History
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METU Education Faculty, which was founded with the objectives of training qualified teachers, researchers and scientists for the generations that will shape the future of our country, conducting scientific researches and projects in the field of education at international standards and providing educational services to the community, was established in 1982 and is the youngest faculty of our university which was providing education since 1956. Although the official establishment of the Faculty of Education at METU is known as the same year as the year 1982 when YÖK was established, the establishment and start of service of the faculty (School of Education) dates back earlier. In the "History of Middle East Technical University" section of 1959 METU catalogue, the statement "...Progress continues. Next autumn for instance, it is planned to open a School of Education as well as to expand the existing school" (p.16) is present. In the same catalogue, it is stated that the student candidates who wished to study at the Education Faculty, which Dr. Mitat Enç was on the duty of vice dean at the time, could start their education after completing their basic education in the Faculty of Arts and Science. After student candidates complete their basic education in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, they are informed that the Faculty of Education will be opened and they will continue their vocational education in this faculty. Additionally, this catalog includes information that it has been seen appropriate to initiate master's and doctoral programs at the Faculty of Education and to complete basic education in chemistry, English, mathematics, psychology and physics programs was determined.
Between 1961-1962, when the faculty was not fully operational at the time, there was an Education Department within Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Prof. Dr. Turhan Oğuzkan, the vice-chancellor of the university at the time, was the head of that department. During those years the Department of Education within the Faculty of Arts and Science oversaw a "Teaching certificate" program that provided teaching certificates to the graduates of physics, chemistry, mathematics, sociology and psychology departments. During 1963-1964, Kemal Özinönü joined the department as an academic staff and assumed the head of the department between 1965-1966. In the second half of the 1960s, the Teaching Certificate program was enriched by the provision of elective courses that were implemented in order to satisfy the needs and interests of the students and, moreover, additional educational electives courses were provided to undergraduate students.
The Department of Education, which had been offering teaching certificate courses and elective courses, opened its first undergraduate programs in 1974 and accepted students to five different programs (physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and social studies education), whom became the first graduates of those programs in 1979. The Head of Department of that time, Prof. Dr. Kemal Özinönü, pioneered the development of educational sciences.
In 1982, with the decision of YÖK, all teacher training institutions were taken from the jurisdiction of Ministry of National Education and transferred under the university administrations and education faculties were established in universities. The first Dean of METU Faculty of Education was Dr. Ahmet Edip Uysal (1982-1989) who came to our university from Ankara University Faculty of Language, History and Geography. The next deans of our faculty were Prof. Dr. Kemal Güçlüol (1989-1992), Prof. Dr. Ersin Yurtsever (1992-1995), Prof. Dr. Barbaros Güncer (1995-1998), Prof. Dr. Doğan Alpsan (1998-2001), Prof. Dr. Meral Aksu (2001-2010), Prof. Dr. M. Yaşar Özden (2010-2013), Prof. Dr. Shadow Seferoğlu (2013-2017), Prof. Dr. Özgül Yılmaz Tüzün (2017-2021) and since February 2021, it has been Prof. Dr. Behiye Ubuz repectively.
The first departments that were opened under the METU Faculty of Education are; the Department of Physical Education and Sports (Bachelor of Teaching), the Department of Educational Sciences (undergraduate and psychological counseling undergraduate program), Department of Science Education (undergraduate programs in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics teaching) and the Department of Foreign Language Education (Bachelor of English Language Teaching). These departments had at least one undergraduate program in the years they were opened or after, and at least one graduate program affiliated with the appropriate institute. Academic studies in the faculty were carried out with one Professor, seven Associate Professors, fourteen Assistant Professors, ten Lecturers and fifteen Research Assistants. Between the academic years of 1995-1996, the Instructional Technologies Education undergraduate program was opened within the Department of Science Education. In 1998, the admission of students to the undergraduate programs of the Educational Sciences Department was suspended due to a regulation within the framework of the restructuring of Education Faculties in Turkey made by Council of Higher Education. At the same time period, the Department of Science Education was restructured. The Instructional Technologies Education undergraduate program within the Department of Science Education was restructured as a Computer and Instructional Technologies undergraduate program with the opening of the Computer Education and Instructional Technologies Department. Biology and Mathematics Teaching undergraduate programs within the Department of Science Education were closed, and other undergraduate programs continued to provide education under the name of Secondary Education Science and Mathematics Education Department (Physics and Chemistry Teaching undergraduate programs). In addition to the above departments, the Department of Elementary Education (Primary Education Mathematics, Science and Pre-School Teaching undergraduate programs) was opened within the framework of the same restructuring efforts. With the decision taken by the university senate in 1997, the admission of students to the undergraduate program of the Physical Education and Sports Department was stopped.
