Mechanical Engineering

In general terms, engineering is a profession that uses knowledge gained through theoretical and experimental research, based on mathematics and basic sciences, to develop economic methods for utilizing matter and energy in nature for the benefit of humankind. Mechanical engineering is a discipline concerned with the design and production of tools, devices, machines, systems, and processes that we use in our daily lives and need for production, and its history dates back to ancient times. Today, modern mechanical engineering encompasses the fundamental subjects of mechanics, thermodynamics-energy, control, and materials-manufacturing, and has recently come to include computer-aided design, modeling, and analysis. Mechanical engineers should be regarded as professionals responsible for designing and performing the functions defined as their duties in an efficient, safe, economical, environmentally friendly, and ethically responsible manner.

It is possible to consider mechanical engineering, which currently has the broadest scope of work in our country and around the world, as a profession of today as much as it was yesterday. First of all, it is noteworthy that the fields of work and topics are very broad. Everything from heating systems to nuclear power plants, bicycles to sports cars, washing machines to petrochemical plants, refrigerators to ice skating rinks falls within the scope of mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineers can provide services in various units of sectors such as designing and manufacturing of all types of machinery, petrochemicals, food machinery and equipment, iron and steel products, aircraft, automotive and textile industries, hydroelectric, nuclear and thermal power plants, and building climate control, in the areas of Research and Development, operations, maintenance, repair, production, quality control, design, project planning, marketing, contracting, consulting, and as well as administrative duties.

Işık University, Mechanical Engineering Department was established in 2007 and awarded its first mechanical engineering degrees in 2011. The department currently offers two engineering bachelor's degree programs:

•           Mechanical Engineering (in English): The program began accepting students in 2007 and continues to operate today.

•           Mechatronics Engineering (in English): The program began accepting students in 2011 and continues to be offered in coordination with the Electrical-Electronics and Computer Engineering Departments as an interdisciplinary basis.

In addition, the Automotive Engineering (English) program, which began accepting students in 2012 and stopped accepting students in 2019, and the Mechanical Engineering (Turkish) program, which began accepting students in 2013 and stopped accepting students in 2020, will continue to be offered until the graduation of the enrolled students. 

The Department also offers:

•           Master of Science Programs in Mechanical Engineering (in English) with and without thesis basis.

In a globalized world, English still retains its status and importance as a common language, especially in technical sciences. Today, professionals managing industrial organizations consider it essential for engineers to be proficient in English and able to use it effectively. With the decision to make the university's educational opportunities more accessible to international students and considering that the vast majority of technical documents and resources in mechanical engineering education are in English, it was decided that the programs offered by the Department would be conducted in English.

Depending on the Department's strong Mechanical Engineering infrastructure, the interdisciplinary Mechatronics Engineering Program, which has recently gained prominence in terms of employment and applications and significantly overlaps with Mechanical Engineering topics in content, is also being implemented through the coordination of this program, which was developed with contributions from the Electrical-Electronics and Computer Engineering Departments of Işık University. The undergraduate programs run and/or coordinated by the Department provide learning opportunities that offer professional knowledge and skills, as well as a solid foundation for those who aim to pursue different fields in the future. In these undergraduate programs, skills such as designing, analyzing, problem solving, reasoning, reaching conclusions, creative thinking, working as a team, experimenting, and communicating are spread across courses and systematically blended with professional knowledge in an effort to equip students with these skills.

Students enrolled in programs conducted and/or coordinated by the Department of Mechanical Engineering are also offered opportunities to pursue Double Major (ÇAP) and Minor (YAP) programs across a wide range of other undergraduate programs conducted within and outside the Faculty.

The Vision Statement for Mechanical Engineering Department is:

“To be the focus of national mechanical, mechatronics, and automotive engineering education and training at the undergraduate and graduate levels”

The Mission Statement for the Department is to:

•           Run internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate programs to raise graduates who can work successfully in technical, R&D and managerial positions in public and private sector industrial organizations.

•           Contribute to science, national values, and technological independence through international academic work,

•           Graduate contemporary mechanical and mechatronics engineers who are self-confident, accustomed to working together, committed to a culture of learning and continuous self-improvement, and respectful of environmental, cultural, and ethical values, thereby contributing to society.

The undergraduate programs offered by the Department of Mechanical Engineering are continuously undergoing national and, consequently, international accreditation processes. Mechanical Engineering (English) undergraduate program, which graduated its first students in 2011, was accredited for the first time by MÜDEK(*) in July 2016 for a period of five years, and program graduates are entitled to receive the EUR-ACE(**) label on their diplomas. The accreditation of the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Program was renewed in 2022 and its validity period was extended until 2027. Similarly, the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Program, which awarded its first graduates in 2016, was evaluated by MÜDEK in 2022 and accredited for five years until 2027. Similar to the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's Program, graduates of the Mechatronics Engineering Bachelor's Program are also entitled to carry the EUR-ACE label on their diplomas.

Mechatronics Engineering Undergraduate Program, which graduated its first students in 2016, passed the MÜDEK evaluation in 2022 and received five-year accreditation until 2027. Similar to the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Program, graduates of the Mechatronics Engineering Undergraduate Program are also entitled to have the EUR-ACE label added to their diplomas.

(*) It is a nationally recognized engineering program evaluation/accreditation agency (organization) whose competence is recognized by YÖK (Turkish Council of Higher Education) and is also an active member of the international engineering program accreditation umbrella organizations; ENAEE (comprising European countries) and IEA (comprising overseas countries). 

(**) The EUR-ACE label is a certificate awarded to engineering undergraduate programs accredited by national accreditation organizations authorized by ENAEE (e.g., MÜDEK). It is important in ensuring that the diplomas of graduates from these programs are recognized by the relevant institutions of ENAEE member countries in Europe.