IMPORTANT MATTERS AND TERM

• The doctoral program is 8 semesters long, regardless of whether you register for each semester, excluding the time spent in scientific preparation, and the maximum completion time is 12 semesters.
• This program consists of at least seven courses, seminars, specialized field courses, proficiency exams, thesis proposals and thesis studies, with a minimum of 240 ECTS credits and a total of not less than twenty-one national credits.

APPLICATION AND

ADMISSION PROCESS

• The candidate applies and submits the necessary documents on the dates announced in the academic calendar.
• After the candidates are announced, they will be interviewed. Successful candidates are eligible to register.
• After filling out the pre-registration form in the "Student Affairs Information System (OBS)", the student completes his/her final registration by applying to the institute with the documents requested by the institute between the dates specified in the announcement.
• Students who have completed their final registration are assigned an advisor based on the recommendation of the relevant department (ABD) (by completing the Advisor Recommendation Form  (MEÜ.EÖ.FR-355)  ) and the decision of the EYK. The assigned advisor serves as both the student's academic and thesis advisor.
• The student ID is delivered to the student by the institute in return for signature, starting from the announced date.

(IF NECESSARY)  SCIENTIFIC PREPARATION

If deemed necessary by the department  ( taking into account the matters stated in Article 45 of the Mersin University Postgraduate Education, Training and Examination Regulation  ),  a scientific preparation program may be applied to the student.  

• The Scientific Preparation Program is recommended to the EYK by the US Board. The program, approved by the EYK, is administered by the US Presidency.
• The scientific preparation program lasts a maximum of two semesters, and students take at least three and at most six undergraduate or graduate courses.
• A student in the scientific preparation program may take courses from the doctoral program in addition to the scientific preparation courses, with the recommendation of the relevant ABD/ASD board and the approval of the EYK.
• A student who fails one (1) course taken within the scope of the scientific preparation program will be dismissed from the institute.

CLASS TERM

• Students who are fully registered select, review, and finalize their courses through OBS (obs.mersin.edu.tr) based on the recommendation of their advisor. The advisor then approves the courses chosen.
• Students must complete at least 7 courses (21 credits), including the department's compulsory courses, and the seminar course in a maximum of four semesters.
• Students are required to successfully complete the institute's compulsory courses ("Development and Learning" and "Planning and Evaluation in Teaching") within the maximum timeframe. Students who fail these courses will not be allowed to take the thesis defense exam.
• Students must choose their “specialization field” every semester until graduation.
• A student may take a maximum of three courses from a single faculty member in a graduate program   . Specialized field courses, seminar courses, and the "Development and Planning and Evaluation in Learning and Teaching" course are not included in this scope.
• The maximum number of graduate courses a student may take from a program or institution outside their own program  is two . However,    for students in  interdisciplinary programs, the maximum number is four .

SEMINAR  PROCESS

Student,

• Must have successfully completed the seminar course by the end of the fourth semester at the latest.
• Students must select the "Seminar" course during the course registration dates for the semester in which the seminar will be given.
• The "Seminar Application Form"  ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-465 ) is sent to the Institute via the USA between the dates specified in our Institute's application calendar  .
• Our institute carries out seminar presentations between the dates specified in the application calendar.
• The PDF file of the seminar prepared by the student who is successful in the seminar presentation according to the postgraduate thesis writing guidelines and  the "Seminar Evaluation Form"  ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-466 ) are sent to the Institute via EBYS via the relevant department within 15 days.

 Note:  Students who fail a seminar course may retake it if they have not completed four semesters. Students who fail or fail a seminar course within four semesters will be dismissed.

Qualification Process

• Students who successfully complete their courses and seminars will be required to take the doctoral qualification exam by the end of the 5th semester at the latest.
• Proficiency exams must be held within the dates given in the application calendar determined by the Institute.
• During this period, the USA determines the jury members and the exam date and  sends the "Doctoral Qualifying Exam Jury Recommendation Form  ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-359 )" to the institute for approval.
• The exam results held on the specified date   are sent to the institute together with the “Doctoral Qualification Exam Result Form   ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-360 )”,   “Doctoral Qualification Exam Jury Member Evaluation Form  ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-361 )”, written exam questions and written student answers.
• Students who fail the first qualifying exam will be re-examined the following semester. Students who fail this exam will be dismissed from the Institute.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE THESIS MONITORING COMMITTEE

• For the student who is successful in the doctoral qualifying exam, the relevant US board  recommends a Thesis Monitoring Committee (TİK) using the  " Doctoral Thesis Monitoring Committee Member Recommendation Form (MEÜ.EÖ.FR-363) " within one month following the exam date. 
• The TİK consists of three faculty members, and the committee  includes at least one member from a different department  in addition to the thesis advisor.

THESIS PROPOSAL  PROCESS

• Students who successfully complete the doctoral qualifying exam must prepare their thesis proposal  within 6 months at the latest  and defend it orally before the thesis monitoring committee.
• The thesis proposal is submitted to  the Institute Directorate through the “Doctoral Thesis Proposal Form  (MEÜ.EÖ.FR-364)” filled out by the advisor and the student, the “Doctoral Thesis Proposal Evaluation Form  (MEÜ.EÖ.FR-365) ” filled out by the committee members,  and the “Teaching Staff Doctoral Thesis Proposal Evaluation Forms”  (MEÜ.EÖ.FR-425) filled out by the Thesis Monitoring Committee members   , and is finalized with the decision of the EYK.
• Students who fail to defend their thesis proposal   within six months   will be considered rejected. If a student's thesis proposal is rejected, they must defend it again within three months if they wish to continue with the same advisor, or within six months if they wish to change their advisor or thesis topic.
• The student whose Thesis Proposal is accepted must obtain an ORCID number and fill in the necessary information at the National Thesis Center (https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/).
• Students whose thesis proposal is rejected in this defense or who do not attend the thesis proposal defense without a valid excuse will be dismissed from the institute.

