Dean's Message

FACULTY > Dean's Message

Dear students,

Yalova University Faculty of Theology started education in the 2012-2013 academic year with 60 students in Arabic Preparatory Class and was renamed Yalova University Faculty of Islamic Sciences with the decision of the Bakanlar Kurulu (Council of Ministers) numbered 2014/5928 published in the Resmi Gazete on April 17, 2014. In this regard, in order to avoid any confusion among our students, we must first and foremost state that there is no difference between the diploma of the Faculty of Theology and the diploma of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences. The curricula of the two programs and the career fields of their graduates are largely the same.

In our faculty, two different academic programs are carried out concurrently in Arabic and Turkish. The scientific development of our students is meticulously tracked in both programs. In fact, there are very few faculties in Turkey where both programs are carried out at the same time. Yalova University Faculty of Islamic Sciences provides a significant advantage to its students in this regard. Since there is a preparatory class in our all-Arabic program, the total education period of the program is 5 years while in our Turkish program, which does not have a preparatory class, this period is 4 years. However, our students who pass the preparatory exemption exam or who are successful in their courses can shorten this period by taking courses in earlier years after meeting the necessary conditions or by substitution of the courses they have already taken.

Dear youth,

Yalova with its climate and geographical features is the pearl of the Marmara Region. There are three big cities around it, two of which were the capitals of the Ottoman Empire. Yalova, which is the star of the crescent in a sense, has Istanbul to the north, Kocaeli and Bursa to the northeast, and Balıkesir to the south. Therefore, there is no problem with transportation to Yalova, which is very important to be accessible today. Moreover, in terms of dormitories, it could be clearly seen that Yalova University and thus Islamic Sciences Faculty has very attractive conditions. As a matter of fact, in the immediate vicinity, there are dormitories of Kredi ve Yurtlar Kurumu (Student Loans and Dormitories Institution), which can accommodate approximately 4000 students, and private dormitories with different facilities. Apart from this, we would also like to state that there are dormitories in the city and in the districts close to the city center where every student can be accommodated.

Yalova University Islamic Sciences has diligent and expert faculty members and always maintains its mobility in terms of faculty renewal. In other words, the number of lecturers in our faculty is increasing and our faculty is getting more enriched every year. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that in addition to undergraduate programs, our graduate programs continue at master’s and doctoral (Ph.D.) levels.

I would like to emphasize one more point. Our faculty members distinguish themselves with the courses they teach and the scientific studies they have conducted. They make a name for themselves in academic platforms such as workshops, symposiums, and congresses. In addition, our faculty members working in different departments have published many different works such as books, book chapters, articles, etc. during the year. Especially considering the number of publications in indexes such as TR Index, ATLA, Index Islamicus, and Social Index, it will be clearly seen that there is remarkable progress.

Dear students,

Believing in a Creator and adopting a religion have played an important role in all societies throughout history and have often contributed directly to the development of societies/civilizations. In addition, the role of religious thought in the formation of political and cultural order cannot be denied. However, the teaching of this thought must be realized in a certain scholarly discipline, taking account of our own customs and traditions. In our opinion, the acquisition of a true perception of religion based on the Qur’an and Sunnah can only be established in this way. The Faculties of Theology/Islamic Sciences, which are expected to provide education within the aforementioned framework have adopted the main mission of serving the material and spiritual development of society and humanity by training academics/teachers who will carry out the duty

- at almost every level of the education process,

- as highly educated religious officials at all levels of Diyanet (the Presidency of Religious Affairs),

- and by conducting scholarly research and social activities in the relevant institutions.

You, our esteemed students, acting by the verse (53:39) “each person will only have what they endeavored towards” should set your main goals as becoming individuals who think, produce, question, and follow scholarly developments in the field of religious sciences and should be persistent in this regard.

We hope that your choice will be the best for you, your family and especially for our country. Hopefully, with the help of Allah Almighty, you will be graduated from your faculties well-equipped in terms of science and culture, and you will adopt the motto of serving all humanity.

Best wishes,

 

Prof. Cahit KULEKCI

Dean