The Agricultural Genetic Engineering Department of the Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University launched its education activities in 2013-2014 educational term, by recruiting its first students to programmes of Bachelor’s Science (BSc), Master of Science (MSc) and Doctorate (PhD). In the same year, English Preparation Program became compulsory before the undergraduate program and currently 100% of lectures are given in English. 

Department of Agricultural Genetic Engineering Graduate Program is a total of five years including one-year English Preparatory Class and a 4-year degree program composed of 8 semesters, each of which has a 30 ECTS workload. Students, who are exempt from the preparatory school, can start the first-year directly. One ECTS equals to 30 hours of student workload per semester. The department has a young, dynamic and competent academic staff including 5 Professors, 2 Assistant Professor Doctors and 6 Research Assistant. The Department is composed of three sections which are Genetics and Applied Breeding, Agricultural Bioinformatics and Agricultural Genetic Resources. Projects supported by various national and international sources are carried out in the department by working groups. 

Graduate students begin to get used to the program with a few lessons which is the basis of agricultural engineering as well as Botany, Chemistry, Mathematics as basic science courses in the program in first year. In the second class, in addition to the basic agricultural engineering courses, some of the lessons which is the basis of agricultural genetic engineering are accessed. In the third class, students who have completed to learn the basics of agricultural engineering and agricultural genetic engineering, in the fourth class, concentrate on that field by selecting the courses related to a field which is future work. Students, who successfully defend Graduation Thesis which is prepared at the end of the fourth year, will graduate with the title of Agricultural Genetic Engineer from the program. 

Department of Agricultural Genetic Engineering will be the right choice for all domestic and foreign undergraduate and graduate students who want to study in this field, with construction of a modern building completed in 2013, laboratories equipped with the latest technological all devices required by the field and outstanding academic staff.

Aims : 

In addition to the basic knowledge of agricultural engineering, to train agricultural genetic engineers focusing on plant genetics, seed technology with conventional and biotechnological breeding methods and specializing in plant breeding and genetics by a contemporary educational program based on scientific principles. 

Objectives : 

Primary objectives are to give graduates having a vision and well-equipped with scientific, technological, and social area by using all the modern facilities required for the field of education and implementing international joint training programs and to be a primarily preferred department by domestic and foreign students in terms of the education system. Also, the basic objectives of our department are to be a reference center in the field of plant breeding and genetics in terms of scientific research and to be a master department that actualizes university-private sector cooperation by executing product-oriented projects.

Upon successful completion of this program, students are awarded with the qualification of BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING. 

A Bachelor's Degree Program in AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING is a 240 ECTS Credits, 4-year program. The program meets the requirements by both the ECTS credits and level descriptors of the first cycle degree qualifications of the Overarching Framework of European Qualifications Framework HE(QF-EHEA) and the 6th level qualifications of the Turkish Qualifications Framework for HE (TYYÇ, NQF-HETR). The level descriptors also meet the 6th level requirements of the qualifications of the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF-LLL).

Admission of national students to the AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING program is contingent on the success of the nationally centralized Student Selection Examination (YKS) conducted by the Student Selection and Placement Centre (OSYM). Candidates who succeed on the YKS examination (Higher Education Council Examination) are enrolled according to their type SAY score preferences. 

Students who are admitted to the program must enroll for a one-year intensive English Language Preparatory Programme at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University English Preparatory School if they are not successful in a proficiency exam or do not provide a Computer-Based TOEFL (CBT) score of 183, or equivalent Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT) or Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT) scores. 

The admission of foreign students is possible through an evaluation of students’ individual application to the university. For further and detailed information please visit General Admission Requirements and Registration Procedures in the menu items of the Information on the Institution. 

For further information, please contact Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University International Office.

International Office 

Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, Main Campus, 51240 Niğde, TÜRKİYE 

Phone: 0 388 225 21 48

Fax: 0 388 225 23 85 

E-mail:erasmus@ohu.edu.tr 

Web:http://www.ohu.edu.tr/uluslararasi/index.php?ln=en

With an understanding of lifelong learning, Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University recognizes the previously taken courses in another institution and exempts them from graduation credit, as long as the courses match the learning outcomes of the registered program at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University. The learning outcome match and the exemption are decided by the Faculty Board in line with the related laws and regulations.

Department of Agricultural Genetic Engineering was established to provide a high-quality program to follow and to learn about the latest technologies and at the same time to ensure the participation of applied and theoretical research. The graduate program is prepared in accordance with the understanding of a joint training strategy and gaining experience with practicing. 

The program includes primarily fields of crop production systems and methods, plant breeding and genetics, genetic resources, bioinformatics, agricultural biotechnology, and seed production techniques. For this reason, to gain skills of application of basic sciences and engineering knowledge to agricultural engineering problems, understand the different areas of genetic engineering, expertize at least one profession of agricultural genetic engineering, and participate in creative and cohesive design activities. 

