Institute of Science

Hello. I am Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilek TÜRKER. I am a faculty member in the Department of Biology at Balıkesir University's Faculty of Science and Literature. I have been serving as the director of Balıkesir University's Institute of Science for the past 3 years. Our institute, with a history of approximately 30 years, is a unit that provides support to our students with 17 main scientific disciplines and 32 programs, which have been serving our students since the establishment of our university. Our institute aims to support students in the fields of science and engineering. In the field of science, we have main scientific disciplines such as molecular biology, biology, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. In engineering, we have environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, food engineering, and architecture. In addition, in the Faculty of Education, under the branches of science and mathematics, we offer programs in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, science education, and similar main scientific disciplines, where we enroll students for master's and doctoral degrees, as well as non-thesis master's programs. Our institute has 17 main scientific disciplines and 32 programs. We have thesis and non-thesis master's programs, as well as doctoral programs. Each main scientific discipline trains its own master's students, and we also have one non-thesis master's program. Within the scope of thesis master's, non-thesis master's, and doctoral programs, we have a total of 900 students. Our institute is an organization that supports student exchanges through the ERASMUS programs. We are involved in 28 programs in the European Union and have agreements with over 200 universities. Currently, our graduate students continue their education through ERASMUS programs as well.Our faculty members are actively involved in the academic positions of our faculties. We bring together our students and professors by obtaining their advisory support from our institutes. We receive support from approximately 300 academic professors in terms of providing assistance to our students both in the course and thesis stages. We have a mediation system that supports student exchanges through the ERASMUS programs within our institution. Through program collaborations informed by our International Relations Office, we facilitate international opportunities for our students and contribute to their graduate education. Our student admission criteria are determined based on ALES (Academic Personnel and Postgraduate Education Entrance Exam) scores, foreign language proficiency, graduate grade point average, and specific requirements of our main fields of study. These criteria may vary and are implemented on a semester basis with specific admission conditions. We aim to support the overall graduate education of students who are interested in postgraduate studies, respectful to nature, capable of contributing to industrial development, and eager to improve themselves, taking into account the general needs of our country. In addition, sometimes we can update and improve our student admission needs or framework based on the industry's requirements and mutual agreements with our main academic departments. In the upcoming periods, we continue our efforts to apply to the Higher Education Council (YÖK) for opening new main academic departments, especially in postgraduate and doctoral programs, and to carry out the processes related to these applications. I recommend all students who aspire to pursue postgraduate studies and have set this as their goal to stay determined and perseverant throughout their undergraduate education. They should update their ALES scores based on the requirements of the relevant universities for postgraduate education, follow these exams, improve their foreign language skills, and maintain a strong academic performance. I wish them success.