Our department, where the foundations of four-year undergraduate education were laid in 1942, has contributed to architecture profession of our country with more than 7000 architects. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, our department, with its educational tradition, aims to develop its students as enlightened individuals who are researching, discovering and learning, versatile, intellectually flexible and enlightened by providing qualified and future-oriented education at national and international level. Undergraduate and postgraduate (master's and doctorate) education programmes are provided in four departments (Building Information, Structural Information, Architectural History, and Restoration) with a teaching staff of 121 people. Undergraduate education is 168 YTU/240 ECTS credits.
Our Department, which serves as a Department in YTU Institute of Natural and Applied Sciences, there are eight graduate programs (Architectural Design, Building Research and Planning, Computer Aided Design, Architectural History and Theory, Surveying and Restoration, Building, Housing Production and Construction Management, Building Physics with and without Thesis), two-year master's degree with thesis (four semesters; 21 YTU/120 ECTS credits), one and a half year non-thesis master's degree (three semesters; 30 YTU/90 ECTS credits) and four year doctorate (eight semesters; 24 YTU/240 ECTS credits).
As of 2019-20 Spring Semester, 1512 undergraduate, 286 graduate and 243 doctoral students are studying in our department. In addition to the existing undergraduate program, our Department of Architecture started the English Architecture Program in the 2013-2014 academic year and the program has 364 students in the 2019-20 Spring Semester.
Our department, which has been working in cooperation with world universities since its establishment, continues its cooperation in the field of higher education in the European Union (EU) with the “Lifelong Learning Program (LLP)” ERASMUS Program, which is included in the EU Higher Education Qualifications Framework. Since 2005, 260 students of our department have participated in the ERASMUS student exchange program. With the responsibility of being a well-established higher education institution on a national scale, our department also supports students in the national student exchange program FARABİ program and contributes to the MEVLANA Exchange Program, which aims to realize the exchange of students and academic staff between higher education institutions in Turkey and higher education institutions abroad.
Our Department of Architecture is a member of the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) and the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB).
In the 1997-1998 academic year, YTU Department of Architecture was found “very successful” in the Assessment of Quality in Teaching - Accreditation Study (Öğretimde Nitelik Değerlendirilmesi - Akreditasyon Çalışmasında) conducted by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK; Yükseköğretim Kurulu) with international participation. In 2009, with the application made to the National Architectural Accreditation Board (MIAK; Ulusal Mimarlık Akreditasyon Kurulu), all these studies gained an institutional quality and in March 2010, YTU Department of Architecture was granted full accreditation for 6 years as a result of the evaluation made by the relevant institution with its Undergraduate Education Program. MIAK accreditation was renewed for the second 6 years in June 2017. As a result of the application made by the Department of Architecture to the American National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) in June 2013, the report prepared by the former President of NAAB, Cornelius Kin Dubois, as a result of his visit to our department in November 2013, was evaluated at the NAAB General Assembly in February 2014 and as a result of the vote, our institution was accepted to pass to the second stage. The second stage visit was conducted by Thomas Fowler and Barbara Sestak between October 9-15, 2015. The report prepared as a result of the visit was accepted at the March 2016 NAAB General Assembly and our institution was approved to proceed to the third stage. The third stage visit was conducted on April 5-9, 2019 by Michael Rodriguez, Amy Perenchio, Elizabeth Widaski and Özgür Dinçyürek. The report prepared as a result of the visit was accepted at the July 2019 NAAB General Assembly and Yıldız Technical University Department of Architecture was granted International Certification, valid for 6 years starting from January 1, 2019.
In addition to the curriculum created in line with its vision and mission, our department provides students with various opportunities on a national and international scale to educate and develop themselves both professionally and socially and culturally through seminars, symposiums, congresses, exhibitions, workshops, competitions, etc.
Click here for the presentation of the Department of Architecture.