Faculty of Science and Letters

In accordance with Higher Education Law no. 2547 which came into force on 4.Nov.1981, The Council of Higher Education became the governing body for all institutions of higher education in Turkey. Restructuring of all higher education institutions was carried out in accordance with Decree 41 of this law, issued on 20.July.1982. Within this framework, The Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts and all its affiliated faculties and other teaching units were brought together under the titles of Faculty of Architecture and Faculty of Fine Arts. Along with the soon to be established Faculty of Science and Letters and the Istanbul State Conservatory, which was until then affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, these two faculties were constituted as a new university known as Mimar Sinan University. Since 2004, the university has been known as Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. The Faculty of Science and Letters has been functioning since 1983 and has been providing graduates since 1987. In the 2005-2006 academic year there were 1,455 undergraduate students attending the faculty and a total of 294 graduates. Within the faculty there are departments of Archaeology, Statistics, Physics, Mathematics, History of Art, Sociology and Turkish Language and Literature, Philosophy. A total of 112 full-time teaching staff is employed in the faculty: 20 professors, 13 associate professors, 41 assistant professors, 7 instructors and 31 research assistants.

In 2002, following the amendments to the Associate Degree and Undergraduate Education and Teaching Directive, the university adopted the credit system. Further changes were made to some articles of this directive in 2005. Preparations were made for participation in the Socrates and Erasmus Programmes, which foster academic cooperation among the higher education institutions of European Union member states, and the university now participates in these programmes.