M.A. Program

Master's Program in Economics

Advanced education in economic theory and policy

Program Overview

Graduate programs in economics aim to train students in such a way to enable them to carry out independent research. For this purpose, the programs are designed to ensure that the students get a solid background in both economic theory and the techniques used in empirical research. While the Department offers both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, the M.A. degree is considered, in principle, as an intermediate step that is passed en route to the Ph.D. The core requirements common to both programs leave little room for choosing the courses to be taken in the first year, but the students are offered considerable flexibility as to their choice of the fields of specialization later on.

Students admitted to graduate studies in the department are expected to have a strong background in undergraduate level economics and some training in mathematics and statistics. Sufficient (though not necessarily a pre-condition) background would consist of an undergraduate degree in Economics, or a year-long calculus sequence that includes multivariate analysis, a course in linear algebra, and a course in probability and statistics. (Also refer to the "Graduate Admissions" section in the introduction of this catalogue for the general graduate admission requirements.)

Prospective students must have completed Bilkent University's requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics or approximately equivalent training. Since students will be required to take some of the same courses as the Ph.D. candidates, similar preparation in mathematics and statistics is generally expected.

A grade point average of at least 3.00 must be maintained for the duration of Master's level work.

Contact for More Information

Program Information

For information on the MA curriculum, please click here and choose "Master of Arts in Economics."

Information on the admissions process for graduate level economics programs can be found here.

The Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences website can be accessed here, where you can also access important forms and thesis guidelines.

Master's Research

The Department of Economics at Bilkent University is proud of the high-quality research produced by our MA students. Our graduate students' work contributes to economic theory and policy across various specializations.

Master's Theses

Explore the collection of MA theses completed by our graduate students, covering a diverse range of economic topics and methodologies. All completed Master's theses are available in the Bilkent University Institutional Repository, where you can browse by year, topic, or author.

M.A. Graduate Placements

2025

  • Hasan Mirasyedi
    University of Southern California
  • Koralp Kabal
    Columbia University
  • Mehmet Tuğsuz
    Arizona State University
  • Serkan Karademir
    University of Bonn

2024

  • Asiye İrem Deşdemir
    Johns Hopkins University
  • Aybüke Dere
    University of Pittsburgh
  • Fatma Senem Turan
    Bilkent University
  • Gülce Demirel
    University of Chicago
  • Güneş Uğuz
    Brown University
  • Kübra Nur Güngör
    University of Zurich
  • Mahmut Sefa İpek
    Bilkent University
  • Muhammet Ali Canşı
    Bilkent University
  • Sena Kılınç
    The Pennsylvania State University
  • Ubaid Ur Rehman
    CY Cergy Paris Université

2023

  • Çağla İplikçi
    Bilkent University
  • Dolunay Gülşah Arıcı
    The Pennsylvania State University
  • Gökçe Doğan
    The Ohio State University
  • Hilal Taşkan
    University of Texas at Austin
  • Samed Küçükikiz
    University of Minnesota Twin Cities

2022

  • Ali Berk İdil
    Temple University
  • Arlindo Skenderaj
    Brown University
  • Deniz Kaptan
    University of Minnesota
  • İbrahim Ata
    The London School of Economics
  • Münip Kutay Sümbül
    Rice University

2021

  • Klajdi Hoxha
    Stanford GSB
  • Fatma Sıla Erikçi
    Bilkent University
  • Furkan Vefa Kurt
    Hacettepe University
  • Atakan Dizarlar
    Erasmus University Rotterdam
  • Nazlıcan Eroğlu
    Erasmus University Rotterdam

2020

  • Aghaheybat Mammadov
    The Pennsylvania State University
  • Deniz Ege Boz
    Colorado School of Mines
  • Elif Tosun
    University Pompeu Fabra
  • Eray Kaan Karabulut
    Boğaziçi University
  • Marie Leka
    Bilkent University

2019

  • Eser Tuna Erten
    Bilkent University
  • Kadir Sarp Sök
    Binghamton University

2018

  • Arda Benli
    Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
  • Asu İşbilen
    Ohio State University
  • Begüm Özdemir
    University of North Texas
  • Fatih Öztürk
    University of California Los Angeles

