Message from the Head of Department

Dear Students,

First of all, congratulations on being placed in the Department of Economics after a long and demanding preparatory period, and best wishes for your new profession. The economics profession has long been, and remains, one of the respected professions in many countries. In our country, however, numerous universities offer many economics or economy programs, both in face-to-face and open education formats, and these programs graduate large numbers every year. This will not be a problem for those who graduate after being properly trained, because the education you will receive at the HKU Department of Economics, together with your own efforts and contributions, will open the way for you to find good jobs and realize yourselves. Economics is a branch of science that examines people’s choices in using scarce resources to meet their needs, and tries to explain economic events and how the economy works. The other side of economics is making economic forecasts at the micro and macro levels and developing policies to solve the various economic problems that arise. Our department focuses on offering quality economics education that enables you to build careers in your fields and/or work in competitive markets. To this end, the Department provides theoretical and applied teaching that takes into account the needs of the private and public sectors, based primarily on the requirements of the digital economy that has become mandatory since the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to academic requirements. Theoretical education is reinforced by Applied Training in Industry, which may begin after the 6th semester. The teaching at the HKU Department of Economics is designed to help you more easily understand the economic, political, social, technological and organizational developments in our country and the world, and to adapt yourselves accordingly, regardless of the jobs you choose in the future. The curriculum of the HKU Department of Economics is comparable to those of the best universities in the world and in Turkey, is current and rich, and, beyond basic academic requirements, is largely oriented toward the digital economy.

Dear Students,

The general features of the teaching program implemented in the Department of Economics and the opportunities it offers you can be summarized as follows: quality economics education for those who will pursue careers or work in competitive markets; graduates inclined to conduct scientific research and projects on economic events, problems and economic development; the opportunity to choose among different fields of specialization built on economics as their backbone, through an effective advising system; a flexible and dynamic curriculum of high standards, compatible with academic requirements, market needs and the digital global and local economies; courses that may be offered in line with digital economy requirements, such as Basic Communication Skills for Academic Success, Information Technologies, Introduction to Computer Programming, Statistical Modeling, Statistical Data Analysis, Science, Technology and the Digital Economy, R&D and Project Management, Philosophy of Science, Applied Entrepreneurship, Innovation Economics, Network and Internet Economics, Modern Manufacturing Systems, Linear Programming and World Food Economics. The Department’s innovative courses, however, are not limited to these; for sufficient information, please be sure to consult the curriculum on our web page. Establishing and developing graduate programs for expertise in economics teaching and research and for higher standards; the opportunity to obtain a second diploma and certificate through double major and minor programs; compulsory and intensive English courses in the first year and elective English courses in every semester thereafter; applied training for one semester (14 weeks) in firms, institutions or organizations in various industries after the relevant semesters (COOP, Cooperative Education); and the opportunity to take part in the Erasmus program, which aims to broaden knowledge and experience in addition to foreign language skills. As a Department, we commit to doing everything necessary to graduate you with these qualifications. Regarding your field, we will share with you all the professional knowledge and experience you may need while practicing your profession. However, for all of this to happen, we expect you to respond to the efforts of our faculty members and assistants by working diligently and making your own contributions to the achievement of the Department’s aims and objectives. The language of instruction of our Department is Turkish; however, you may, by your own choice, study in the English preparatory class. The Applied Training in Industry (CO-OP) course, which our students take upon completing all courses up to the end of the 3rd year, is a university-industry cooperation based training model that combines theoretical education with working life. The 14-week CO-OP training consists of uninterrupted work carried out entirely within a single firm or institution. With this training, our students will face employers as experienced graduates and will minimize the time needed to learn on the job. As Head of the Department of Economics, I welcome our dear students and wish all of you success along with our current students.