The History PhD program at Koç University seeks to provide students with a strong grounding in the advanced study of history. The Department of History covers a variety of subjects but is especially strong in the following areas: Ottoman Empire, Türkiye, the Balkans, Russia, Ukraine and the Soviet Union, Europe and the Mediterranean.

As part of their training, doctoral students will have to successfully complete their course requirements and comprehensive exam, conduct original research and write their doctoral dissertation. They will also be required to work as teaching assistants. Doctoral students will at all times work in close collaboration with their advisors and other faculty from the department. Our goal is to train future colleagues, and we therefore commit to providing all the assistance and advice our doctoral students may need. A PhD in history from Koç University, one of Türkiye’s leading higher education institutions, will lead to successful academic careers in Türkiye and abroad, although graduates will also find themselves in a privileged position to begin careers in government, non-governmental organizations, and journalism.

Koç University offers very competitive resources to its doctoral students including an up to five-year doctoral grant, and housing allowance (for further details click here). Through the main campus’ Suna Kıraç Library students will have access to a very large number of academic journals and books both on and off campus. They will also have access to resources provided by the University’s Research Centre on Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED), the Suna & İnan Kıraç Research Center for Mediterranean Civilizations (AkMed), and the Vehbi Koç and Ankara Research Centre (VEKAM).

Interdisciplinarity is at the core of Koç University’s academic mission, and students will be actively encouraged to take courses from other programs of the Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities.