Online and Part-Time Master’s Programs in Turkey for Working Students

Contents

1. Can you study a master’s in Turkey while working?

2. Which part-time master’s formats exist in Turkey?

3. How does an online master’s work in practice?

4. What do you need to apply as a working student?

5. How long does a part-time master’s take, and when can you start?

6. Which graduate program format fits your situation?

7. Does a non-thesis online master’s lead to a PhD?

8. How do you choose and apply step by step?

9. Real-World Examples

10. Frequently Asked Questions

11. References

12. Legal Notice

Introduction

Yes, working students can study part-time master’s programs in Turkey, mainly through two formats: online distance education programs and on-campus evening programs. Non-thesis graduate programs, the type YÖK’s March 2024 rules set for online study, last two to three semesters under the national Regulation on Graduate Education and Training and may admit applicants without the ALES exam. Admission rules for international applicants are set by each university senate.

Graduate study in Turkey is large in scale. The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) reported 330,464 students enrolled in master’s programs in the 2025–2026 academic year, in its statistics bulletin published on 27 March 2026. The same bulletin counted 152,471 new master’s enrollments and 208 higher education institutions. In November 2024, YÖK President Erol Özvar put the number of international students in Turkey at about 340,000.

This article answers the questions working applicants ask most: which formats exist, how online classes and exams are run, what admission requires, how long a program takes, and how format affects residence and work. It draws on the Official Gazette, YÖK statistics and decisions, Ministry of Labour and Social Security guidance, and graduate school pages. Mezun Kampüsü compiled it as of October 2026. Intake calendars, quotas and fees vary by university and academic year, so confirm the details for your intake directly with the graduate school.

Can you study a master’s in Turkey while working?

Yes. Turkish universities offer master’s programs that working students can follow alongside a job, mainly as online distance education programs or on-campus evening programs. The distance programs covered by a March 2024 YÖK decision are non-thesis graduate programs of two to three semesters. The national Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, published in the Official Gazette on 20 April 2016, sets the shared national rules for these programs.

“Part-time” describes how a program fits a working schedule. The Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, Article 4, defines master’s programs by thesis status instead: a master’s program runs either with or without a thesis.

A master’s with thesis is a graduate program completed through coursework and the preparation of a thesis. A master’s without thesis is a coursework-focused graduate program completed with a term project instead of a thesis. The non-thesis type is built around coursework and a fixed timetable, which is easier to plan around a job than open-ended thesis research.

Each program is run by a graduate school. A graduate school is the academic unit within a Turkish university that runs graduate education and manages application and enrolment procedures. The graduate school publishes the application call, sets deadlines and answers questions about format.

Format sits on top of the thesis distinction. The same university may run one non-thesis program in three formats:

• a standard daytime program on campus

• an evening program (ikinci öğretim), taught on campus outside daytime hours

• a distance education program, taught online

The YÖK 2025–2026 bulletin shows the scale of the system these programs belong to. It counted 6,301,434 higher education students in total, of whom 330,464 were master’s students and 89,665 were doctoral students. The bulletin does not break master’s enrollment down by format. For that reason, no reliable national count of online or evening master’s students was available as of October 2026.

Which part-time master’s formats exist in Turkey?

Working students in Turkey can choose between three graduate program formats: distance education, evening study and standard daytime study. Distance and evening programs are the two built around employment. Each format follows the same national credit rules but differs in where teaching happens, how often a university admits students, and what the format means for an international student’s legal stay in Turkey.

A distance education program is a graduate program opened by decision of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in which teaching uses information and communication technologies and does not require instructors and students to be in the same place. This wording follows Article 4(2) of the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training.

An evening program (ikinci öğretim) is a graduate program delivered in person on campus with classes scheduled outside standard daytime hours. The Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, Article 15(5), states that doctoral programs cannot be opened in this form. The restriction is written for doctoral programs only; that article sets no matching limit for master’s programs.

The table below compares the three formats on the criteria that matter most to a working applicant.

Table 1. Distance, evening and daytime master’s formats in Turkey compared by delivery, intake, thesis status and admission

The quota and intake rows come from a YÖK decision that Nişantaşı University’s graduate school published on 20 March 2024. That announcement applies the 50-student ceiling and the once-a-year intake to distance non-thesis programs approved both before and after the decision.

