For assistant professor, associate professor, and professor candidates to be appointed for the first time in a faculty or a graduate school at Middle East Technical University, the English language proficiency criteria that need to be met in the application and appointment stages together with other related issues have been discussed and decided as stated below.*

 

Application stage:

 

1- Non-native English speaker candidates who will be appointed as assistant professor, associate professor, or professor are expected to have a minimum score of 85** from the Foreign Language Placement Test (YDS), Higher Education Council in Interuniversity Council Foreign Language Exam (ÜDS), Public Personnel Foreign Language Proficiency Exam (KPDS), the Council of Higher Education Foreign Language Exam (YÖKDİL), or obtain an equivalent score from an international exam.

 

2- The score mentioned in Article 1 is the minimum score required by the university; therefore, certain academic units and programs may require higher scores. The minimum language proficiency scores to apply for positions in such academic units and programs are announced on the webpage of the University after being approved by the Senate. If the minimum score to apply for a lecturer position in an academic unit is increased by a Senate decision, the same minimum language proficiency score will be valid for candidates who will be appointed to the same academic unit as assistant professor, associate professor, or professor.

 

3- A candidate’s language proficiency exam score cannot be dating back to more than three years. Language proficiency scores dating back to more than three years can be accepted by the decision of a Faculty or Graduate School Board and the approval of the appointing superior if the candidate proves that they spent at least two semesters (9 months) at an English language-medium university, international research and/or application institute abroad as a faculty member or with the purpose of graduate study or research after obtaining the score. For central exams with a score validity of less than three years, the validity period specified in the document will be taken as a basis.

 

Appointment stage:

 

4- Candidates who meet the application requirements are required to take an oral interview in English. The jury of these exams consists of three faculty members or lecturers chosen by the university administrative board from the Department of Foreign Language Education at the Faculty of Education, the Department of Modern Languages and the Department of Basic English at the School of Foreign Languages. Members of the jury determine the jury head among themselves. The exam results are sent to the Faculties or Graduate Schools for assistant professor candidates, and to the Presidency for associate professor and professor candidates, along with a report signed by the jury members. Candidates who fail the oral exam cannot retake the exam earlier than 6 months from the date of the first attempt. Candidates whose native language is English are exempt from this exam.

 

University Senate Decisions:

* University Senate’s decision dated April 21, 2021 (numbered 2021/5-2)

** A minimum score of 90 for the candidates to be appointed for the first time in Faculty of Education Department of Foreign Language Education (University Senate’s decision dated December 11, 2018, numbered 2018/9-2)