Master's And Doctorate Degree

SOCIETY : 0312 426 26 44 / 0312 426 26 48
COURSES DEPARTMENT: 0312 426 26 44 - 114 / 122
Arizona University and TAA Assist: +90542 292 41 42

Master’s Degree

Earning a Master’s degree is the first step at the graduate level in the U.S.A. Master’s programs usually require completing 30 to 36 credit hours and writing a Master’s thesis. In some Master’s programs, students receive a Master’s degree by taking a comprehensive, qualifying exam instead of writing a thesis. In the Social Sciences field, students can earn a Master of Arts degree (M.A.), and in the Sciences and Engineering field a Master of Science (M.S.) degree. There are also other Master’s degrees such as the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Joint Degree or Dual Degree Programs allow students to pursue their education in two different fields. Scientists who have earned a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree (i.e. in Biology, Mathematics, Physics, Ecosystem, or Forensic Science) can use these degrees to work at Biotechnology companies or in government institutions.

If you have completed a Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, or Veterinary education in Turkey, you can start graduate studies in the U.S.A.

If you are planning on applying to U.S. universities for a Master’s degree, you can also apply for scholarships. In addition to the scholarships given by the universities, students whose GPA is a minimum of 3.00 out of 4.00 or 76.66 out of 100 can apply for the Master’s Grant from Fulbright Commission. Apart from the Grants given by Fulbright Commission, students can also consider applying for Grants from The Council of Higher Education, Ministry of National Education, TÜBİTAK, Turkish Education Foundation, and other institutions and foundations.

Pay close attention to the following points if you are planning to pursue a Master’s degree in the U.S.A.

1.You need to have a Bachelor’s degree in order to apply for a Master’s program.

2. Generally, the GPA of your undergraduate degree should be a minimum 3.00 out of 4.00. There are universities which accept students with lower GPAs, but the number of such schools is limited. You will need to send your official transcripts to the U.S. universities.

3. You should have good command of the English language. High scores from admissions exams such as the TOEFL, GRE or GMAT will confirm your language abilities.

4. Students should obtain a minimum of three reference letters from professors in which they performed well in their class. If you are applying for MBA or LL.M. programs, you should also obtain a reference letter from your employers.

5. Another criterion for U.S. universities to use in accepting Master’s level students is to see students’ academic work in the field in which they are applying. Work such as papers and presentations, participation at conferences, awards received at national or international competitions, and internships completed help your admission chances.

6. Universities may require students to write a statement of purpose or personal statement in which they mainly state the field they want to specialize in and why they have chosen that field. Add how you have academically prepared yourself for this area and what kind of study plan you are scheduling for the U.S.A. Apart from the CV, this statement of purpose is the only document that will give detailed information about yourself, therefore it is important that it is written carefully.

7. Each university has a different deadline, academic calendar, programs, and elective courses. When you are searching for universities, pay attention to all of these concepts on the department web sites. It is important that you send all your documents on time in order for committees, who are usually comprised of faculty members, to consider you for their programs.

8. When searching for universities, make an initial list of twenty universities you would consider attending and then shorten this list to between six and nine universities after obtaining detailed information about their programs. You can apply to as many universities as you would like, but you should keep in mind that each school has an application fee which ranges from $40 to $50 or $250.

9. If you are applying for scholarships from the universities they may ask for bank statements which show whether you can pay the tuition fees and costs or not. These bank statements should show how much money you and your family or the person who will sponsor your education have in their account and should be in English. This document should show the current amount of money in the account and be an original document.

10. If you also want to receive an assistantship from the department you are applying, you should have a high GPA and high scores on the TOEFL, GRE or GMAT. Assistantships are open to American students as well, and there is strong competition between students to get these assistantships.

11. Some universities may want to conduct an interview with you. These interviews can be performed by an alumnas or alumnis of the university who live in Turkey or via phone or the Internet.

12. The universities may ask for extra documents that are not mentioned above. Therefore we advise students to check the web sites of universities carefully.

Doctorate Degree

Receiving a doctorate degree is the next step in graduate study and generally starts after earning a Master’s degree. Doctorate study usually takes three to four years to complete. In some fields more research is needed therefore the duration can be longer. Students must complete a dissertation within their doctorate degrees and the topic selected should be unique. After they complete their dissertation and get the approval of their university, students earn a “Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)”degree. However, there are other doctorate degrees such as the Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A) which are given according to the field of specialization.

Doctorate degrees have two stages. In the first stage, students complete the coursework which can be two to three years long, depending on the system at their university. After the coursework is completed there is usually a comprehensive qualifying exam that must be passed. In the second stage, students begin their research on a selected topic and write their dissertation usually under the leadership of a faculty member.

In the U.S.A. some fields such as Economics, Psychology, and Engineering allow students to apply directly to a doctorate program upon completion of an undergraduate program. These programs are called Integrated Ph.D. programs.

If you are planning to apply to a U.S. university for a doctorate program, you can also apply for scholarships. In addition to the scholarships given by schools, students whose GPA is a minimum of 3.50 out of 4.00 or 88.33 out of 100 can apply for the Doctorate Grant from Fulbright Commission. Apart from the Grants given by Fulbright Commission, students can also consider applying for Grants from The Council of Higher Education, Ministry of National Education, TÜBİTAK, Turkish Education Foundation, and other institutions and foundations.

Students need to pay careful attention to the following points if they are planning to pursue a doctorate degree in the U.S.A.

1. Generally, the GPA of the most recent degree you have completed should be a minimum of 3.00 out of 4.00. You need to send your official transcripts to the selected U.S. universities.

2. Students should have good command of the English language. In addition, students should have high scores from exams like TOEFL, GRE or GMAT.

3. The other criterion for U.S. universities to accept doctorate level students is previous academic work in the chosen field such as papers and presentations, participation at conferences, awards received at the national or international competitions, and internships.

4. Students will also be required to compose a statement of purpose or personal statement in which they mainly state the field they want to specialize, why they have chosen that field, how they have academically prepared themselves for the area, and what kind of a study plan they will be attempting in the U.S.A. Apart from the CV this statement of purpose is the only document that will give detailed information about themselves and their goals therefore it is important that this be written carefully. In addition to the statement of purpose, most universities will ask for a five to ten page writing sample of students’ previous written work.

5. Each university has a different deadline, academic calendar, programs, and elective courses. When you are searching for universities, pay attention to all these factors on the department web sites. It is important that you send all your documents on time in order for the committee of faculty members to consider you application for their program. Be aware that deadlines for doctorate programs often end earlier than the master’s programs especially at some competitive schools.

6. When searching for universities, make an initial list of twenty universities you would like to attend and then shorten this list to between six and nine schools after receiving detailed information about their programs. You can apply to as many universities as you desire, but keep in mind that each school has its own application fee.

7. If you also want to receive an assistantship from the department you are applying to, you should have a high GPA and high scores on the TOEFL, GRE, and/or the GMAT. There are more scholarship opportunities at the doctorate level than the master’s level.

8. Some universities may require an interview with you. These interviews can be conducted by an alumnus and alumnis of the university who lives in Turkey or via phone or the Internet.

9. Universities may ask for additional documents that are not mentioned above. Therefore we advise students to check the web sites of universities carefully.