How does an online master’s work in practice?

An online master’s in Turkey is taught through live virtual classes that students join from a computer, with the same credit requirements as an on-campus non-thesis program. Universities run delivery through a distance education center or the graduate school. Exam arrangements, attendance rules and recorded-lecture access are set by each university’s own distance education rules, so they vary between institutions.

The legal basis comes first. Article 4(2) of the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training allows YÖK to open graduate distance education programs. In the English translation of the regulation published by Bezmialem Vakıf University, the provision says that “graduate distance education programs can be established in higher education institutions.” A university therefore needs a YÖK decision for each online program it runs.

Universities describe their online programs in similar terms. Beykent University’s graduate school explains on its Distance Learning e-MBA page that students are not required to attend campus and can follow missed lectures through recorded archives.

Classes are conducted in a visual, audio-supported, live, and interactive manner.
— Beykent University Graduate Education Institute, Distance Learning e-MBA page, accessed 12 October 2026

The academic load of an online program matches its on-campus equivalent. Ondokuz Mayıs University’s directive for distance non-thesis master’s programs, revised in November 2022, requires at least ten courses plus a term project, 30 credits and at least 60 ECTS. These are the same minimums that Article 11 of the national regulation sets for every non-thesis master’s.

The term project is the final piece of work. Under the Ondokuz Mayıs University directive, the term project course carries no credit and is graded pass or fail. Students submit the finished project electronically, together with a similarity report.

Assessment design is where institutions differ most. The Ondokuz Mayıs University directive lists midterm assessments, end-of-semester exams, make-up exams and single-course exams. It leaves the exam rules to the board of its distance education center. Exam format is therefore an institutional choice. Ask the graduate school how exams are held before enrolling, especially if you live outside Turkey.

What do you need to apply as a working student?

Applying to a part-time master’s in Turkey usually requires a bachelor’s degree, a transcript, a language document and the items listed in the graduate school’s call. For non-thesis programs, universities may admit students without an ALES score. International applicants follow admission rules that each university senate sets under Article 35(2) of the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training.

ALES is the centralised examination administered by the Student Selection and Placement Centre (ÖSYM) and used in applications to graduate programs and in academic staff recruitment in Turkey. Article 5(2) of the regulation lets universities drop it for non-thesis admission. The Bezmialem Vakıf University translation renders the provision as “higher education institutions may not require ALES scores” for non-thesis programs. Where a university does require ALES, its senate sets the minimum.

Beykent University applies this directly. Its Distance Learning e-MBA page states that its distance master’s programs are non-thesis, so there is no ALES requirement.

International applicants should read the call for international students separately. Article 35(2) leaves the conditions for foreign candidates, and for Turkish citizens who completed their whole undergraduate degree abroad, to each university senate. Documents, language levels and deadlines therefore differ between universities, and some may not open distance programs to international applicants at all.

Use this list to prepare before the call opens:

• Confirm whether the program is distance, evening or daytime, and with or without thesis

• Download the call for international students, not only the general call

• Check whether the program asks for ALES or an accepted equivalent score

• Prepare your diploma and transcript in the format the graduate school requests

• Gather the language document for the program’s teaching language

• Ask how exams are held and whether any on-campus attendance is expected

• Confirm the fee for your academic year in writing with the university

• Note the application and registration dates in your calendar

Registration dates are fixed nationally for international students. Under YÖK Executive Board decision 2023.57, circulated to universities on 13 March 2024, universities register international graduate students between 1 July and 30 November for the fall semester and between 15 January and 31 March for spring. Registration outside these windows is not permitted.

How long does a part-time master’s take, and when can you start?

A non-thesis master’s in Turkey, the type used by the distance programs covered by YÖK’s March 2024 decision, takes at least two and at most three semesters under Article 12 of the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training. A master’s with thesis normally takes four semesters and must be finished within six. Distance non-thesis programs admit students once a year, in the semester each university senate chooses.

Duration is counted from the semester in which the program’s courses begin. Under Article 12, time spent in a scientific preparatory program is excluded. A scientific preparatory program is a set of completion courses that a student admitted to a graduate program from a different field must complete before beginning the main program. A student who does not finish a non-thesis program within three semesters loses the place.

