YÖK President Özvar: 4-year degrees may take 3 years with 180 credits

YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar announced that work is underway to enable four-year bachelor’s degrees to be completed in three years with 180 credits, adding that universities have been preparing for this model for about a year.

YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar announced that work is underway to enable four-year bachelor’s degrees at universities to be completed in three years. Speaking on a television program, Özvar said bachelor’s programs could potentially be completed in three years with 180 credits and that universities had been preparing for this issue for about a year.

Özvar recalled that bachelor’s education in Europe lasts an average of three years, while some fields use a 3+2 model to provide specialized skills. He said the current duration delays the age at which young people enter the workforce, noting that adding a four-year bachelor’s degree to the 12 years of compulsory education under the 4+4+4 system means young people spend 16 years in formal educational institutions. Özvar emphasized that the age at which male students begin their working lives rises to 26 or 27 because of military service, internships and the job-search process.

YÖK Başkanı Erol Özvar (arşiv)

Özvar also emphasized the need to simplify curricula and reduce the number of courses. He said students in Türkiye take about 60 courses during their bachelor’s education, compared with around 20 to 25 in Europe, and called for curricula to include artificial intelligence literacy and digital skills.

Özvar said universities need to focus more closely on employment, noting that departments whose graduates cannot find jobs are being closed and that the number of newly launched programs is approaching 80. He also said Türkiye had risen from 35th place in the scientific publication rankings in the 2000s to 13th place today.

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