TURKISH
ACADEMIC
RULES AND REGULATIONS CONCERNING VOCATIONAL SCHOOL OF HIGHER
EDUCATION PERIOD OF STUDY, EXAMINATIONS AND ASSESSMENT
ACADEMIC YEAR
Article 1.
One academic year consists of two 16-week semesters including the registration and final examination periods. The University Senate can extend or shorten the length of semesters if necessary. Summer semesters can be offered when needed, the conditions of which are determined by the University Senate. Because of the special practices, a separate academic calendar can be applied for Vocational School of Higher Education.
COURSE PROGRAMS
Article 2.
Course programs during undergraduate studies and the distribution of courses to the semesters are arranged by the Department concerned, confirmed by the Faculty Committee, and approved by the Senate.
COMPULSORY, ELECTIVE AND PRE-REQUISITE COURSES
Article 3.
There are two types of courses : compulsory and elective. The student's Department will decide the program of compulsory courses to be taken each semester.
Students are required to take the compulsory courses of the Department in which they are registered. Elective courses are decided on by the Department concerned, taking into account the wishes of the student. However, a student may be exempted from some courses determined by the University Senate by taking a special examination administered by the Department concerned. Students who are successful in that examination may be exempted from those courses if they wish. The evaluation procedure concerning these courses are determined by the University Senate.
A prerequisite course is a course which a student must pass before being allowed to take another course. Prerequisite courses are proposed to the Faculty Committee by the Department offering the courses and are confirmed after approval by that Committee.
CREDIT HOUR RATING
Article 4.
Each course is allotted a predetermined number of credit hours. These include all of the weekly theoretical course hours plus half of the weekly laboratory, practical, or studio course hours.
Acting on the recommendation of the Department concerned the University Senate determines which courses are to be non-credit. Weekly theoretical and practical course hours of those courses are stated.
COURSE LOAD
Article 5.
The normal course load of the student for each semester is specified in the program of the Department concerned. On the basis of the credit rating of the courses, course load is determined by the University Senate upon the recommendation of the Department and Vocational School.
Students' normal course load of each semester may be reduced by up to 2 courses at most with the approval of the Chairman of the Department, if their Cumulative Grade Point Average is less than 2.00, if their course program necessitates it, or if there exist other genuine and valid reasons for doing so. In this case, the course(s) being left should be taken in the first semester they are again offered. Students with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 who have fallen behind in their program and want to catch up or want to retake courses to improve their cumulative grade point average, may increase their course load only 1 course on the recommendation of their advisor and with the approval of the Chairman of the Department. Course loads of students whose Cumulative Grade Point Average is at least 2.50 can be increased, if they wish, by 2 courses at most if recommended by their Advisor.
ATTENDANCE
Article 6.
Students must attend classes, practices and examinations. Students' attendance is followed by the Instructor concerned.
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSESSMENT
Article 7.
In addition to midterm examinations and other work, students are required to take a final examination. At least one midterm examination is given during each semester. Dates of midterm examinations are announced by the Departments concerned in the first month of the semester. Changes in the dates of midterms are possible through the approval of the Chairman of the Department. Final examinations are held at the appropriate place and hour as decided and announced by the University. The student is given a grade by the course instructor by taking into account the midterm examinations, final examinations, the semesters work and attendance.
Students are given a make-up examination for any examination which they have not attended if it is accepted by the Department Chairman that there exist genuine and valid reasons for this.
Courses which do not require midterm and/or final examinations are determined by the Department concerned and the Registrar's Office is informed accordingly. Under these circumstances, the semester grade is given by evaluating the work done throughout the semester.
The practical and/or laboratory components may be evaluated separately. In this case, the course and practical and/or laboratory sessions taken separately must conform to the above regulations.
The semester course grade becomes final after being submitted to the Registrar's Office.
GRADES
Article 8.