The undergraduate (Bachelor's Degree) program in Agricultural Genetic Engineering (First Cycle in QF-EHEA and 6th level in TYYÇ ) is an academically-oriented program giving access to degree and non-degree research program and professional practice demanding high levels of knowledge and skills. The classification of the program with respect to "ISCED (The International Standard Classification of Education) 2011" and "NQF-HETR (The Turkish Qualifications Framework for HE)" and the codes of the fields of education can be listed as follows: 

ISCED Field of Education: 62 – Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery 

ISCED 2011 Level: 6, Orientation (Profile): 64, Subcategory: 645 - Academically-oriented "first cycle", bachelor's degree

NQF-HETR Field of Education: 62 - Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery

NQF-HETR Profile of Education: Academically-oriented "first cycle", bachelor's degree

The most frequently used Instructional Methods of the educational programs of Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University are given below. Programs commonly apply these methods as appropriate instructional approaches in accordance with their aims and objectives. 

The instructional methods applied for achieving the goal of meeting the expected learning outcomes at the Agricultural Genetic Engineering program at large are indicated in the section of ‘program learning outcomes’, and those methods utilized for individual course units are indicated in the relevant section of “ description of individual course unit’.

The global natures of agricultural production and genetic engineering ensure many career opportunities in Turkey as well as in Europe and beyond. Students who will graduate from the department will have the opportunity of employment in companies operating in the fields of seed production, cultivar improvement, marketing etc. and in companies operating in the fields of molecular genetics, tissue culture, and biotechnology. Since graduates also have general information about agricultural engineering; they will be employed in all companies operating in agricultural production and in related fields. Moreover, graduates can also be employed in the public sector relevant to agriculture such as Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Environment and Urban Development and Ministry of Industry and Trade; General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, The Central Union of Turkish Agricultural Credit Cooperatives, producer associations related to agriculture (eg, Taris, Çukobirlik, Pankobirlik, etc.); General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises, etc. They can establish their own enterprises in agricultural production, consulting, etc. They may also develop an academic career by enrolling in related M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs of the universities in Turkey or abroad.

The qualification of AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING is obtained upon graduation from the programme AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING, which requires; 

Completion of all the courses designated within the curriculum of the programme, having a total of 240 ECTS Credits, with passing grades.

Achievement of a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 out of 4.00. 

Completion of with 45 days of the summer internship 

For detailed information: Please see "Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University's Rules & Regulations for Undergraduate Education"

Upon successful completion of this programme, students may apply to master’s (second cycle) and in some cases, to doctorate (third cycle) degree programs in or related fields of AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING. According to the National Regulations on Graduate Education, students are admitted to master’s programmes taking into account their undergraduate (first cycle degree) achievement level and the scores on the subject-specific entrance examinations of the Graduate Education Entrance Examination (ALES) centrally administered by the Student Selection and Placement Centre (ÖSYM). Within the framework of the national regulations, regulations endorsed by the senate of each university stipulate the weight of ALES Examination results in the overall evaluation of candidates. Depending on the institutions’ regulations, for some programmes to be accessed, a certain level of foreign language proficiency is also required.

The methods applied for assessment of the achievement of the expected program learning outcomes for the entire program of AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING are shown below and those those for the individual course units are given in the relevant section of the course description with their contribution to the final grades. 

Mid-Term Exam 

Final Exam 

Make-up Exam 

Short Exam 

Homework Assessment 

Presentation of Report 

Computer-Based Presentation 

Presentation of Thesis 

Presentation of Document 

The success of students in achieving the expected learning outcomes of each course unit within the curriculum of the AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING programme is evaluated via assessments of in-term activities and final examination which takes place at the end of each semester. 

Assessment of in-term activities includes a minimum number of a mid-term examination, a homework and a short-exam (quiz) as compulsory assessment methods for all the course units within all degree programmes defined by the Regulations. The programmes are encouraged to define more assessment methods for the in-term activities depending on their needs for measuring the achievements of the outcomes at the programme and course unit levels in order to ensure the educational aims and objectives. The nature and number of the assessment methods used for each course unit together with their contribution the final grades are given under the title of “Assessment and Grading” in the sections of course descriptions. These arrangements are announced in advance, at the beginning of each semester and published in the sections of the course descriptions on this web site. 

Mid-term and final examinations are conducted in dates, places and times determined and announced by the University. The students’ final semester grade is given by their instructors based on mid-term examination, homework evaluation, short-examinations, final examination and, if there is any, other assessment results taking into account the students’ compliance with attendance to the course activities. 

The contribution of assessment grades of the in-term activities to the final grade could be at most 40% and that of the final exam cannot be less than 40 % and higher than 60% for all for all the course units within all degree programmes defined by the Regulations. 

Course units, which do not require a mid-term, homework, short-exam and/or a final exam, such as work placement, are determined by the administration of the related departments and specific assessment and grading methods for these courses are also announced through the same channels described above. Evaluation of such activities is made through the procedures defined by the Senate and assessed by Pass (P) or Fail (F) grades.

The success of a student for each assessment (in-term and final) defined for each course unit is evaluated by the instructor. Evaluations are made over a scale of 100 points and converted to the letter grades at the end of the semester taking into account the standard deviation of grades and grade point average of the class and using the relative evaluation method, principles of which have been set by the Senate. 

Please see the section of “Grade Evaluation” for detailed information.

In order for a student to graduate from the AGRICULTURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING program the following conditions must to be met: 

Completion of all the courses designated within the curriculum of the programme, having a total of 240 ECTS Credits, with passing grades.

Achievement of a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 out of 4.00. 

Completion of with 45 days of the summer internship 

For detailed information: Please see "Nigde University's Rules & Regulations for Undergraduate Education"