Exchange Opportunities and Procedures

We strongly recommend that MBGE undergraduates take advantage of exchange opportunities in Europe, the United States, and in other locations around the world. Study abroad broadens our individual horizons, while also strengthening the connections and friendships between Türkiye and other nations. 

Once you have decided to study abroad, contact Koç University’s Office of International Programs (OIP) to obtain an updated list of universities that have exchange agreements with the Molecular Biology and Genetics Program. 

Next, you can perform the following steps in consultation with the MBGE exchange coordinator. It is a very good idea to prepare these materials far before any deadlines, so that decisions about courses can be made with the highest prudence. The current MBGE exchange coordinator is Dr. Cory Dunn.

1)  Decide which semester might be best for your study abroad.  The optimal time in which to study abroad is likely to be after the fall semester of your third year.  However, study abroad is possible and encouraged during any semester of your four year MBGE curriculum.
 
2)  Make a final decision on one or more universities at which you might like to study.
3)  Decide which courses at the exchange university you would like to take in order to fulfill your course requirements at KU.  It is important to provide the MBGE exchange coordinator with all of the following information for each suggested course:

 

a)  The code of the exchange course.

b)  The full course description.

c)  The year in which the course is usually taken at the exchange university.

d)  Whether there is a lab component of the course, and whether it is separable from the lecture portion of the course.

e)  The number of credits of the course (both lecture and lab components, as needed).  If the course durations are shorter or longer than KU courses (eg. semester versus quarter system), please bring this to the coordinator’s attention.

f)  Which course at KU you would like to replace with the exchange course.

g)  Grading methodology.  Please be aware that pass/fail courses are typically not convertible for KU credit.

h)  If the course is taken in a country where English is not the official language, please determine and provide to the coordinator the language in which the course is given.

Furthermore, if the exchange university is not American, a scale allowing conversion of grades from the exchange university to the KU scale must be determined.

To reach course lists and syllabi, and for help in obtaining course lists, you can visit the OIP web page.

4)  Next, the MBGE exchange coordinator decides on course equivalencies in consultation with the other MBGE faculty and with OIP.
5)  The Associate Dean of the College of Sciences, Prof. Tolga Etgü, must approve your course choices after the MBGE department has approved the course list.  Ultimate authority for course approval lies with the administration of the College of Sciences.
6)  Any changes to your exchange course plan that you make upon arrival to your host university should also be communicated to the MBGE department exchange coordinator in order to ensure that you receive the appropriate type of credit upon your return.