Political Science and Public Administration Undergraduate Program
About the Program
Social Sciences University of Ankara, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, aims to provide graduate students who are capable of thinking multi- dimensionally and critically, analyzing historical and contemporary developments and theoretical foundations, contribute to the solutions to the academic and/or institutional problems. The department deals with the disciplines of political science and public administration in a complementary relationship.
The answer to “What is political?” is very broad for the discipline of political science that it is any micro and macro phenomenon in the triangle of “individual – society – state”. Political science discipline most fundamentally examines the political institutions such as state, constitution, and political parties; political ideas such as freedom, justice, equality; political regimes such as liberalism, conservatism, socialism, democratic and authoritarian/totalitarian regimes; and political concepts such as power, independence and nationalism. This examination requires both philosophical, historical and comparative approaches..
On the other hand, public administration is a modern form of administration, which gains value through the idea of an abstract state, bureaucracy, law, local administrations, and finances, and finds its value in the life of society. In this regard, public administration as a social sciences discipline investigates the executive’s organization, functioning, decision- making, and implementation processes. A comprehensive set of (public) regulations and activities on central administrations, local administrations, urbanization, and environmental problems are the object of discussions in this discipline.
ASBU Department of Political Science and Public Administration observing the trends and interdisciplinary approach in the social sciences around the world and aims to have a close relationship and cooperation with other departments and research center in our university. Both undergraduate and graduate curriculums and are prepared in accordance with this interdisciplinary approach.
Why ASBU (SSUA) Political Science Department
As the first “social science university” of Turkey, ASBU Political Science and Public Administration Department aims to provide the students with an education which enables them to do following:
- Personalized education: ASBU Political Science and Public Administration Department minimizes the number of required courses and encourages students to excel in their individual career paths through choosing from among a wide array of elective courses.
- Interdisciplinary education and a diverse curriculum: ASBU Political Science and Public
Administration Department offers students a wide array of elective courses from different
fields such as history, sociology, international relations, anthropology, and economics.
Thereby, it encourages students to pursue their scientific curiosity, and to develop their ability
for interdisciplinary study.
- Interactive and participatory education: ASBU Political Science and Public Administration Department offers students an interactive and participatory education in small classes, which could be offered thanks to the modern technical infrastructure of the university. The department provides students an atmosphere where the students could express themselves freely and where they could communicate with the academicians quite easily. The education provided by the ASBU Political Science and Public Administration Department aims to enhance the abilities of students such as speech in public, creativity, critical thinking, team- work and leadership.
- The ability to analyze the contemporary political developments: ASBU Political Science and Public Administration Department enables the student to analyze effectively the contemporary political developments through the courses which provide the student with a historical and theoretical framework.
- Learning Foreign Language: The department offers students an English education which is
necessary to follow up the scientific developments in the field of political science. Besides
this, ASBU Political Science and Public Administration Department especially promotes
students to learn a second foreign language through providing 6 semester schedule for this
language education.
- Participating in Research Projects: ASBU Political Science and Public Administration Department feels completely self-confident in cases of the conducted research projects. Volunteered students could participate in these research projects which would be helpful especially for those to proceed with post-graduate programs provided either by ASBU or by other national or foreign universities.
- The Opportunity of Foreign Education: ASBU Political Science and Public Administration Department encourage students to experience foreign education by providing exchange programs such as Erasmus and Mevlana. As such, the department provides the students the opportunity of developing their knowledge, skills and social networks.
Job Opportunities
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Besides pursuing an academic career, our graduates would be employed at prominent state institutions, international organizations, political parties, think-tanks, civil society organizations, media or international private sector organizations.
- Those graduates who want to pursue an academic career could apply for national or foreign post-graduate programs. The education provided by the faculty prepare the student for post-graduate process through getting them gained the ability and skills of conducting a scientific investigation by themselves as well as writing and conducting a research. In addition, the application of an undergraduate program having an ECTS validity, the opportunity of studying with academicians who have foreign educations and professional networks with foreign universities would be the most important advantage for our graduates who are at the beginning of their academic career.
- Those graduates who want to pursue a career in state institutions would be employed at all state ministries, undersecretaries, and other state institutions and organizations.
- Those graduates who want to pursue a career at international institutions would be employed at United Nation and associated units such as UNESCO, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNDP and other international organizations such as World Bank and OECD.
- Those graduates who want to pursue a career at think-tanks, media and civil society organizations would be employed as analyst, specialist, programmer, writer and researcher.