Graduate School | Department of Private Law | Master of Arts (MA) in Private Law

Last Updated: 21/09/2026

The aim of the Master's program in Private Law is to provide graduate students with advanced specialized knowledge. The program consists of a course and thesis phase.

In the courses taken during the two semesters, candidates examine especially current and controversial issues in the sub-branches of private law. In this context, there are courses on civil law, commercial law, labor and social security law, intellectual property law, Roman law, civil procedure and bankruptcy law, private international law, maritime law and European Union law. With the education and training activities carried out in these courses, they evaluate and discuss existing private law concepts and institutions in the light of new developments. In the courses, candidates are encouraged to develop a critical approach to existing concepts and institutions, to identify and define new ideas by following developments, and to defend their original ideas that they have created at the end of their studies.

Students who complete the course phase choose a sub-branch of private law and prepare an original thesis on this subject. Students who are successful in the thesis defense graduate from the program and receive a Master's degree.

Admission to graduate programmes is governed by the relevant legislation on graduate education, the Anadolu University Regulation on Graduate Education and Examinations, and the admission requirements announced by the relevant Graduate School. Depending on the programme, admission decisions may take into account the Academic Personnel and Graduate Education Entrance Examination (ALES) score, foreign language proficiency, undergraduate or graduate grade point average, written scientific assessment examination, interview, portfolio, and/or other programme-specific selection criteria.
Candidates who are offered admission must complete their registration within the deadlines announced by the relevant Graduate School and submit all required documentation. Admission through horizontal transfer is carried out in accordance with the Anadolu University Regulation on Graduate Education and Examinations and the procedures established by the relevant Graduate School. The application and admission procedures for international applicants are conducted in accordance with the admission requirements and supporting documentation approved by the Senate of Anadolu University.
Turkish and foreign students can enroll in the program by meeting the conditions. In order to apply for a master's program with thesis, the candidate must have a bachelor's degree, an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.00/4.00 or an undergraduate GPA accepted as equivalent by the Senate; must have at least 55 points from ALES in the score type applied or an equivalent score from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) exam or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) exam accepted by the Senate and must meet the special conditions determined by the Graduate School Board.The application success grade of the candidate; In the master's program with thesis, 50% of the ALES score, 30% of the undergraduate GPA and 20% of the foreign language score, if any, from one of the foreign language exams organized by ÖSYM or YÖKDİL exam or international foreign language exams accepted as equivalent by ÖSYM.In the master's program with thesis, a success ranking is made for the candidates who apply based on the specified criteria and the candidates who are entitled to enroll in the program are determined by ranking starting from the highest score within the quota.In order for foreign candidates who are entitled to enroll in the program to be enrolled in the program, they must be at the C1 level of the Turkish Language Teaching Center (TÖMER) and the European Language Portfolio (ADP) level equivalent; or get at least 70 points out of 100 from the Turkish Proficiency Exam held at the University. Turkish language score is not required for foreign applicants who graduated from a program whose medium of instruction is Turkish and for Turkish citizens who completed their undergraduate/graduate education abroad. The procedures and principles regarding the admission of foreign applicants and Republic of Turkey citizens who have completed their undergraduate education abroad to graduate programs are determined by the Senate.

Recognition of prior learning is carried out in accordance with the relevant higher education legislation, the University's regulations governing education, examinations and assessment, and the institutional principles for exemption and credit transfer. Students may apply, within the specified deadlines, for exemption and credit transfer based on courses successfully completed at another higher education institution or on equivalent prior learning. Applications are evaluated by the relevant board or commission with due consideration of course content, credit/ECTS values, grades obtained, and their compatibility with the curriculum and learning outcomes of the relevant programme.
The credit and grade transfer requests of the student for the course(s) that the student has succeeded in the higher education institutions he / she has previously studied at the time of final enrollment at the University are examined and decided by the Institute Administrative Board in a way to cover the entire education of the student and for one time only.It is required that the course to be transferred has equal or higher ECTS credits.Courses taken within the scope of certificate programs cannot be transferred.

All students enrolled at Anadolu University are assigned a faculty academic advisor to provide guidance and support throughout their studies. Academic advisors offer counselling from the beginning of the student's academic programme until graduation, assisting students with academic, administrative, and other matters related to university life. In particular, advisors provide guidance during course registration and course selection processes, monitor students' academic progress, and support them in making informed decisions regarding their educational pathways.
For further information, please refer to the Academic Advising Directive of Anadolu University.