The maximum period of study is the longest duration set out in regulation within which a graduate program must be completed before the right to enrolment ends. For working students, this limit matters more than the normal length, because a busy work year can slow progress.

Course load also differs by type. Article 11 sets a non-thesis program at no fewer than ten courses, 30 credits and 60 ECTS, plus a term project. Article 6 sets a thesis program at no fewer than seven courses and one seminar, 21 credits and 120 ECTS in total. Article 11(3) lets a non-thesis student take up to three courses from undergraduate offerings, if they were not taken during the bachelor’s degree.

Table 2. Non-thesis and thesis master’s programs in Turkey compared by length, workload and timing

Start dates follow the university calendar. Nişantaşı University’s graduate school, for example, decided on 14 March 2024 to admit distance non-thesis students in the fall semester, a choice its senate approved on 19 March 2024. Other universities may choose spring, so check each call separately.

Which graduate program format fits your situation?

The right part-time master’s format depends on where you live, whether you need to stay in Turkey legally as a student, and whether you plan a PhD later. An online program suits someone keeping a job outside Turkey. An evening program suits someone already living and working in a Turkish city. A thesis program suits someone aiming at research or an academic career.

Start with residence. A student residence permit is the residence permit granted to a foreign national studying in Turkey, allowing them to remain in the country for the duration of their studies. Under YÖK Executive Board decision 2023.57, the Presidency of Migration Management grants residence permits to students whose enrollment is recorded as active in YÖKSİS, YÖK’s higher education information system. Whether enrollment in a fully online program supports a student residence permit is decided by Migration Management, not by the university. Applicants who plan to live in Turkey while studying online should confirm this with the university’s international office and Migration Management before enrolling.

Work rights follow a separate law. The International Labour Force Law No. 6735, dated 13 August 2016, brought foreign students within its scope. Guidance from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, published by Fırat University in 2025, states that graduate students face no restriction on work rights or duration under Article 43 of the law’s implementing regulation of 2 February 2022. A work permit is still required, and applications are made through e-Devlet, the government’s online services portal.

Health coverage is the third check. YÖK decision 2023.57 asks international students to enroll in General Health Insurance during university registration. General Health Insurance is the social security coverage providing access to healthcare services in Turkey; the application period for international students is limited by regulation.

The rule here is national; the practice is local. The regulation and YÖK decisions set the frame, while each university decides which formats it opens to international applicants.

Does a non-thesis online master’s lead to a PhD?

Usually not directly. Article 16(1)(a) of the Regulation on Graduate Education and Training expects doctoral applicants to hold a master’s degree with thesis, so a non-thesis master’s, whether online or evening, is mainly a professional qualification. Some universities allow a move from a non-thesis to a thesis program under their own senate rules.

The point is easy to miss because online and on-campus non-thesis programs carry the same credit minimums. The degree is a real master’s degree. Its purpose, however, differs. Article 11(1) states that a non-thesis master’s program provides the student with knowledge on professional subjects. A thesis program adds supervised research, which doctoral admissions look for.

Article 4(1) gives a possible route between the two. It says the transition between thesis and non-thesis master’s programs is determined by regulations issued by each university senate. Transfer conditions, credit recognition and eligibility therefore differ between institutions. A working student who might want a PhD later should ask before enrolling whether the university allows such a transfer and on what terms.

A second route sits at doctoral level. Article 16(1)(c) lets some applicants enter a doctorate with only a bachelor’s degree, subject to grade and ALES conditions. An integrated doctorate is a route allowing admission directly into a doctoral program with a bachelor’s degree, without a master’s degree. This route depends on the university and the field.

Doctoral programs are also excluded from evening delivery. Article 15(5) states that doctoral programs cannot be opened as evening programs. The YÖK 2025–2026 bulletin counted 89,665 doctoral students, against 330,464 master’s students. A 6 March 2026 amendment to the regulation, published in Official Gazette No. 33188, added a new doctoral admissions route in priority fields chosen by YÖK. It did not change the non-thesis or distance education articles.

