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Overview

Program Overview:

Committed to a liberal arts tradition of intellectual curiosity and diversity, the International Relations Department at Koç University offers students a rigorous program of study that prepares them for successful careers in a rapidly globalizing world.

Koç University offers BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees in International Relations. The students examine the basic questions of Political Science, including how nations compete or cooperate over power and wealth, how political communities reconcile claims of authority, liberty, and justice, and how governments and societies produce the policies that influence our lives. Students choose courses from the subfields of International Relations, Comparative Politics, Turkish Politics, and Political Theory. The rich substantive and methodological approach and training helps students develop critical analytical skills allowing them to explain, compare, and generalize about political phenomena in a broad range of countries, employing the key methodologies of the discipline.

Master of Art and Ph.D. in International Relations programs reflect the department’s emerging strength in the areas of European Politics, International Political Economy, and Security Studies. Graduates of the program often continue their studies in top-ranking programs throughout the world in addition to working in multinational corporations, non-governmental agencies, and the public sector. Scholarships are offered.

The Center for Research on Globalization, Peace, and Democratic Governance (GLODEM) has been operating as a research center at Koç University since November 2004 to enrich the debate about globalization, security, and democracy and to promote the flow of ideas between Koç and the global policy arena. The Center encourages comparative and multidisciplinary research on globalization, security, and democratic governance, and serves as an intellectual platform for dialogue between academic and research scholars.

Koç University is the first university from Turkey to partner with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. This was established, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the UN to promote understanding among societies.

Program Outcomes:

  • Recognize, critically analyze and develop solutions to managerial, economic, and political issues in personal and professional environments
  • Formulate and communicate arguments effectively in oral, written, and graphical form
  • Thrive in diverse, multi-disciplinary teams and take initiative as responsible team members
  • Maintain a global, socially inclusive, and ethical perspective with emphasis on sustainability
  • Learn fundamental concepts and theories to formulate and implement creative and effective solutions to domestic and international political challenges
  • Use the appropriate research methods and tools to analyze data to assess the validity of political arguments

Programme structure

The MA with Thesis is a full-time, course-based, 2-year graduate program.

Career opportunities

Graduates of the Master’s Program in International Relations will be able to pursue their careers in civil society and international organizations (eg. United Nations Development Program, International Migration Organization, TÜSEV); domestic and international private sector (e.g. Abdi İbrahim, Arçelik, Boston Consulting Group, Boyner, Facebook, Microsoft, Target) and public sector (e.g. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy).

Also a significant number of our graduates are accepted to prestigious doctoral programs in North America, Europe and Turkey, such as Columbia University, Cornell University, University of Oxford, University of Toronto and Yale University, among others.

Check out our MA placements here.

Apply now! Fall semester 2025/26
Application start
15 May 2025
Application deadline
15 Aug 2025, 23:59:59
Turkey Time
Apply now! Fall semester 2025/26
Application start
15 May 2025
Application deadline
15 Aug 2025, 23:59:59
Turkey Time