PART 1

Aim, Scope, Basis and Definitions of Terms

 

Aim

ARTICLE 1 – (1) The aim of this directive is to regulate the principles regarding the double major programs conducted at Middle East Technical University.  

 

Scope

ARTICLE 2 – (1) This directive incorporates the provisions concerning student admissions and registration to the double major programs conducted at Middle East Technical University and the implementation of these programs.    

 

Basis

ARTICLE 3 – (1) This Directive has been prepared based on the Regulation on the Principles of Transferring Between Associate and Undergraduate Programs, Double Major, Minor and Credit Transfer Between Institutions in Higher Education Institutions published in the Official Gazette numbered 27561 and dated 24/4/2010.

 

Definition of Terms

ARTICLE 4 – (1) Wherever in this directive the below terms appear, they shall be taken to refer to the following:

a) Double Major program: The second undergraduate program which successful undergraduate students at METU are concurrently enrolled in,   

b) Major program: The undergraduate program in which students are enrolled at METU by placement via the Student Selection and Placement Examination or an equivalent exam, or by admission through transfer from within or outside the university,   

c) VTE: Vertical Transfer Examination

d) The concerned faculty board: Middle East Technical University Faculty Boards

e) The concerned administrative board: Middle East Technical University Faculty Administrative Boards,

f) RO: Middle East Technical University Registrar’s Office,

g) President: President of Middle East Technical University

h) Senate: Middle East Technical University Senate,

ı) University/METU: Middle East Technical University.

i) Regulation: Middle East Technical University Academic Rules and Regulations Governing Undergraduate Studies,

 

PART 2

Principles Concerning the Conduct of Education in Double Major Programs

 

Double Major Programs

ARTICLE 5 – (1) A double major program is a program independent of the major program the student is enrolled in.  

(2) A double major program is designed by the concerned department, and offered by recommendation of the concerned faculty board, and the decision of the Senate.  

 (3) The curriculum of a double major program incorporates all the courses of the major program of that department.  

(4) There may be identical or equivalent courses in the double major program and the major program in which the student is enrolled in.

(5) Except for the common or equivalent courses in the two programs, students in a double major program are required to take a minimum of twelve courses provided that the total of the credit points is not less than 36.

(6) A double major program is subject to the same principles as the major programs with respect to its implementation, the amendments made to its curriculum, and the adjustment of the students to the program.

(7) In addition to a major program, a student can concurrently attend only one double major program and one minor program different from the double major program.

 

Quotas

ARTICLE 6 – (1) The quotas are set by the concerned administrative board upon the recommendation of the related department, and they are announced by the RO.

(2) The quotas are set on a yearly basis. However, their distribution between semesters may be rearranged according to applications. 

 

Application to the program and related provisions

ARTICLE 7 – (1) The provisions for application to double major programs and the required documents are announced by the RO.

(2) Applications must be made to the RO by the deadline indicated in the academic calendar. 

(3) A student may concurrently apply to more than one double major and/or minor program by making an order of preference.  

(4) Students must meet the following provisions so that their application to the double major program might be valid:

a) Students must have earned the letter grade DD or higher in all the credit courses and the letter grade S in the non-credit courses they took in their major program until the semester they are applying and their Cumulative Grade Point Average must be at least 3.00. 

b) The student's gpa must rank in the top 20% in terms of success in the currently registered year. If this provision cannot be met, the student must hold a base score no lower than that of the program for which a double major application is made in the concerned year.

c) Students must be earliest at the beginning of their 3rd semester, latest at the beginning of their fifth semester as of the date they first enrolled in their major program.

d)  Application and evaluation criteria additional to those described herein may be set by the concerned administrative board by recommendation of the concerned department and will be indicated in the announcement.

(5) In applications, withdrawn courses (courses with the letter grade “W”) are considered not taken.

(6) Courses taken during Summer School and their grades are disregarded in applications for the Fall semester following Summer School.  

(7) When students who have been placed into their departments through the Vertical Transfer Examination (DGS) apply for a double major program that requires a certain ranking success, their double major applications will not be evaluated.

