California State University, Sacramento
Study Abroad Program

Study Abroad in Turkey at the Boğaziçi University

Located in Istanbul, Turkey, Boğaziçi University started out as Robert College, the oldest American College outside of the United States, back in September of 1863. It became Boğaziçi University in 1971 and now has approximately 11,000 students, 400 of which are international students from about 47 countries. The faculty/student ratio is approximately 1 to 20.

There are four “faculties” at Boğaziçi: Arts & Science, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Education, and Engineering. There are also 6 graduate institutes, 19 research and application centers, and two schools: the School of Foreign Languages and the School of Applied Disciplines. Boğaziçi has a substantial library with almost 540,000 volumes, 1400 printed periodical subscriptions, and over 24,500 electronic periodical subscriptions.

Many of Boğaziçi’s buildings are located on its South Campus, with the Bosphorus and the historical castle of Rumelihisar as its boundary to the east. This campus houses the oldest buildings of the University. The North Campus, Hisar Campus and Uçaksavar Campus house the newer additions to the University facilities. A fourth campus, on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus, houses the historic Kandilli Observatory, and a fifth campus, the Saritepe Campus, is situated on the shores of the Black Sea.

Istanbul dates back to 667 BC when it was known as Byzantium. The name changed to Constantinople in AD 300, and the city became Istanbul in 1453. It has a rich history and was at one time the capital city of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. It is one of the largest cities in the world with a population of more than 11 million. Located on the Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul is Turkey’s cultural and financial center and is the only city in the world located on two continents. While it offers a colorful, vibrant lifestyle, there are also many monuments still standing reflecting its diverse history, such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Fatih Bridge, the Ciragan Palace, the Sunken Palace, the Theodosius Obelisk, and the Tokapi Palace. There are many wonderful markets and shopping areas in Istanbul, such as the Grand Bazaar with its over 4000 shops, and many museums, such as the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art.

Course Offerings

The California State University, Sacramento program is specifically with the Department of Foreign Language Education housed under the Faculty of Education at Boğaziçi University. This department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in English Language Education. The Department of Foreign Language Education (FLED) provides courses related to second language acquisition and second language teaching methodology and organizes practice teaching in selected schools. The objective of the graduate program is to equip students with advanced and specialized knowledge in the field and to help them acquire skills for research. A well-balanced emphasis on theory and application is maintained throughout the programs. All FLED courses are taught in English and will be taken with students from Turkey. For more information on the FLED classes, go to: www.boun.edu.tr/academics/units.html. Click on “Foreign Language Education” under the Faculty of Education. Then in the lefthand column, click on “courses.” Please note that undergraduate classes are numbered in the 100s, 200s, 300s, and 400s. Classes numbered 500 and above are at the graduate level.

All participants in this program must take beginning Turkish language during each semester of participation.  Turkish language classes are numbered TK 111 and TK 112 and are offered by the Department of Turkish Language and Literature.

Academic Requirements

Applicants must have upper division or classified graduate standing at California State University, Sacramento. Transfer students may not apply until they have attended this university for at least one semester and completed the other eligibility requirements, as listed below.

Applicants should be in one of these categories:

Students in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate program.

Undergraduate students with a declared TESOL minor.

Undergraduate students with a declared English major, but these applicants must have taken ENGLISH 120A prior to participation.

Undergraduate students in declared majors in other fields, if the student has completed 6 units of applied linguistics at the time of application and has appropriate academic goals as related to the curriculum offered through this program.

Graduate level students in the English Department who are pursing the MA in TESOL or MA in English with a TESOL certificate. Graduate applicants must be fully classified prior to participation in this program. Graduate students from outside the English Department may not apply for this program.