2017

  • Emre Karabulutoğlu
    TOBB ETU
  • Oğuz Kaan Karaduman
    Erasmus University Rotterdam
  • Oral Ersoy Dokumacı
    University of Rochester
  • Ramiz Abdurahimov
    Bilkent University
  • Toygar Kerman
    Maastricht University
  • Zeynep Yoldaş
    Bilkent University

2016

  • Doğuhan Sündal
    University of Utah
  • Erion Dula
    New York University
  • Mehmet Hamdi Berk İdem
    The Pennsylvania State University
  • Nüve Yazgan
    University of Surrey
  • Ömer Faruk Akbal
    Bilkent University
  • Sedat Ersoy
    University of Toronto
  • Sefane Çetin
    Université catholique de Louvain

2015

  • Duygu Sili
    Koç University

2014

  • Ahmet Usta
    University of Vienna
  • Emre Ergin
    Maastricht University
  • Onursal Bağırgan
    Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
  • Saliha Tanrıverdi
    METU

2013

  • Ali Oğuz Polat
    Carnegie Mellon University
  • Erkmen Giray Aslım
    University of New Hampshire
  • Şiva Çelik
    METU

2012

  • Dilşat Tugba Dalkıran
    Arizona State University
  • Elif Özcan
    Bilkent University
  • Hatice Gökçe Karasoy
    Bilkent University
  • Özge Filiz Yağcıbaşı
    Ege University
  • Tandoğan Polat
    Tilburg University
  • Tuğba Sağlamdemir
    METU

2011

  • Açelya Altuntaş
    University of Rochester
  • Binnur Balkan
    Stockholm School of Economics
  • İshak Demir
    Birkbeck, University of London
  • Kerim Keskin
    Bilkent University
  • Nilgün Şayeste Gedik
    Tilburg University
  • Şefika Başer
    Tilburg University
  • Serhat Doğan
    Carnegie Mellon University
  • Tuğba Zeydanlı
    Paris School of Economics
  • Zeliha Emel Öztürk
    Maastricht University

2010

  • Ayşe Gül Mermer
    Tilburg University
  • Burak Alparslan Eroğlu
    Bilkent University
  • Destan Kırımhan
    University of South Carolina
  • Gülserim Özcan
    Bilkent University
  • Hayrullah Dindar
    İstanbul Bilgi University
  • Merve Yiğit
    Bilkent University
  • Yasin Dalgıç
    University of Bath
  • Zahra Murad
    University of Nottingham

2009

  • Hasan Tahsin Apakan
    Tilburg University
  • Ayşe Müge Yüksel
    Maastricht University
  • Bilge Karataş
    Tilburg University
  • Burçin Kısacıkoğlu
    Johns Hopkins University
  • Emre Koç
    Tilburg University
  • Fatih Cemil Özbuğday
    Tilburg University
  • Fatih Fazilet
    University of Minnesota
  • Galip Kemal Özhan
    Imperial College London
  • Hakan Er
    Gazi University
  • Hanife Deniz Karaoğlan
    METU
  • Hüseyin Çağrı Akkoyun
    Northwestern University
  • Özlem Yaylacı
    Suffolk University
  • Seda Köymen
    Bilkent University
  • Seda Meyveci
    Bilkent University
  • Selman Erol
    University of Pennsylvania
  • Sevcan Yeşiltaş
    Johns Hopkins University
  • Talat Şenocak
    The Pennsylvania State University
  • Vesile Kutlu
    Tilburg University
  • Zeynep Burcu Bulut
    METU
  • Zeynep Kantur
    Bilkent University

2008

  • Emre Per
    METU
  • Ethem Akyol
    The Pennsylvania State University
  • Kemal Yıldız
    New York University
  • Mehmet Özer
    Bilkent University
  • Mustafa Kerem Yüksel
    Bilkent University

2007

  • Banu Demir
    Oxford University
  • Battal Doğan
    University of Rochester
  • Gonca Şenel
    University of California Los Angeles
  • Erol Doğan
    New York University
  • Kemal Kıvanç Aköz
    New York University