For each course taken, the student is given one of the following grades by the course teacher. The letter grades, coefficients and percentage equivalents are given below.
|
PERCENTAGE
|
COURSE GRADE
|
COEFFICIENT
|
|
90-100
|
AA
|
4
|
|
85-89
|
BA
|
3.5
|
|
80-84
|
BB
|
3
|
|
75-79
|
CB
|
2.5
|
|
70-74
|
CC
|
2
|
|
65-69
|
DC
|
1.5
|
|
60-64
|
DD
|
1
|
|
50-59
|
FD
|
0.5
|
|
49 and below
|
FF
|
0
|
I- Incomplete, S-Satisfactory Completion, P-Satisfactory Progress, U-Unsatisfactory,
EX-Exempt, W-Withdrawn , NA-Not attendance
A grade of (I) is given to a student who provides supporting evidence through genuine and valid documentation of illness or other reasons which have prevented her/him from completing the necessary course work. In such a case, within 15 days from the day of submitting the grades to Registrar's office, the student must complete the missing work and obtain a grade. Otherwise the (I) grade will automatically become an (FF). In the case of prolonged illness and similar situations, this period can be extended until the beginning of registration for the next semester by the recommendation of the Department and approval of the Faculty Administrative Committee.
The grade (S) is given to students who are successful in non-credit courses. In addition, the grade (S) may be given to students who have transferred from other Universities or re-registered to the University through the entrance examination conducted by ÖSYM, when these courses are accepted as equivalents by the Faculty Committee on the recommendation of the Department Chairman. The S grade can not be given to a student who has transferred in and who is required to repeat a course under the regulations. S grades are not included in computing grade point averages.
The equivalency of the grades and credits of the courses taken during the exchange programs are determined by the Administrative Committee of the Faculty.
The grade (P) is given to students who are successfully taking non-credit courses.
The grade (U) is given to students who are not successful in non-credit courses.
The grade (EX) is given to students who are found successful in the examination for exemption conducted by the Department concerned for courses determined by the University Senate. The (EX) grade is not included in computing grade point average but is shown on the transcript.
The grade (NA) is issued if a student does not fulfill the attendance and/or application requirements of the course. The grade of (NA) is included in the Cumulative Grade Point Average as (FF). A student who receives the grade of (NA) from a course will not benefit from the rights in Article 13.
The grade (W) is issued if a student withdraws from a course after the add/drop period within the first 10 weeks after the semester starts, on the recommendation of her/his advisor and permission of the instructor concerned. The following rules apply to these students:
a) A student is not allowed to withdraw from courses during the first two semesters of Vocational School of Higher Education programs (courses being repeated which they previously obtained a passing grade are excluded)
b) A student is not allowed to withdraw from courses which she/he has to repeat, from which she/he took the grade W before and/or from courses which are not included in the Grade Point Average.
c) A student is not allowed to withdraw from courses which constitute more than 2/3 of the normal course load.
d) A student is allowed to withdraw from six courses at most during her/his undergraduate program (one course at most in one semester), subject to the recommendation of the advisor and approval of the instructor concerned.
The course grades awarded are announced by the Registrar's Office.
ERRORS IN GRADING
Article 9.
In the event of any error on the Instructor's part arising in the grades announced by the Registrar's Office, the course instructor's application for correction will depend on the decision of the Committee of the Department of which she/he is a member. Errors in grading concerning the semester final examinations have to be corrected within the registration period of the consecutive semester.
GRADE POINT AVERAGES
Article 10.
The student's standing is calculated in the form of a Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (C.G.P.A.) and announced at the end of each semester by the Registrar's Office.
The total credit points for a course are obtained by multiplying the coefficient of the final grade by the credit hours. In order to obtain the G.P.A. for any given semester, the total credit points are divided by the total credit hours. The averages are given to two decimal points. The C.G.P.A. is calculated by taking into account all the courses taken by a student from the beginning of entrance to the University which are recognized as valid by the Department in which she/he is registered. Any given grade from AA to FF is taken as the basis for both the G.P.A. and the C.G.P.A. The most recent grade obtained for a repeated course is used to calculate the C.G.P.A. All the grades are shown on the students' transcript .
