General Information

[by courtesy of Cemal Emden]

The Faculty of Architecture is committed to the study of the natural and artificial systems primarily comprising cities, buildings and industrial products.The Faculty and its curricula are organized around two basic disciplines of design and planning. Problems ranging from the creation of industrial products and architecture to landscapes and settlement systems are covered in lectures, field work and studios, where the aim is to bring together knowledge, methodology, theory and high levels of professional skills within the framework of projects.

The curricula have a further aim of advancing a professional capacity in students to:

  • interrelate the local and the universal within the processes of design and planning of space, built form and industrial products,
  • identify and formulate problems, along with the generation and interpretation of knowledge relevant to the discipline, social and cultural contexts under study,
  • increase technical know-how, aesthetic sensibilities and moral concerns,
  • ensure specialization in key areas of interdisciplinary nature,
  • improve quality of research and design at every scale of person-environment interaction, with special emphases on energy , housing and settlement forms -both those that refer to our cultural heritage and those of a universal kind.

Within the scope of its commitments, the Faculty aims to promote its relation with the other national and international universities and undertakes pure and applied research, consultancy to public and private sectors and associative functions in the professional milieu both at national and international levels.

The Faculty of Architecture has opportunities for scholarly and applied research as well as design work which the staff and students engage in at different levels. The aim of the research programs is to contribute to knowledge, to promote good design and integrated planning as well as to provide pertinent material for more comprehensive teaching. Students are encouraged to participate in research at undergraduate, Master's and Doctoral levels, and through it are brought into direct contact with the actual conditions and practical problems in Turkey and the world. The staff are all highly qualified and well-versed in their subjects. The students who choose to come to METU Faculty of Architecture have consistently been the best prepared and most motivated ones.

The Faculty enjoys most up-to-date laboratories, workshops, a printing house and computer centers and a unique archive of slides, maps and printed material. To share this wealth of resource and experience, the Faculty organizes frequent exhibitions, symposia and other events in cooperation with national and international bodies. It has a flourishing publication program, an international journal as well as a student and staff population involved in a wide range of academic, professional and extra-curricular activities both National and International. All these help continue the tradition of METU Faculty of Architecture in graduating well-educated professionals with a wide range of sensibilities, skills, involvements and commitments.

The Department of Architecture (the first department established at METU in 1956) offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. The four-year undergraduate study grants the Bachelor's degree in Architecture. Focal points of undergraduate education are architectural design studios aiming to freely develop the students' investigative sides, creative personalities and way of thinking. Students have the opportunity during their undergraduate studies to follow minor programs in different areas like business administration, building technology and structure, and industrial design. The Department also offers cutting research-oriented graduate programs in Architectural Design and Theory, Building Sciences and Technologies, Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Architectural History and Computational Design and Fabrication Technologies [http://archweb.metu.edu.tr/]

Currently there are three Research Units in the Department of City and Regional Planning: Unit for Urban and Regional Research; Unit for Urban Design and Research; and Unit for Housing Research, which is a research centre within the Faculty. In addition to these research units, there are various individual research carried out by the members of the staff at the department. Research interests of the staff include a wide area: urban and regional geography, regional planning and policy, urban and regional governance, institutional transformation, planning history, strategic planning, risk analysis and planning for disaster, housing policy, urban history, urban conservation, urban archeology,  urban transport, urban design, etc. [http://crp.metu.edu.tr]

Established in 1979, the Department of Industrial Design is one of the leading programs, and attracts students with the most competitive profile in Turkey. The department pursues a design education philosophy stressing the integration of innovative and critical thinking with technical ability and technological awareness.It offers a four-year undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor of Industrial Design and an interdisciplinaryMaster of Science and PhD programs. The department gives importance to developing strong ties with local firms and the professional community as a part of its educational strategy; and has collaborated with many small and medium sized firms, as well as leading firms in various sectors such as automotive, furniture, electronics, ceramics sanitary ware and white goods. The department also puts emphasis on international relations and has organized workshops with partner schools from Germany, Greece and Israel; it has international student exchange programs with design schools in Germany, Italy, Australia and USA. [http://id.metu.edu.tr/en]

In short; student and staff exchange through the Erasmus Programs in line of other international programs and projects since the early years of METU has always been a priority and thus the graduates of each department has made important contributions to the professions' institutional developments in Turkey and abroad — the department of Architecture, City and Regional Planning and Industrial Design respectively have graduated professionals who have gone on to attain international reputations.