 

Preliminary evaluation

ARTICLE 8 – (1) Applications are subject to a preliminary evaluation by the RO in accordance with the provisions herein. Applications of candidates who have not met the requirements are not evaluated.  

 

Evaluation of applications, admission to the program and counting courses

ARTICLE 9 – (1) The applications of the candidates who meet the application criteria are transferred by the RO to the concerned faculty.

(2) Among candidates who have made applications for a transfer, a double major and/or minor program in the same semester, the double major and/or minor application will not be evaluated if the student’s transfer application has been approved.

(3) Applications are rendered as “accepted” or “rejected” in the evaluation stage by recommendation of the department offering the double major program and approval of the concerned administrative board.  

(4) The courses which were taken by the student in the major and/or minor program may be counted toward the double major program by recommendation of the department offering the double major program and approval of the concerned administrative board. The following procedures are involved in counting courses:  

a) An adjustment form is made out.

b) Of the courses that were taken or those that were exempted from in the major and/or minor program, the ones to be counted toward the minor program are indicated on the adjustment form.   

c) The courses counted toward the double major program are included in the calculation of the student’s Grade Point Average in that program.

 

The announcement of the application results

ARTICLE 10 – (1) The results of the preliminary and final evaluations concerning the applications are announced by the RO.

 

Registration

ARTICLE 11 – (1) Students may register for only one of the double major or minor programs to which they are accepted in accordance with their preference ranking during application.  

(2) Students must register for the double major program as of the first semester in which they are accepted. If they do not, they are dismissed from the double major program by the Registrar's Office.

(3) Students are to follow the registration and advisor approval procedures separately in their major and double major programs.

(4) Enrollment and course counting procedures for the common courses taken are to be followed separately in both major and double major programs.

 

Course load

ARTICLE 12 - (1) For students enrolled in double major programs, the maximum course load and the criteria regarding increasing course loads in both major and double major programs are determined in accordance with the regulation entitled Middle East Technical University Academic Rules and Regulations Governing Undergraduate Studies.

(2) In major and double major programs, the total number of credit courses which students can enroll in per semester is determined as follows:

a) A student whose major program Cumulative Grade Point Average is 2.50 and higher is entitled to the maximum course load of the major program, plus four courses. 

b) A student whose major program Cumulative Grade Point Average is 2.00 – 2.49 in is entitled to the maximum course load of the major program, plus three courses.

c) The common courses in the major and double major programs are counted as a single course in calculating the course load. 

 

Withdrawal from courses 

ARTICLE 13 – (1) Students can withdraw from courses according to the rules indicated below:

a) Students can withdraw from only one course in each of the major and double major programs in a semester.

b) Withdrawal from a common course in the major and double major program applies to both programs. Common courses are considered a single course.  

c) In double major and major programs, course withdrawals are not allowed if the total number of credit courses enrolled in falls below 3. 

 

Provisions for academic success and graduation

ARTICLE 14 – (1) Provisions for academic success and graduation in double major programs are determined in accordance with the related articles of the regulation entitled Middle East Technical University Academic Rules and Regulations Governing Undergraduate Studies. 

(2) In order for a student to graduate from a double major program, their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in their first major program must be at least 2.00 out of 4.00. Throughout the entire duration of their double major program, the CGPA of a student in their first major program may decrease to as low as 1.50 out of 4.00 only once. If the CGPA of a student in their first major program falls below 2.00 for the second time, they will be dismissed from the double major diploma program.

(3) Students in double major programs are put in order of merit only in their major programs.

(4) Students in double major programs are awarded a major diploma at the end of the semester they complete their major degree program.

(5) Students who qualify for graduation from a double major program are not awarded a double major diploma before they qualify for graduation from their major degree program.   

(6) The study period of the students who qualify for graduation from a major degree program but who have not completed their double major program is the maximum duration of the double major program which is stated in the law numbered 2547, article 44 (c). Students who cannot graduate from the double major program at the end of this period are dismissed from the program.