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS
Article 11.
Students whose C.G.P.A. and G.P.A. is at least 2.00 are considered successful. A student who with at least a normal semester course load obtains a G.P.A. of 3.00-3.49 at the end of a semester is considered an honour student and who with at least a normal semester course load obtains a G.P.A. of 3.50-4.00 at the end of a semester is considered a high honour student. The list of these students is announced at the end of each semester.
UNSATISFACTORY ACADEMIC RECORD
Article 12.
When C.G.P.A. and/or G.P.A. of a student falls below 2.00, academic record is considered to be unsatisfactory. In such cases, the right to continue an academic program is given only if students have a minimum C.G.P.A. of 1.80 at the end of the semester they are currently enrolled in. When students' C.G.P.A. falls below 1.80 they may only repeat courses from previous semesters, within the provisions outlined in Article 15, until they have increased their C.G.P.A. to 1.80. For repeat case, Article 13 should be consulted for the courses except for "W" grades and in cases when courses were not taken within the regular semester. Article 14 is valid for courses repeated, withdrawn or not taken within their normal semester. Rules of Article 5 regarding course load do not apply to students in this situation. The semesters in which courses are repeated are counted towards maximum period of time allowed to complete an undergraduate program.
DISMISSAL THROUGH ACADEMIC INADEQUACY
Article 13.
Students who fall within the conditions of Article 12 are allowed two semesters to bring their C.G.P.A. up to the required level. Otherwise they will be dismissed.
Rights of dismissed students:
1. Students dismissed in the first year, who have met class attendance requirements and have no more than one FF or FD, have the right to take an examination for the course with the grade of FF or FD. They have a right to take this examination three times within three years. In cases where students do not have FF or FD grades, they may use their examination right for a course with the grade of DD or DC.
2. Students dismissed in the second or above years, who have met class attendance requirements and have no more than three grades of FF or FD, have the right to take examinations for those three courses with a grade of FF or FD. They have a right to take these examinations three times within a three year period. In cases where students do not have FF or FD grades, they may use their examination right for courses with grade of DD or DC.
Individuals taking examinations will be given letter grades by the instructor on the evaluation of examination performance only. Individuals who are re-instated to the university will pay appropriate tuition and continue their academic program.
3. Examinations are given at the beginning of each academic year before classes begin. Individuals who miss the examination at the time offered, will not be given a make-up examination. When dismissed, individuals do not have the rights of students. This period does not count towards maximum period allowed to complete an undergraduate program.
Students are required to inform the Registrar's Office by written petition which examination rights they will use by the date to be announced in the Academic Calendar by the University Senate.
4. Examination rights described above do not apply to courses without midterm and/or final examinations, to those that require continuous evaluation of work during the semester, nor to those courses where the conditions for practice are not met.
REPEATING COURSES
Article 14.
A student who has obtained the grade of FF, FD, NA, W or U or who has not taken a course during the normal semester, must repeat it the next semester the course is offered. If the course is elective or a course has been completely removed from the curriculum, students can be permitted to take another equivalent course to be determined by the Department concerned.
Students can repeat courses from which they previously obtained a passing grade on the condition that they repeat the courses within 2 semesters following the semester when they first obtained the passing grade .
UNSUCCESSFUL STUDENTS IN THEIR FINAL SEMESTERS
Article 15.
A student is considered as a last semester student if she/he successfully completes the courses in the semester for which she/he is registered and fulfills all the requirements for getting a Bachelor's degree certificate.
