Department of International Relations, Sakarya University
| Type | Public Graduate school |
|---|---|
| Established | 1996 |
Parent institution | Sakarya University |
| Chair | Filiz Cicioğlu |
Academic staff | 20[1] |
| Location | Sedivan, Sakarya , Turkey |
| Website | www |
The Department of International Relations at Sakarya University, located at the Esentepe campus, Serdivan, Sakarya, provides undergraduate and graduate education about international politics. As a department within Faculty of Political Sciences, it has an integrated curriculum with other departments of this faculty such as public administration, and economics. Established in 1997, the department of international relations has more than 4.000 alumni including business leaders, journalists, diplomats, district governors, and academics. The department has 14 full-time faculty and 6 research assistants.[2][3]
History
The Department of International Relations established in 1996 under the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. It admitted its first students during the academic year of 1997-1998.[4] In 2007, the department inaugurated its PhD program. At the same year, the department started to send its students to Europe and receive students from European universities as part of Erasmus Programme. The Department of International Relations has continued to evolve, adding online graduate programs such as International Relations and European Union and Middle Eastern Studies in 2012. When the Faculty of Political Science was established in 2015, the department moved to this new faculty.
According to a study, the department is ranked among the top 25 international relations departments in Turkey based on academic research and recognition.[5] Together with its sister institution, the Middle East Institute, at the same university, the department focuses its research primarily on the Middle East. Notable former faculty members include Burhanettin Duran, Murat Yeşiltaş, and Emin Gürses.
Academics
The Department of International Relations offers a standard graduate program with an option of a %30 English-language courses. Students can choose English-language equivalence of basic courses. The department also provides evening undergraduate education with same curriculum. In addition to graduate programs, the department offers MA, PhD and online graduate programs. A recent overview of admission quotas and departmental capacity in Turkish international relations programs indicates that the Department of International Relations at Sakarya University has maintained a relatively stable number of full-time faculty members since 2019.[6] Based on the available data, the estimated student–faculty ratio has ranged between 40 and 51 students per full-time faculty member.
| Year | Total Faculty | Professors | Associate Professors | Assistant Professors | Annual Newcomers | Total Enrollment | Student–Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 170 | 602 | 46.3 |
| 2021 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 170 | 610 | 40.7 |
| 2023 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 170 | 694 | 46.3 |
| 2025 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 50 | - | — |
In addition to conducting numerous TÜBİTAK-funded research projects, the department currently hosts a Jean Monnet Chair. The Chair has been active between 2024 and 2027 and focuses on Turkey–EU relations in the context of global power change and shifting international order.[7]
Former Heads of Department
- Alaeddin Yalçınkaya, 1996-2000[8] (founding chair)
- İsmail Özbay
- İbrahim Kamil, 2003-2003
- Hasan Gürak, 2003-2004
- Burhanettin Duran, 2004-2009
- Alaeddin Yalçınkaya, 2009-2011
- Ertan Efegil, 2011-2014
- Ali Balcı, 2014-2014
- Kemal Inat, 2014-2016
- Ali Balcı, 2016-2018
- Nesrin Kenar, 2018-2020
- Kemal Inat, 2020-2024
- Filiz Cicioğlu, 2024-
Notable alumni
- Oguz Güngörmez, Diplomat in Turkish Foreign Ministry
- Mirwais Hotak, Head of Law and Regulation Department at Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Afghanistan
- Nebi Miş, the General Coordinator of Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Serdar Örs, Market Development Sr Manager in Herbalife
- Yakup Hacıismailoğlu, Azdavay District Governor
References
- ^ Number is from YOK Database, see https://akademik.yok.gov.tr/
- ^ https://uli.sakarya.edu.tr/tr/7181/akademik_kadro
- ^ Numbers are sourced from YOK database, see https://akademik.yok.gov.tr/
- ^ https://uli.sakarya.edu.tr/tr/icerik/7173/8384/tarihce
- ^ Ali Balcı, Filiz Cicioğlu, and Duygu Kalkan, "Türkiye’deki uluslararası ilişkiler akademisyenleri ve bölümlerinin akademik etkilerinin Google Scholar verilerinden hareketle incelenmesi," Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi 16, no. 64 (2019): 57–75, p. 70.
- ^ Balcı, Ali (31 July 2025). "2025 YÖK Kontenjan Reformu: Uluslararası İlişkiler İçin Bir Envanter" (in Turkish). abalci.com. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ https://medyabar.com/haber/25875832/saulu-ogretim-uyesi-prof-dr-ali-balci-jean-monnet-kursusu-almaya-hak-kazandi
- ^ "Marmara Üniversitesi Akademik Bilgi Bankası". Archived from the original on 2015-11-20. Retrieved 2015-11-19.