TİK PROCESS

• For students whose thesis proposal is accepted, the TİK  is required to meet at least twice a year, once between January and June  and   once between  July and December  .
• A thesis proposal defense cannot be considered a thesis monitoring committee meeting. A separate TİK meeting is not required during the thesis proposal defense.
• The “Doctoral Thesis Monitoring Committee Member Evaluation Form  ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-366 )”  filled out by each TİK member immediately after the TİK meeting dates  and the “Doctoral Thesis Monitoring Committee Evaluation Form  ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-367 )” filled out by the committee at the end of the TİK, along with a summary of the work done on the thesis until that date, must be sent to the institute.
•  The student submits a written report to the committee members at least one month before the TİK meeting date  .
• Students who are deemed unsuccessful by the committee  two consecutive times  or  three consecutive times  are dismissed from the institute. Any committee meeting that is not held, or any meeting that is held but the student does not attend, will be considered a failure.
• In order for the student to take the thesis defense exam, he/she  must have at least three  successful TİK reports. 

THESIS DEFENSE  PROCESS

• The student writes their thesis using the Thesis Writing Template, in accordance with the principles established by the Senate.  They complete the Thesis Control Form . They submit a copy of their thesis and the signed control form to their advisor.
• The advisor reviews the thesis for compliance with the writing guidelines. If approved, the thesis advisor successfully completes the Specialization Field Course at the OBS and signs the thesis writing check form. If deemed suitable for defense, the advisor submits the thesis (in PDF format) and the thesis writing check form to the US Presidency for forwarding to the institute.
• The US board sends the Thesis Writing Check Form, a copy of the thesis (in PDF format) and the Doctoral Thesis Defense Exam Jury Recommendation Form (MEÜ.EÖ.FR-368) to the institute at least 15 days before the exam date. 
• After the jury members are approved by the EYK, the institute obtains the plagiarism software program report for the thesis in question and sends it to the advisor and the jury members along with a copy of the thesis.
• If actual plagiarism is detected in the data in the report, the thesis is sent to the EYK for a decision (the plagiarism must be taken from the software program and the similarity rate in the thesis must not exceed 25%). 
• The thesis defense exam will be held on the approved date. The ABD  prepares  the " Doctoral  Thesis Defense Exam Report  ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-370 )" and  the " Doctoral Jury Member Thesis Evaluation Form  ( MEÜ.EÖ.FR-371 )" forms and sends them to the Institute Directorate within three business days  . Additionally,  the " Domestic Temporary Duty Travel Allowance Notification "  form must be hand-delivered to the Institute Directorate within three business days.
  
• Thesis Defense Exam Result

The student who is accepted  must complete the thesis submission process within 1 month  following the thesis defense exam date  .

The student who is given a decision to make corrections  must make the corrections and defend the thesis again before the same jury within 6 months following the thesis defense exam date at the latest.

The student whose decision to reject  is made will be dismissed.

THESIS SUBMISSION AND DISMISSAL

•  Doctoral students who are successful in the thesis defense exam must complete the following procedures  within one month from the defense exam date .
•  The student submits  a bound copy of the thesis, prepared in accordance with thesis writing principles,  along with a " Thesis Control Undertaking Form, " to the Institute for formal review. If the thesis is deemed acceptable , at least three copies  are made and submitted to the Institute Director for approval.
• For the severance process, the following documents must be prepared and submitted to our Institute's Student Affairs Office:

1- Library Thesis Submission Form  ( MEÜ.İD.FR-114 ) is filled out. (2 pieces)

2- "Thesis Data Entry Form" to be prepared by the Council of Higher Education Thesis Center (filled out by logging in to http://tez2.yok.gov.tr/ with the e-government password, and 2 copies of the form must be printed and signed)

3-Student ID Card

4- 2 CDs  

Things to consider for the CD to be delivered :

1- No other changes are made to the prepared thesis, only the “APPROVAL”, “ETHICAL DECLARATION” and “CV” pages are removed and the thesis is converted to “.pdf” format.

2- The name of the prepared PDF file is saved as the reference number taken from http://tez2.yok.gov.tr ​​and copied to CDs.

IMPORTANT NOTE: THE DISMISSAL PROCESS OF A STUDENT WHOSE GRADUATION DECISION HAS BEEN MADE STARTS WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE ADVISOR THROUGH ÖBS: 

Other Matters

Change of Advisor;

If a change of advisor is requested in the future,  the “Advisor Change Request Form (MEÜ.EÖ.FR-104/03) ” is notified to the Institute Directorate by the head of the department in which the student is registered, and the advisor change is decided by the Institute Board of Directors (EYK).

Freezing Registration;

Students with a valid excuse may freeze their registration for one semester in the scientific preparation program and four semesters in the doctoral program upon request within the first four weeks of the academic year, with the decision of the ABD/ASD Board and EYK .

Abbreviations

USA: Department of Science;

EYK: Institute Board of Directors;

OBS: Student Information System;

TİK: Thesis Monitoring Committee

NOTE:  THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN PREPARED ACCORDING TO THE MERSIN UNIVERSITY GRADUATE EDUCATION AND EXAM REGULATIONS AND THE MEU INSTITUTE OF SCIENCES GRADUATE EDUCATION SEMINAR & TERM PROJECT AND THESIS WRITING GUIDELINES.