Both undergraduates and graduate students must be in good academic standing and have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average or better at the time of the application deadline. The applicant should also be prepared to accept the challenge of study in a country with an education system different from our own. The Writing Proficiency Examination must have been passed here prior to departure. All undergraduate applicants must have completed 6 units of applied linguistics prior to participating in this program. Applications will be accepted for either one term or one academic year. Students are required to be full-time while studying in Turkey, and, thus, take the equivalent of 15 units during each term for undergraduates and 12 units per term for graduates.
No prior knowledge of Turkish language is required.

Calender

Courses are taught on a semester basis at Boğaziçi University. Classes for the fall semester begin around the third week in September and end around the end of December followed by required examinations in the first half of January. The spring semester classes begin in early February and end around the end of May followed by mandatory examinations in the first half of June. Candidates should plan on attending the International Students Orientation, which takes place about a week prior to the start of classes. Registration week is around the same time as the orientation.

Financial Respoinsibility

Students accepted to this program will pay the usual California State University, Sacramento fees, remain eligible for financial aid (except work/study), if otherwise qualified, and receive resident credit just as if they were attending classes at this university. (Please note that equivalency of courses falls under the jurisdiction of the academic department here.) Boğaziçi University has agreed to waive non-resident tuition for exchange students, making this a particularly attractive opportunity. Students will pay for their travel to and from Istanbul, room and board, and incidentals. In addition, each student must have adequate health insurance coverage during the stay in Turkey. The approximate cost of the program for one semester is as follows: usual undergraduate fees - $1779 (graduates would pay the graduate fee), airfare - $1600, insurance - $200, housing - $2,100 to $2,700, food - $1000, books - $300, residence permit in Turkey - $65, incidentals (including local transportation, clothing, entertainment) - $1000. Total $8,044 to $8,644. The estimated expenses for an academic year are about $14,488 to $15,088. This estimate is given for planning purposes only and is subject to changes from currency fluctuation, inflation, and fee changes. Keep in mind that the costs of obtaining a passport and a student visa for Turkey are not included in these estimates. It should also be noted that students must take with them at least 15 passport-size photographs.

Scholarship

For information on scholarships for study abroad, you should register for and attend a scholarship workshop in the Office of Global Education. Please note that the English Department has a study abroad scholarship for an English major.

Office of International Relations

Students will be assisted at Boğaziçi University by the Office of International Relations. Their office is located on the First Floor of the Students Activities Building at the South Campus. The office is open weekdays between 9:00 and 17:00.

Housing and Meals

All international students coming to Boğaziçi University should plan on staying in the Superdorm, which consists of five halls. The Superdorm has 130 student apartments, each having a capacity of from 2 to 5 students. All of the bedrooms in the apartments are designed for one student only. Besides the bedrooms, an apartment consists of a living room, a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a storage room. All of the apartments are furnished. For more information on items included in the furnishings, see www.intl.boun.edu.tr/superdorm.html. All rooms are wired for telephones, and access to the university’s computer network and the internet is possible from individual rooms through modems. There is also a computer lab located in the basement.

Meals may be taken at the University’s dining halls or at the Superdorm canteen, which is open from 9:00 a.m. to midnight. A typical meal may cost about U.S.$2.00.

The Superdorm, located in the Uçaksavar Campus (Boğaziçi University Culture and Sports Facilities Campus), is approximately 8 minutes walk from the North Campus and 15 minutes walk from the South Campus.

For further information

You should consult these resources for further information:

The Office of Global Education home page: http://www.csus.edu/oge

The Boğaziçi University home page: www.boun.edu.tr/index_eng.html

The Superdorm web page: www.intl.boun.edu.tr/superdorm.html

The Boğaziçi Office of International Relations web page: www.int.boun.edu.tr

For more information about Istanbul visit:

www.istanbulcityguide.com

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/turkey/

http://english.istanbul.com

To obtain an application or to speak with a study abroad advisor, please call the Office of Global Education at 278-6686 or go to Lassen Hall, Room 2304. Applications, references, and transcripts should be sent to the address below. The deadline for materials to be received is October 1 for the spring semester and March 1 for the fall semester. Please note that there is an interview process for this application, also.