What is the Foundations Development Program?

Foundations Development Program at Sabancı University is a unique common courses design for all undergraduate students that is inspired by core-curriculum and liberal arts traditions in higher education. All Sabancı University students need to complete these common courses, or the University Courses, irrespective of their future field of specialization. 


Sabancı University is the first university in Turkey with such a common courses design and it is also one of the few around the world which also combines it with a major declaration/specialization after-enrollment system. Foundations Development Directorate coordinates the University Courses design by bringing together faculties and the School of Languages for the fulfillment of our educational goals.

 

What are the University Courses? 

The University Courses constitute the core curriculum that all students must successfully complete in order to graduate. The University courses roughly take about 1/3 of an undergraduate student’s entire credit load. Most of our common courses are completed in the freshman (first) year of the university but some others are taken during sophomore, junior or senior years.

The components of the Sabancı core curriculum are designed in collaboration with the faculties and the School of Languages. The University Courses provide the foundations that are necessary to follow faculty courses and specialize in any one of our unique undergraduate programs. The common course design also takes into consideration the basic skills, the intellectual level, and the interdisciplinary foundation that an ever-changing world with an increasing number of global challenges requires.

The University Courses at Sabancı University train curious, competent, and universalist individuals who are lifelong learners, high achievers, and adaptive professionals.