TİKs

What is a TİK?

The term “TİK” stands for “Tez İzleme Komitesi” (Thesis Monitoring Committee) and could be used as a metonymy to refer to the oral exam which members of the committee administer to PhD students. After successfully completing their courses and passing the Comprehensive Exam, PhD students should start working on their dissertations. During this time, they should sit for their TİKs.

Why are TİKs Important?

Every student should take and pass a minimum of three TİKs in order to be eligible for his or her final dissertation defense.

TİK Nature and Format

A TİK takes the form of an online or face-to-face meeting between students and jury members. The jury members ask students questions about the completed and submitted chapter(s) of their dissertations. Every student should submit one or more chapters to the jury members one month before each TİK. The result of the exam is determined by the jury members’ evaluation of the chapter(s) and of the students’ answers to the questions at the exam. The jury members also make recommendations on how to improve the submitted chapter(s) and on students’ research projects. They might ask students to modify or revise specific sections in their dissertations. At the next TİK, the jury members check if the students have taken these notes and recommendations into consideration or not.

When are TİK administered?

You are entitled to only one TİK a semester. Since you should pass three TİKs, it means you need at least three semesters to finish all your TİKs. Fall semester TİKs are held in December. Spring semester TİKs are held in June. There should be a 5-month period between one TİK and another. In this way, you will complete eight semesters as a PhD student. Otherwise, your ECTS will not be 240 as required.

ECT Distribution?

TİKs are classified as doctoral courses and they have 30 ECTS including the Field of Specialization which students sign up to. The Field of Specialization course has 4 ECTS, and the Thesis course has 26 ECTS. Each semester students should cover 30 ECTS, so if you complete eight semesters, you will earn 240 ECTS, which is what you need to be eligible for your defense.

Documents Required?

Before sitting for your first TİK, you should download, fill out and submit the following forms to your department and to your supervisor:

These and all the other forms you may be required to submit are available on the Forms web page.

Chapter Submission

TİKs are administered in June and December. To be eligible for June TİKs, students must submit their chapters to the jury members during the first week of May. To be eligible for December TİKs, students must submit their chapter during the first week of November. Students should consult their supervisors for details on the exam. The title of the dissertation should be clearly stated when the chapter or chapters are submitted.

What am I expected to do at my TİK?

In addition to answering the jury members’ questions, you are expected to do the following:

Provide a summary of your chapter
State which text(s) you are analyzing in the chapter(s) you submitted
Provide a synopsis of each text
State which theory you are applying to the text(s)
Briefly describe the theory you are applying
Show an example of this application
Sum up the findings of the chapter(s)

Muayad Jajo