Engineering education and practice in turkey

With the foundation of an independent and secular Republic of Turkey in 1923, engineering education became one of the priorities of the new nation-state to develop industry and increase the wealth of the country. The demand for engineers was met mainly by Istanbul Technical University, Robert College, Istanbul University, and to a limited extent, Ankara University. By the 1950s the expansion and liberalization of the economy required new engineering institutions. Several universities, such as Middle East Technical University, Aegean University, Black Sea Technical University, and Ataturk University, all containing engineering departments, were established. Economic crisis, unemployment, and lack of technology innovation brought new challenges to engineering practitioners. Turkish engineers are turning to international job opportunities or non-engineering jobs that welcome their analytical skills. Universities are responding to these challenges by introducing accreditation based on continuous quality improvement and by establishing technoparks to enhance industry-university relations and technological innovation