Istanbul Technical University (ITU), founded in 1773 and having achieved a great deal through the centuries, owes its more than 200 years of success to the quality of its educational vision  

Institutional Quality

ITU has been internationally accredited for its 23 programs by ABET (Accreditation Board for Programs in Engineering and Technology) since 2011. This enables the students of ITU to have diplomas accepted internationally. ITU Department of Architecture has also been certified as an “equivalent” institute for 6 years by NAAB (National Architectural Accrediting Board) in 2007, both for its undergraduate and graduate programs. ITU Department of Architecture was the first architectural department to get certified outside of the USA.

ITU has been conducting 12 associated programs with American universities like New Paltz University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Maritime College, Binghamton University, Buffalo University, Montana University and Southern Illinois University since the beginning of the 2003-2004 Academic Year. As the programs are associated, the students get their education partly in Turkey and partly in the USA. When they complete their study, the students get two diplomas from both universities. The language of education is English. The Dual Diploma Program has been chosen as the best applied program among the Turkish and US equivalents and has been awarded the Andrew Heiskell Award by IIENetwork.

In line with the fact that English has the utmost significance in the international arena, 100 percent English programs have been opened in addition to the already present 30 per cent programs.

Quality in the Preparatory Language Programs

 In recognition of the university’s quest for continuous improvement and total quality management, ITU SFL applied for accreditation to the internationally prestigious Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), which is the only institution authorized by the US Ministry of Education in the field of English language education, in 2009. 

Our mission as the SFL is to teach English to the technological leaders and entrepreneurs of the future in the field of science, technology, social sciences and the arts. We aim to help them communicate confidently in their future educational life in their faculties where English is used with the help of knowledge and skills in English they have attained in the SFL by raising responsible and self-confident individuals. In this respect, the objective of the language training program is to provide the students with sufficient language skills to follow the courses in their faculties, and to train them as productive individuals with their dynamism and contemporary values for engineering, architecture and science education as well as the arts and social sciences to allow them to compete not only at a national level but also worldwide.

Why Accreditation?

Accreditation helps its partners to focus on their mission and vision, strengthens the transparency of the institution and the commitment to the institute, and it balances the individual and organizational goals. Also, the accreditation must be seen as an opportunity to see and evaluate the possibilities, difficulties and the strong sides. This can be consolidated with internal audit processes.

Internal Audit Process and Accreditation

ITU SFL provides education to approximately 3000 students in the Undergraduate Preparatory Program (UPP) and 300 students in the Dual-Diploma Preparatory Program (DDP). Efforts of improvements and betterment, which had started way before, gained pace during the accreditation process, and a detailed report with great dedication and effort was completed in two years for both preparatory programs. Some of the main titles of the 52-article report are Mission, Curriculum, Faculty, Services-Equipment and Resources and Administrative and Fiscal Capacity, Student Affairs, Registration Processes, The Length and Structure of Education, Student Complaints and Assessment and Evaluation. All of these standards were analyzed by the sub-commissions and the necessary changes and improvements were made.

A commission sent by CEA audited ITU SFL Undergraduate Preparatory Program and Dual Diploma Program in November 2011. Within this scope, the CEA commission visited classes and carried out interviews with the students, instructors and personnel. The commission members also evaluated the Advanced English Program courses for the undergraduate students in order to see the link between the Preparatory and Advanced English Programs. The report prepared by this commission was submitted to a higher committee which convened on 13-15 April 2012 and the final decision was that ITU SFL is qualified to be accredited for five years (maximum period for any first-time application) since it complies with the standards.

ITU SFL, as the 100th institution accredited by CEA worldwide, continues its pursuit of quality improvement as a part of its institutional quality vision.

For the sake of continuity, the SFL is required to prepare an annual report. The Committee of Accreditation at the SFL finished the process of renewal of accreditation which expired in April 2017. The re-accreditation application and process is identical to the initial application and process. The committee completed a detailed report in the light of feedback received from the sub-committees and submitted it with all supporting documentation to enable CEA to monitor continuing compliance with CEA standards. The final report was submitted to CEA in July 2016; and then, the CEA committee made a similar formal observation visit to the SFL in November 2016. The school was granted a 1- year accreditation during which it is possible to make improvements to expand the accreditation period up to 9 more years.

The Istanbul Technical University School of Foreign Languages English Preparatory Programs are accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation for the period April 2018 through April 2027 and agrees to uphold the CEA Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions. CEA is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S. For further information about this accreditation, please contact CEA, 1001 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 630, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703) 665-3400, www.cea-accredit.org