In the year 2000, the Human Resources Management in Education Master's Program without thesis and, in 2007 the Guidance and Psychological Counseling Master's and Doctorate Program with Thesis, Educational Management Planning Master's and Doctorate Program with thesis and Education Programs and Instruction Master's and Doctorate Programs with Thesis were opened in the Educational Sciences Department, which only provided post-graduate education since the academic years of 1995-1996. Similarly, the Physical Education and Sports Department, which provided post-graduate programs since 1979, has started offering Physical Education and Sport doctorate program according to the decision made by the University Senate in 2002. Since 2014-2015 academic semester, a Mathematics Teaching undergraduate program has been opened under the Department of Secondary Education Science and Mathematics.
Following the decision taken at the meeting of the Higher Education Executive Board dated 15.06.2016, in accordance with the template created within the framework of the restructuring carried out in departments of education faculties, the University Senate Decision dated 09.08.2016 and numbered 6-1 led to Department of Secondary Education Science and Mathematics Education's and Primary Education Department's closure in 2016. The Department of Mathematics and Science Education and the Department of Basic Education were opened instead in the said structuring environment. The Pre-School Teaching undergraduate program under the Department of Basic Education; under the Mathematics and Science Education Department, undergraduate programs of Physics Teaching, Chemistry Teaching, Mathematics Teaching, Science Teaching and Elementary Mathematics Teaching took place.
Today, within the body of METU Faculty of Education, there are 6 departments, those being Computer and Instructional Technologies Education (CEIT), Foreign Languages Education (FLE), Basic Education (BE), Mathematics and Science Education (MSE), Physical Education and Sports (BES) and Educational Sciences (ES), and 9 undergraduate programs. In accordance with the decision taken at the meeting of the Higher Education Executive Board dated 15.06.2016 in 2016, our departments took this form with the University Senate Decision dated 09.08.2016 and numbered 6-1, in accordance with the template created within the framework of the restructuring carried out in the direction of the departments in the Faculties of Education. Among these departments, only graduate programs are carried out in BES and EB departments, while undergraduate and graduate programs are carried out in other departments. The main purpose of all our undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs is to teach students to think, do research, interpret research results, be creative, solve problems and learn how to learn, communicate effectively with their students, prepare rich learning environments for their students, be competent in using and creating instructional technologies in their field and, to train teachers, educators and researchers who can cooperate, be a model for those around him, follow national and international developments in his field, benefit from resources, lead the way in improving the quality of education and protect the basic principles of the Republic.
There are 13 graduate and doctorate programs in our departments within the METU Faculty of Education. These programs are; Department of Computer and Instructional Technology Education (Computer and Instructional Technology Education), Department of Foreign Language Education (English Language Teaching, English Literature), Department of Basic Education (Preschool Education), Department of Mathematics and Science Education (Mathematics Education, Science Education) , Department of Educational Sciences (Guidance and Psychological Counseling, Educational Management and Planning, Curriculum and Instruction, Development of Human Resources in Education (EP-Non-Thesis), and Department of Physical Education and Sports (Physical Education and Sports) in addition to the primary education science and mathematics education master's program, primary education doctorate program, secondary education science and mathematics education master's and doctorate programs which will continue until the graduation of the students who are currently registered. In these programs, 724 (excluding scientific preparation) students, including 368 master's and 356 doctorate students, are studying. In cooperation with the Institute of Social Sciences, Institute of Science and Informatics, our faculty will be able to conduct basic and applied scientific research in the field of education through graduate programs, lead in the formation of educational policies, contribute to the development of the institutions and organizations it works with, be an entrepreneur, use technology at the highest level, Researchers, academicians and experts who can carry out interdisciplinary studies are trained. Our faculty also hosts many national and international meetings to bring together the experts in their field in order to discuss current issues.
Almost all of our PhD graduates work as faculty members in many universities in Turkey and other countries. Our graduate students, on the other hand, work as teachers, educational consultants/experts, educational administrators, program development specialists or psychological counselors in public or private institutions.
Histories of the Departments
Department of Physical Education and Sports
Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology
Department of Educational Sciences
Department of Mathematics and Science Education