a list of the partner universities for the Erasmus and Exchange programs?
METU and the Department of Business Administration have numerous partners all over the world. The current list of partners can be found at http://ico.metu.edu.tr/metu-partners.
32. Are there any other issues that I should be aware of regarding the Erasmus and Exchange programs?
For courses indicated on the transcript of the university abroad, students are held exempt from equivalent courses at METU provided that the grade letters earned from these courses are equal to or higher than CC in undergraduate programs and BB in graduate programs at METU, and that they are approved by the concerned administrative board upon recommendation of the concerned academic unit. For academic issues such as course selection and course transfer, please contact Dr. Çağrı Topal, the department coordinator for Erasmus/Exchange programs.
Application dates and procedures: http://ico.metu.edu.tr/
Directive for Erasmus and Exchange programs: http://oidb.metu.edu.tr/en/directive-exchange-programs