In practice, choose a non-thesis online or evening program for career development within your field. Choose a thesis program if research, teaching at a university or a later PhD is part of the plan.

How do you choose and apply step by step?

Choosing a part-time master’s in Turkey works best in a fixed order: settle your goal, then the format, then the shortlist, then the documents and dates. Calls for distance programs open once a year, and international registration windows are set nationally by YÖK, so a late start can mean waiting a full academic year for the next intake.

1. Decide the purpose. Career progress points to a non-thesis program; research or a future PhD points to a thesis program.

2. Decide the format. Living outside Turkey points to a distance education program; living in a Turkish city with a daytime job points to an evening program.

3. Build a shortlist of graduate programs that offer the format in your field and language.

4. Read each university’s call for international students and note its quota, intake semester and required documents.

5. Ask the graduate school in writing about exams, any on-campus attendance and transfer to a thesis program.

6. Confirm residence, work permit and health insurance implications with the university’s international office and, where relevant, the Presidency of Migration Management.

7. Apply within the call’s deadline and register within the YÖK window: 1 July to 30 November for fall, or 15 January to 31 March for spring.

Plan around the once-a-year intake. The YÖK decision announced by Nişantaşı University on 20 March 2024 allows distance non-thesis programs to admit students only once a year. If the university picks fall, an application missed in summer usually means waiting until the next academic year.

Keep the registration rules in view after you enroll. YÖK decision 2023.57 allows international students to change universities only once within the same academic year. The same decision permits universities to delete the registration of a student who selects no courses and pays no fees for two consecutive years.

Before you apply, check the current-year call again. Quotas, intake semesters, fees and language rules can change between academic years and between universities. The figures in this guide reflect sources checked as of October 2026.

Real-World Examples

The examples in this section are illustrative scenarios created to explain situations applicants may encounter.

Amina, an accountant abroad. Amina works full-time in her home country and wants a business master’s without moving. She shortlists distance non-thesis programs at Turkish universities and finds that two of them admit students only in the fall. She reads each call for international students and sees that one asks for an English-language document while the other accepts her bachelor’s degree taught in English. Before applying, she emails both graduate schools to ask how final exams are held. One confirms supervised online exams, which fits her plan. She applies to that program within the summer call.

Daniel, an engineer in Istanbul. Daniel already works in Istanbul on a residence permit linked to his job. He prefers classroom discussion to screens, so he looks at evening non-thesis programs in engineering management. His question is whether studying changes his residence position. He asks the university’s international office and Migration Management together and keeps their written replies. He then compares two evening programs by class times and commute. He chooses the one closer to his office and plans his coursework over three semesters.

Leyla, a teacher planning a PhD. Leyla teaches full-time and is drawn to a distance non-thesis program in education. She also hopes to start a doctorate within a few years. After reading the regulation’s doctoral admission rules, she sees that doctoral applicants are generally expected to hold a master’s with thesis. She asks the graduate school whether its senate rules allow a transfer from the non-thesis to the thesis program. The answer depends on her grades and available supervisors, so she weighs that route against applying straight to a thesis program.

Omar, a career changer. Omar studied biology, works in data analysis and wants a master’s in that field. A graduate school tells him he may need to complete a scientific preparatory program first, because his bachelor’s degree is in a different field. He learns that preparatory time does not count toward the non-thesis program’s three-semester limit. He builds a timeline that includes the preparatory courses and spreads his workload around his busiest months at work. He then applies for the intake that leaves him the most room.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Mezun Kampüsü
Mezun Kampüsü is a platform that brings together the graduate programs, application calendars and academic announcements of universities in Turkey. Working applicants can use Atlas to compare online, evening and daytime master’s programs, follow the once-a-year intakes of distance programs, track graduate school announcements, and start a free application through the Universities section.

Legal Notice

This article provides general information about online, evening and non-thesis master’s programs in Turkey. It is not personal academic, legal or financial advice. The Regulation on Graduate Education and Training, YÖK decisions, Law No. 6735 and Migration Management practice can change over time, and university conditions, quotas, intake semesters and fees vary by period and by institution. Residence permit, work permit and health insurance questions can carry legal consequences, so confirm them with the Presidency of Migration Management, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the university before acting.