Istanbul University

Established: 1453

Istanbul University, the oldest, largest, and most prestigious university in Turkey, has graduates who occupy key positions in the state, Turkish educational institutions, the economy, and the government sector. The university has many faculties spread across various parts of Istanbul, with the main campus located in Beyazıt Square.

Currently, the university has 60,000 undergraduate and 8,000 graduate students, and employs 6,000 staff members, including more than 5,000 professors. Istanbul University is ranked among the top 15 universities in Turkey after being evaluated according to academic standards, and it is also listed among the top 500 universities worldwide.

History of Istanbul University

The first academic year at Istanbul University started at the Hagia Sophia, which was converted into a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul, and the neighboring Zeyrek Church, which are considered the structural roots of Istanbul University. Alongside religious sciences, the university also taught secular sciences such as astronomy, sociology, mathematics, law, literature, and medicine, which was taught at Istanbul’s largest hospital at the time, the Darülaceze Hospital.

Istanbul University continued teaching the aforementioned subjects until July 21, 1846, when the Ottoman state decided to add new technical fields to the university’s curriculum to develop the bureaucratic and military technical capabilities of the Ottoman Empire. For this purpose, the then-Ottoman Sultan, Abdülmecid II, transformed Istanbul University into a larger educational hub named “Darülfünun” encompassing several buildings. After the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, Istanbul University continued its educational activities under the name Darülfünun until 1933, when it was officially named Istanbul University and its geographical area was expanded after the incorporation of the military district. Istanbul University continues its educational activities to this day.

Faculties at Istanbul University

Faculty of Medicine (Basic Medical Sciences, Internal Medical Sciences, Surgical Medical Sciences)
Faculty of Business Administration (Business Administration in English, Business Administration in Turkish)
Faculty of Communication (Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising, Television, Radio and Cinema)
Faculty of Dentistry
Faculty of Theology (Department of Basic Islamic Studies – Tafsir, Hadith, Islamic Sharia, Theology, History of Islamic Sects, Sufism, Arabic Language and Rhetoric, Quranic Recitation and Qira’at Science
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies (History of Philosophy, Islamic Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Logic, History of Religions, Sociology of Religion, Religious Education)
Department of Islamic History and Fine Arts (Islamic History, History of Turkish Islamic Arts, Turkish Religious Music)
Department of Religious Culture and Ethical Education
Faculty of Economics
Faculty of Engineering (Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geological Engineering, Geophysical Engineering, Marine Transport Management)
Department of Chemistry
Faculty of Aquatic Sciences
Faculty of Forestry
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Pharmacy
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Architecture
Faculty of Political Sciences (International Relations, Public Administration, Business Administration)
Faculty of Science (Astronomy and Space Sciences, Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Molecular Biology and Genetics)
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Veterinary Medicine – History and Ethics, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Pathology, Virology, Internal Medicine, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Surgery, Food Health and Technology, Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Animal Nutrition and Feed Diseases, Animal Husbandry)
Faculty of Nursing (Medical Nursing, Surgical Diseases Nursing, Pediatric Nursing, Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing, Fundamentals of Nursing, Public Health Nursing, Nursing Management, Nursing Education)
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Transport and Logistics (International Relations, Transport and Logistics)
Faculty of Sports Sciences
Faculty of Computing and Information Technologies