For General Quota
In the 2024-2025 academic year, the general quota for the Master's Program in Islamic Studies with Thesis (30% English) is 10 students. Turkish and foreign applicants who meet the application requirements can apply for this quota.
Application requirements
- Graduating from an undergraduate program with a minimum grade point average of 60 out of 100
- To have at least 75 points in English YDS or an equivalent exam
- To get at least 55 points from ALES
Evaluation and acceptance
- The entrance score for the program will be calculated based on ALES score (50%), undergraduate GPA (10%), foreign language score (10%) and oral exam score (30%).
- Among the candidates with an entrance score of 65 and above, will be accepted according to the number of quotas, starting from the candidate with the highest score.
For International Applicants
In the 2024-2025 academic year, the international quota for the Master's Program in Islamic Studies with Thesis (30% English) is 5 students. Foreign nationals who meet the application requirements or citizens of the Republic of Turkey who completed their undergraduate education abroad can apply for this quota. Application requirements
- Graduating from an undergraduate program with a minimum grade point average of 65 out of 100
- Two letters of reference from scholars working in the field of Islamic Studies. Reference letters should include the name, institutional information and signature of the academic.
Evaluation and acceptance
- Candidates whose reference letters are accepted will take an online interview.
- The entrance score will be calculated based on the undergraduate grade point average (50%) and the interview score (50%).
- Among the candidates with an entrance score of 65 and above, will be accepted according to the number of quotas, starting from the candidate with the highest score.
Starting to the program
In order to start the program, students who are accepted must provide a C1 level exam result certificate from the Turkish exam conducted by the language centers of the universities or Yunus Emre Institute. (See detailed application requirements guide for Foreign Student Commitment Letter Sample)
Online Application
Click here for the online application guide. Click here for online application. Important Dates (2024)
Online applications: May 27-June 14 (until 5 PM)
Oral exam: June 26-27
Announcement of results: July 8
Final registrations: September 9-13 (until 5 PM)
Click here for the detailed academic calendar. Click here for the detailed application requirements guide.
Final registration procedures are carried out online via AKSIS.
Documents required for registration:
- Barcoded document taken from e-devlet showing undergraduate graduation / notary or certified copy from the relevant higher education institution (Those who graduated from foreign institutions are required to attach a notarized Turkish translation)
- Transcript showing undergraduate graduation grade point average (Wet signed/e-signed/e-devlet)
- Notarized copy of the electronic copy of the ALES certificate taken from the ÖSYM website or a notarized copy of the equivalent exam result document
- Notarized copy of the electronic copy of the YDS document taken from ÖSYM website or equivalent exam result document
- Passport size photograph taken within the last six months, from the front, in a way that can easily identify the candidate
- For Turkish nationals applying for the general quotas of the programs, for those who completed their undergraduate or graduate education abroad, a certified document stating that they reside abroad
- Photocopy of identity card (For foreign nationals, photocopy of residence permit and document showing foreign national number)
- Notarized Turkish translation of the pages showing the identity information and validity period of the passport with study visa (for foreign nationals)
- Declaration of residence form (A sample is available on the application guide page)
- For male candidates, a recently dated military service status document to be obtained from e-devlet (for candidates who are citizens of the Republic of Turkey)
- Student registration information form (A sample is available on the application guide page)
- “Turkish Proficiency”, C1 certificate or certified copy of the Turkish exam conducted by the language centers of universities or Yunus Emre Institute showing that foreign candidates know Turkish. (The petition of commitment for those who do not have a C1 certificate is on the application guide page)
- Document obtained from e-devlet that there is no criminal record
Contact: Bircan Ertaş
Telephone: +90 212 440 03 30 (13264)
E-mail: bircan.ertas@istanbul.edu.tr
A historical building, a modern education
The Institute of Islamic Studies provides education in the madrasah building built by the Ottoman Grand Vizier Kuyucu Murad Pasha (d. 1611) in the early 17th century. This historical building, which trained many kazaskers, sheikh al-islams and statesmen who were influential in Ottoman history for centuries, was transformed into a modern educational institution in 2019 by preserving the historical texture in line with the needs of the Institute of Islamic Studies.
A rich specialized library
After the restoration, the inner courtyard of the Kuyucu Murad Pasha Madrasah was covered with a glass ceiling and converted into a library and study area. The specialized library houses more than 15.000 books, mostly on Islamic history and Islamic disciplines, and offers printed materials as well as online access to many national and international databases.
Convenient and easy transportation options
The Institute of Islamic Studies is only a 1-minute walk from Vezneciler bus stops and metro station. In this respect, it is quickly and easily accessible by public transportation from both sides of the city.
The Walled City: An open air museum
The Institute of Islamic Studies is located in the heart of the historical peninsula, which has been home to Byzantine and Ottoman administrations for centuries and is almost an open-air museum. It is within walking distance to all historical buildings, museums, cultural-tourism and shopping centers in the historical peninsula.