The programme is delivered in face-to-face / blended mode. Students are enrolled on the programme as (full-time / part-time) students. Teaching and learning activities are conducted in accordance with the programme curriculum, including the semester structure, scheduled class hours, practical components, and, where applicable, online learning environments.

A variety of assessment methods such as mid-term(s), assignment(s), exercise(s), project(s), practice(s), and a final exam are implemented in the programme. Assessment methods may include classical test(s), multiple-choice test(s), homework(s), performance evaluation(s), and product evaluation(s). In order to graduate from the programme, cumulative GPA must be minimum 2.00. A course grade is constituted by evaluating the above stated elements and given by using letters. Letter grades and their associated coefficients are as follows;
In this program, different assessment methods such as midterm, homework, exercise, project, practice and final exam are applied. Evaluation methods may include classical exam, multiple choice exam, homework, performance evaluation. Students who receive a letter grade of CD, DC, DD, FF, YZ or DZ in compulsory courses must take these courses again. A student who receives one of the letter grades CD, DC, DD, FF, YZ or DZ from an elective course repeats this course or can take another elective course instead of this course with the approval of the advisor.In order to graduate from the program, the weighted grade point average must be at least 2.50. The grade of a course is determined as a result of the evaluation of the above elements and is given in letters. Letter grades and the coefficient of each grade are given below.

Grade	Coefficient
AA	4,0
AB	3,7
BA	3,3
BB	3,0
BC	2,7
CB	2,3
CC	2,0
CD	1,7
DC	1,3
DD	1,0
FF	0,0

A student is required to successfully complete a minimum of 7 courses, not less than 52,5 ECTS credits, take the required seminar and the Field Specialization courses and write and defend a Master’s Thesis, have a minimum GPA of 2.50/4.00 and no letter grades lower than CC, YT and no YZ, DZ grades.
The student must have completed at least seven courses, a seminar course, a specialization course and a thesis study with a total of not less than 60 ECTS credits, must have a grade of at least YT, CC or above in all courses taken, and must have a GPA of at least 2.50 out of 4.00.

To be awarded a Master's Degree with Thesis, students must successfully complete at least seven courses, a seminar course, specialisation courses, and a master's thesis, corresponding to a minimum of 120 ECTS credits. To qualify for graduation, students must obtain a grade of Satisfactory (YT) or CC or above in all courses, achieve a minimum CGPA of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale, successfully defend their thesis before an examination committee, publish at least one article in a peer-reviewed journal or one paper in a peer-reviewed conference related to their field of study, and satisfy all other graduation requirements prescribed by the programme.
The student must have passed at least seven courses, a seminar course and a specialization course and thesis study with a total of not less than 60 ECTS credits, must have a grade of at least YT, CC or above from all the courses taken, and must have a GPA of at least 2.50 out of 4.00.The duration of the master's program with thesis is four semesters, starting from the semester in which the courses related to the program in which he / she is enrolled, regardless of whether he / she registers for each semester, except for the period spent in scientific preparation, and the program is completed in a maximum of six semesters.Students who fail to successfully complete the credited courses and seminar course in the curriculum at the end of four semesters, or who have courses / courses with letter grades of CD, DC, DD, FF, YZ or DZ, or who fail to achieve a GPA of 2.50 are dismissed from the program.The maximum duration of the master's program with thesis is six semesters. Students who fail in the thesis study or fail to enter the thesis defense within the maximum period are dismissed from the program.If the student fulfills the graduation requirements of the master's program with thesis, he/she can graduate before this period.In order for a master's student with thesis to be considered successful, he/she must receive a letter grade of YT, CC or above from all the courses he/she has taken and must have a GPA of at least 2.50.

Students who successfully fulfil all programme requirements are awarded a Master's Degree Diploma in Master of Arts (MA) in Private Law.. Graduates obtain a Level 7 (Master's Degree) qualification within the Turkish Qualifications Framework (TQF).

Those who successfully complete the private law master's program are prepared for doctoral programs after the courses they choose. If they want to work as academic staff in universities, having a master's degree is a factor that increases their chances of admission to doctoral programs.

Since graduates are generally specialized in the field of private law and in a sub-branch of their choice, they can work as lawyers and consultants in the private and public sectors in the areas they specialize in, and they can advance their professional careers in this field. Professional groups such as judges, prosecutors, notaries, experts can also develop their professional careers in this direction.

Graduates of Master's Degree programmes with a thesis are eligible to apply for Doctoral (PhD) or Proficiency in Arts programmes in accordance with the relevant legislation governing graduate education.


PROF. DR. TOLGA AKKAYA
ASSIST. PROF. DR. NEYZEN FEHMİ DOLAR