Students who have received grades of FF or FD from at most two credit courses and/or a grade of U from at most one non-credit course will be given an additional period until the beginning of the next coming semester in order to complete their deficiencies or to take an extra examination. The grade received within this period replaces the final examination grade, and is evaluated as the final examination grade. Students' standing at the end of the semester is calculated using the grades received at the end of the additional period.
Even if students have not received the grades of FF or FD in their last semester, if their C.G.P.A. or G.P.A. is less than 2.00, they can be given an additional period for the courses in which the grades of DD, DC or CC were received in the last semester under the conditions prescribed above.
Students whose status fits the conditions of this article should apply to the Chairman of the Department in which they are registered with a formal letter within one week after the final examination results are announced. After examining the student's status, the Department Chairman will inform both the instructors concerned and the student which courses are given the additional periods. Additional period and extra examination rights explained in this article will be given to the student only once.
CONDITIONS FOR AWARD OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOL DIPLOMA
Article 16.
Students must have a C.G.P.A. of not less than 2.00 and have completed all the courses in the program in order to graduate. Students whose C.G.P.A. is between 3.00-3.49 are listed as honour graduates and students whose C.G.P.A. is between 3.50-4.00 are listed as high honour graduates. Honour and High Honour standings are specified on the degree certificate.
In order to get the Bachelor's degree certificate from Middle East Technical University , students who have transferred in from another University must have spent the last two semesters at Middle East Technical University.
PERIOD OF STUDY
Article 17.
The normal period of study for a Vocational School degree at Middle East Technical University is 2 academic years. However, students who have completed all the courses necessary for graduation with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (C.G.P.A.) of at least 2.50 may graduate in a shorter period of time.
Without genuine and valid reasons as specified in the regulations, students must complete their degree course within a maximum of 4 academic years. Students who have not completed the requirements within four years are dismissed from the University. Students who need more than 5 courses to graduate are given two examinations for each course which were taken and failed before. After these examinations, students who need 5 courses at most for graduation will be given 3 additional semesters. Without taking the examinations, students who need 4 or 5 courses to graduate will be given 4 additional semesters, and students who need 3 or fewer courses to graduate will be given an unlimited additional time to complete these courses. Students under the provisions are not required to attend classes except for the courses that involve field work and practical work or courses that have not been taken before. Grades for the courses which do not require attendance will be given on the basis of midterm and final examinations. Students who have completed course requirements for graduation and have not failed any course will be given unlimited right to try and raise their cumulative grade point average to an acceptable level by taking courses from the 3rd and 4th years' program.
Students who have been given additional semesters to complete their course work or take examinations must register for each semester and pay tuition fees. Students who have been given an unlimited period of time to complete course work lose that right if they fail to register, and pay tuition fees or register but fail to appear for examinations for two consecutive semesters or for a total of three semesters.
TEMPORARY ARTICLES
Temporary Article 1.
Students who are continuing their academic program at the beginning of the 1996-1997 academic year and face dismissal because of the new rules outlined in Article 15 will have their cases evaluated individually the first time they meet the conditions of dismissal under these rules. Decisions will be made to the advantage of the student. However, if such students again meet the conditions of dismissal, they will not benefit from this article.
Temporary Article 2.
The articles of regulations are not applicable to students who were dismissed during 1995-1996 academic year or before. However, these student may continue to use the examination rights given to them under the repealed Article 13.
Temporary Article 3.
Although stipulated in the old regulations, students who had to repeat a semester according to the articles of the repealed regulations, will not be required to repeat courses or semesters they have not yet repeated. Rules of Article 14 are valid. Such students can not request extension of time because of repeated semesters.
INALIDATED REGULATIONS
Article 18.
The regulations published in the Official Newspaper on 23rd September 1993, no:21007 that have applied concerning Vocational School of Higher Education Period of Study, Examinations and Assessment will no longer be valid.
Article 19.
The positions of these regulations will be effective from the beginning of the Fall Semester of 1996-1997 Academic Year.
Article 23.
These regulations are implemented by the President of the Middle East Technical University.
