Graduate School | Department of Special Education | Master of Arts (MA) in Special Education | Master of Arts (MA) in Education of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Last Updated: 21/09/2026

Teacher Education Master’s Program for Intellectual Disabilities

The aim of this program is to enhance the personal and career development of master’s students in the field of intellectual disabilities, moreover this program assists students to follow and conduct scientific studies, to coach teachers to be specialist in the field of special education for students with intellectual disabilities, to conduct research in the field of education of students with intellectual disabilities. Also, this program assists master’s students to produce knowledge, education strategies, qualified personal and disseminate these services universally.

For application of this program, general acceptance criteria is valid in addition to the detailed acceptance criteria each year announced. The graduates of this program work either at the private special education schools or at the special education departments at the universities.

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.

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.

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;
The testing and evaluation procedures of the Master of Arts (MA) program are designed as both process and product oriented. While the product oriented evaluation comprises mid-term and final exams, the process oriented evaluation comprises the reports and presentations of the assignments and project reports. The percentages of the evaluations may vary for each course. A midterm and a final exam at least have to be administered for each course. The success of the students is evaluated with regard to the performance during the term and the final grades.

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.

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 Master of Arts (MA) program consists of ninecourses – one of which is a seminar course – with a minimum of 52 ECTS credits and a thesis study with a minimum of 30 ECTS credits. The seminar course and thesis study are scored with the grades “sufficient” (YT) or “insufficient” (YZ). The students have to get the grades YT, CC or above from all the courses they have attended and have a minimum 2.50 grade point average out of 4.00 in order to be approved of being successful.

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

M.A graduates students can be assigned as a proffessional / speacialist / researcher to the private and official special education schools' and universities' related units.

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. YASEMİN ERGENEKON