To The A ttention Of All Students Studying At Graduate Programs.

As a result of the meeting held on 01.04.2020, the Institute Board has taken decisions on the following issues effective during the 2019-2020 Academic Year Spring Semester, taking into account the global COVID-19 epidemic process, the interruption of face-to-face education and the students' circumstances.

1. In line with the decision (ref. no. 20/465-04) of the EMU Senate taken at a meeting dated 20.03.2020, all graduate courses, including seminar courses, will be delivered in the distance education format.
2. The methods to be employed in the assessment and evaluation of graduate courses to be offered through distance education will be implemented in line with the decisions of the EMU Senate.
3. The meetings of the students with their thesis advisors regarding their thesis studies will be held regularly through using the technological possibilities over the online system.
4. Term project defenses will be carried out over the online system using technological possibilities, provided that they are recorded and submitted to the Institute Directorate upon request.
5. Meetings of the thesis monitoring committee will be carried out over the online system using technological possibilities, provided that they are recorded and submitted to the Institute Directorate upon request.
6. In line with the conditions specified in the articles 11(1)-(4) of the Regulation for Graduate Studies and Examinations,  if the submission of thesis defense applications to the Institute Directorate via e-document or e-mail methods and defense of theses following relevant checks are deemed appropriate, thesis defenses will take place over the online system using technological possibilities, provided that they are recorded and submitted to the Institute Directorate upon request.
7. An additional period of time until the starting date of the final exams specified in the Academic Calendar will be granted to students whose thesis defenses were held in the Fall Semester of the 2019-20 Academic Year, and who, upon the jury's decision, have been asked to renew their defenses within a maximum of three months.
8. PhD Qualifying Exams, upon the favorable decision of the Department and Faculty Boards confirming that they would be held in an auditable environment and conditions, will be held in an online format between 1 and 15 June 2020 through the use technological facilities, provided that they are mandatorily recorded and forwarded to the Directorate of the Institute upon request. In cases where it is decided by the said committees that the PhD Qualifying Exams cannot be held via the online system, the said exams will be held between the first day of classes and last day of the course add/drop period of the Fall Semester of the 2020-2021 Academic Year.
9. A few forms pertaining to the appointments of supervisors and thesis topic proposals which could not be submitted on time will be delivered to the Institute Directorate as soon as the university starts working in the normal order again.
10. Applications for “Leave of Absence" will be submitted via the online system.
11. Online submissions of graduate program applications for the Fall Semester of the 2020-21 Academic Year will be evaluated regularly and in a short period of time.

We invite all our students to comply with the announcements made for the protection against the virus and wish them healthy days.

Institute of Graduate Studies and Research