(7) The issues concerning the tuition fee payments of the students who are graduate from the major degree program but still continuing to the double major program in the maximum duration are determined by the University Administrative Board.

(8) Practical training in major and double major programs is provided in accordance with the mutual agreement between the departments. 

(9) A student who leaves a double major program will earn the right to receive a certificate from a minor program of her/his choice with the courses she/he has completed so far, on condition that a related minor program exists in that department and the student has fulfilled all the requirements of that program. However, if the student has failed to meet all the requirements of the minor program she/he has chosen, he/she is given the right to apply to the concerned minor program and complete the missing courses.     

(10) A separate grade report and transcript are made out for the double major program. All the courses in the double major program are indicated on the concerned transcript.

(11) The courses which are counted for both programs are indicated on the transcripts of each program.

 

Temporary or permanent withdrawal from the program

ARTICLE 15 - (1) A student may voluntarily withdraw from a double major program. 

(2)  Students enrolled in double major or minor programs may apply to other double major or minor programs provided they meet the application criteria, and they may transfer to another program on the condition that they leave the previous program.  

(3) A student enrolled in a double major program may not transfer laterally to the major program of the department offering the double major program without meeting the provisions concerning the major program in “The Rules and Regulations for the Student Transfer Between Associate Degree and Bachelor’s Degree Programs, Double Major and Minor Programs and Course Credit Transfers Between Institutions of Higher Education” and “Middle East Technical University Directive for Lateral Transfers to Associate Degree and Bachelor’s Degree Programs”.    

(4) A student who is on a non-academic leave of absence in a major program is automatically considered on leave in the double major program. However, among students who have graduated from a major program, but are attending a double major program, the two programs are handled independently in the leave procedures for those enrolled in a graduate program.

 (5) Students may be granted a leave of absence for the semester by recommendation of the department offering the double major program and approval of the concerned Faculty Administrative Board in cases where they cannot take courses due to academic reasons such as a course not being offered in the double major program or overlapping courses.  

(6)  Students who are not registered for two consecutive semesters without being granted a leave of absence are no longer entitled to attend a double major program and are dismissed from the minor program. Such students may reapply to the double major program provided if they qualify for application.

(7)  Students whose Cumulative Grade Point Average falls below 2.00 in their major program are deemed on leave from the double major program until they raise their Cumulative Grade Point Average above 2.00.  

(8)  Students who leave a double major program are not required to repeat the courses they failed in that program. 

 

PART 3

Miscellaneous and Final Issues

 

Coordination in double major programs

ARTICLE 16 – (1) The Chairpersons of the departments offering the program appoints a double major program coordinator from among the faculty members. 

(2) The duties of the coordinator are indicated below:

a) Acting as an academic advisor for the students enrolled in the double major program,

b) Keeping in touch and cooperating with the students’ academic advisors in their major programs in order to enable the enable the double major program to serve its purpose. 

 

Northern Cyprus Campus

ARTICLE 17 – (1) The principles and procedures concerning the implementation of this directive in the double major programs conducted in Northern Cyprus Campus are determined by the University Senate.

 

Articles Governing the Transition Period

TEMPORARY ARTICLE 1 – Article 7, clause 4-b herein, is applicable to students applying for a double major program as of the 2^nd semester of the 2014-2015 academic year.

TEMPORARY ARTICLE 2 – The limitation to the maximum period for applications to a program as indicated in Article 7, clause 4-c herein, is applicable for students applying for a double major program as of the 2^nd semester of the 2014-2015 academic year.

 

Validity

ARTICLE 18 – (1) This directive was approved by the University Senate on 26/10/2023 and has come into effect as of the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year fall semester.

 

Implementation

ARTICLE 19 – (1) This directive is implemented by the President.

 

Explanation

(1) Clause 4-b of article 7 was amended by the decision of the University Senate dated 26/10/2023.

(2) Clause 7 was added to article 7 by the decision of the University Senate dated 26/10/2023.

(3) Clause 2 of article 11 was amended by the decision of the University Senate dated 26/10/2023.

(4) Clause 2 was added to article 11 by the decision of the University Senate dated 26/10/2023.