Program Overview
The collaborative Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy programs are offered by the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology (BCET) of Old Dominion University (ODU) and the Aeronautics and Space Technologies Institute (ASTIN) of the Turkish Air Force Academy (TAFA).
The Master of Science programs in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Engineering Management were launched in 2004 through an addendum to an International Memorandum of Understanding signed between TAFA and ODU in 2002. The collaborative doctoral programs in the same engineering fields were initiated in 2006. These programs target selected Turkish Air Force officers.
Alumni of these programs have produced a number of publications and presentations based on their research. For a list of these projects, please click here.
For more information about the selection and admissions process for these programs, please click here.
To contact the ODU program coordinators, please click here.
Collaborative Master of Science Program
The students must satisfy the admission requirements of both ASTIN and BCET to be admitted to this collaborative program. The Master of Science degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours and is designed to be completed in two years. The students spend the first year at ASTIN. During this period, they are expected to:
-
complete at least 12 credit hours of graduate course work
-
identify an area of specialization and conduct a comprehensive literature survey on the topic
-
satisfy all the ODU admission requirements (such as TOEFL scores) and obtain visas for entry to USA
The students spend the Fall and Spring semesters and the first half of the summer semester at BCET. During this period, students are expected to:
-
complete 12 credit hours of graduate coursework
-
complete 6 credit hours of thesis research
-
complete and successfully defend a Master's Thesis
Both ASTIN and BCET faculty can serve on the Thesis Committee. Students who are unable to complete their thesis at ODU will be given an opportunity to complete it after returning to Turkey.
Collaborative Doctor of Philosophy Program
The students must satisfy the admission requirements of both ASTIN and BCET to be admitted to this program. The collaborative Doctor of Philosophy degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours and is designed to be completed in three years. The students spend the first two semesters at ASTIN. During this period, they are expected to:
The students spend the next 24 months (increased from 18 months) at BCET. During this period, students are expected to:
-
complete 12 credit hours of graduate coursework
-
complete 24 credit hours of dissertation research
-
pass the doctoral diagnostics and candidacy examinations
-
prepare and defend a dissertation proposal
-
complete a substantial part of the dissertation work with all the data gathered and analyzed (including any data collection or laboratory work)
It is expected that some of the students will be able to complete and successfully defend their dissertation during this period. Others will need to complete their dissertation after returning to Turkey. These students will travel back to the United States to defend their dissertation at ODU. Both ASTIN and BCET faculty can serve on the Dissertation Committee.
