Middle East Technical University

Overview

Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi or the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey, is a public technical university with a special focus on education and research in engineering and the natural sciences. It was founded as the Middle East Institute of Technology in 1956 to develop a skilled workforce for both natural and social sciences in Turkey and its surrounding countries. It took on its current name on January 22, 1957.

From the beginning, the university engaged in expansion efforts in terms of infrastructure and its curricula. Today, it has five faculties—Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Faculty of Education, and Faculty of Engineering. These faculties are further subdivided into 42 academic departments, some of which are specialist departments that offer courses that range from Industrial Design to Food Engineering.

Furthermore, the university offers language courses through adjunct departments, such as those in the School of Foreign Languages. Also, students can undertake technical courses and degrees that available through the Technical School of Higher Education.

Overall, METU offers 41 undergraduate programs, 105 master’s programs, and 70 doctorate programs. The university runs 19 joint degree programs with other institutions internationally as well. These degree programs, offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, are in collaboration with various American and European institutions of higher education.

These degree courses are available mainly at the university’s three campuses. Its main Ankara campus has a big role in Turkish history, being the first-ever university campus in the country. Also, it is uniquely situated in a forest area. It houses academic and research buildings and offers amenities for socials and leisure like a rowing facility at Lake Eymir inside the campus. Other campuses are located at Erdemli and in Northern Cyprus.

METU students, faculty, and researchers actively engage in research projects in a wide variety of fields. Research areas include petroleum research, energy materials, and cybersecurity. A pool of experts in the different research institutes and centers run by the university work on these areas. The long list of METU research organizations includes the Turkish Armed Forces Modeling and Simulation R&D Center and the Center for Research and Assessment of Historical Environment.

Additionally, it runs other research centers in collaboration with other institutions. These include the famed Space Technologies Research Institute which is operated cooperatively with the Scientific Technological Research Council of Turkey.