2006

  • Burcu Afyonoğlu
    Bilkent University
  • Cemal Eren Arbatlı
    Brown University
  • Cihan Aktaş
    Ankara University
  • İlhan Sezer
    Princeton University
  • Nida Çakır
    University of California Los Angeles
  • Sırma Kollu
    Bilkent University
  • Turan Hüseynov
    Tilburg University

2005

  • Ayça Dönmez
    METU
  • İzzet Yıldız
    Columbia University
  • Mustafa Uğur Karakaplan
    Texas A&M University
  • Onur İnce
    University of Houston
  • Zübeyir Kılınç
    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2004

  • Gökhan Buturak
    Stockholm School of Economics
  • Gönül Doğan
    Tilburg University
  • Özgür Evren
    New York University
  • Serkan İmişiker
    METU
  • Yılmaz Koçer
    New York University

2003

  • Barış Yörük
    Boston College
  • Bülent Güler
    University of Rochester
  • Esen Erdoğan
    Erasmus University Rotterdam
  • Mehmet Karakaya
    Bilkent University
  • Murat Üngör
    University of Southern California
  • Tümer Kapan
    Columbia University

2002

  • Barış Çiftçi
    Tilburg University
  • Fatma Özgü Serttaş
    Iowa State University
  • Fatih Ekinci
    University of Houston

2001

  • Bahar Bayraktar
    Bilkent University
  • Deniz İlalan
    METU
  • Ebru Yüksel
    Bilkent University
  • Hatice Özer
    University of Houston
  • Murat Atlamaz
    University of Rochester
  • Orkhan Hasanaliyev
    University of Iowa
  • Pelin Pasin
    Bilkent University
  • Saygın Çevik
    Gazi University
  • Seher Nur Sülkü
    Boston University
  • Yavuz Arslan
    University of Rochester
  • Zafer Akın
    The Pennsylvania State University
  • Zeynal Karaca
    Texas A&M University

2000

  • Ahmet Çalışkan
    Texas A&M University
  • Ayça Kaya
    Stanford GSB
  • Mine Ergün
    The London School of Economics
  • Eray Yücel
    Bilkent University
  • Necati Tekatlı
    University of Iowa
  • Cem Karaman
    University of Pittsburgh

1999

  • Bülent Ünel
    Brown University
  • Harun Bulut
    Iowa State University
  • Mohamed Mehdi Jelasi
    Bilkent University
  • Nazire Nergiz Dinçer
    Bilkent University
  • Özgür Yılmaz
    University of Rochester

1998

  • Ebru Voyvoda
    Bilkent University
  • Engin Volkan
    Washington State University
  • Oya Ardıç
    University of Wisconsin-Madison

1997

  • Aygül Özbaflı
    University of Birmingham
  • Hüseyin Çağrı Sağlam
    Université catholique de Louvain
  • Kuzey Yılmaz
    University of Rochester
  • York Norman
    Georgetown University

1996

  • Arzdar Kiracı
    Bilkent University
  • Aziz İbrahim Sağlam
    West Virginia University
  • Ali Hakan Kara
    New York University
  • Özlem Başçı
    Bilkent University
  • Yener Kandoğan
    University of Michigan

1995

  • Atilla Abdulkadiroğlu
    University of Rochester
  • Hüseyin Yıldırım
    University of Florida
  • Mehmet Orhan
    Bilkent University
  • Metin Çelebi
    Boston College
  • Murat Utku Ünver
    University of Pittsburgh
  • Oya Celasun
    University of Maryland
  • Özgür Kıbrıs
    University of Rochester
  • Pelin Kale
    Bilkent University
  • Sıdıka Başçı
    Bilkent University

1994

  • Kerem Tomak
    Purdue University
  • Tan Tarkan Kadıoğlu
    Marmara University

1993

  • Ali Nihat Dilek
    Bilkent University
  • Alper Yılmaz
    University of California Davis
  • Emre Özdenören
    Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
  • İsmail Sağlam
    Bilkent University

1992

  • Hüseyin Kelezoğlu
    Johns Hopkins University
  • Ufuk Demiroğlu
    University of Michigan
  • Yasemin Bal
    Bilkent University

1990

  • Erdem Başçı
    Bilkent University
  • Jülide Yıldırım
    University of Manchester
  • Murat Ali Yülek
    Bilkent University
  • Süheyla Özyıldırım
    Bilkent University