A diverse and rich academic world
The students of the Institute of Islamic Studies are only a few steps away from the faculty buildings and libraries of Istanbul University in particular, and dozens of manuscript libraries, archives and research centers in the Historical Peninsula in general. Some of these libraries are as follows:
- Istanbul University Institute of Islamic Studies Library
- Istanbul University Rare Manuscripts Library
- Suleymaniye Manuscripts Library
- Beyazit Manuscripts Library
- Topkapi Palace Museum Library
- Beyazit Manuscripts Library
- Istanbul University Faculty of Literature Library
- Hacı Selim Ağa Manuscripts Library
- Millet Manuscripts Library
- Fatih Central Library
Graduate students in the program are required to complete the course credit requirements and successfully defend their master's thesis as specified in the Graduate Regulations of Istanbul University.
Graduates of the Master's Program in Islamic Studies with Thesis are awarded a master's degree with the name of the program.
Upon the request of our graduate students who want to apply for academic staff vacancies in the fields of theology and history, an official document that will enable the application to the position in question can be given by the decision of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Islamic Studies, provided that the contents of the relevant advertisement and the Islamic Studies Program match.
Compulsory courses in the program:
- Scientific Research Techniques and Publication Ethics
- Seminar
Some elective courses in the program:
- Discussions on the Caliphate from the Ottoman Period to the Republic
- Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddima as an Alternative Approach to Modern Political Thought
- Comparative Politics of Muslim Countries
- Islamic Political Thought: Classical Period
- Islamic Political Thought: Modern Period
- Ottoman Modernization and Women
- Tanzimat Period Legislative Movements
- Ottoman Family Law
- New Searches in the Usul al-Fiqh
- Modern State and Islamic Law
- 18th Century Ottoman Relationship between Fiqh and Kalam
- Adab al-Bahs Texts in the Ottoman Scholarly Tradition
- Hanafi Usul al-Fiqh in the Post-Classical Period
- Usul al-Fiqh in the Ottoman Period on the Eve of Modernization
- Constitutional Debates in the Tanzimat Period
- Usul al-Fiqh Writing in the Modern Period
- 19th century Ottoman Legal Modernization and Codification Examples
- Non-Muslim Law and Capitulations in the Context of Ottoman Modernization
- Ottoman Company Law in the Tanzimat Period
- The Development of the Idea of Civil Law from Tanzimat to the Early Republic
- Scholarly Life in the Mamluk Period
- 20th Century Ottoman Historiography
- Scholars, Sultans and Law in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire
- Arab Lands in the Period of Ottoman Modernization
- Islamic Book Culture before the Printing Press
- Ottoman Cities Before Modernization
- Modern Historiography
- Biography in Islamic History
- Ottoman Law Texts Before Tanzimat
Digital Humanities
Graduate students in the program are required to complete the course credit requirements and successfully defend their master's thesis as specified in the Graduate Regulations of Istanbul University.
Graduates of the Master's Program in Islamic Studies with Thesis are awarded a master's degree with the name of the program.
How will the application and admission process follow?
Applications for General and International Quotas will only be submitted online through the student automation system and the information filled in during the online application will be accepted as the candidate's declaration. Applications must be submitted taking into account the specified graduation, ALES and foreign language requirements and the special conditions specified in the quota tables. Candidates applying for general quotas will be subjected to an oral exam. For applications made within the international quota, candidates must upload letters of reference from two scholars who have expertise in the field. The commission assigned by the Institute evaluates the applications of the candidates. Candidates whose reference letters are accepted by the commission are interviewed. Interviews are held online.
The announcement regarding “Application Requirements” and its annexes should be read carefully on the Institute's website. There is a guide for the online application process on the website.
In the first stage of applications for general quotas, candidates will take the written science exam on the day and time announced by the Institute. Those who score 60 and above out of 100 will be eligible for an interview. In the second stage; 50% of ALES or an equivalent exam, 10% of the undergraduate GDP, 10% of the foreign language grade and 30% of the interview score will be calculated and the graduate entrance score will be calculated. Candidates with a final score of 65 and above will be ranked and will be accepted to the program within the quota. Final registrations will be made at the Institute of Islamic Studies.
In the first stage, letters of reference will be evaluated in the applications made for the quotas abroad, and the candidates whose letters are accepted will take an oral exam online. The graduate entrance score will be calculated by taking 20% of the undergraduate average, 20% of the foreign language score, and 60% of the interview score. Candidates with an entrance score of 65 and above will be ranked and accepted to the program within the quota.
Candidates are required to have their transcripts showing their undergraduate grade point averages (printed and signed/sealed or via e-devlet), which they have declared during their application, with them during the interview and final registration.
Applications by mail are not accepted.
Who can apply for general and international quotas?
General quotas are open to Turkish and foreign applicants who meet the admission requirements. International quotas are open to foreign nationals who meet the admission requirements or Turkish citizens who have completed their undergraduate education abroad.
Can candidates other than theology graduates apply to the program?
Yes. Candidates who graduated from theology or any other undergraduate program can apply to the program.
What are the application requirements for the general quota?
Candidates who graduated from an undergraduate program can apply to the program provided that they have at least 75 points from YDS or an equivalent exam in English and at least 55 points from ALES. Since 30% of the program is in English, candidates must certify that they have at least 75 points from the English YDS or equivalent exam.
