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CONCENTRATION AREAS

The Master of Science in Business Administration aims to strengthen students’ theoretical foundations in the following four areas:

  • Finance
  • Management and Organization Studies
  • Marketing 
  • Operations Management

Each concentration area has tailored coursework to meet its objectives and interests. The rigorous curriculums and a master’s thesis train students to tackle some of the most complex problems facing the contemporary business world.

FINANCE

FINANCE

The graduates of our MS in Finance specialization will have an intermediary level understanding of financial theory, application and quantitative research tools that will enable them either to continue onto the PhD program of their choice or to work for the industry as finance specialists, researchers or consultants. Our MS program is recognized as the program partner of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute. This partnership allows our students to prepare themselves for the CFA exams and place them with an advantageous position when seeking to enter into the finance industry.

The finance faculty conducts empirical and theoretical research in specialized fields of asset pricing, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, financial intermediation, real estate finance, derivatives markets, financial risk management, market efficiency and market microstructure. Research support includes excellent computing facilities and library, as well as access to financial databases such as WRDS The Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP), Euromonitor International’s Global Market Information Database (GMID), Global Development Finance (GDF), ISI Emerging Markets, International Financial Statistics, World Development Indicators (World Bank).
Sample Curriculum…

Research Faculty: Kürşat Aydoğan, Tolga Demir, Zeynep Önder, Oğuzhan Özbaş Süheyla Özyıldırım, Altan Pazarbaşı, Ahmet Şensoy, A. Başak Tanyeri Günsür.

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION STUDIES

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION STUDIES

The goal of our MS in Management and Organization Studies specialization is to provide an academic understanding of contemporary management issues in a changing business environment. The graduates are expected to conduct original research that contributes to management and organization issues/theories, and to pursue academic careers in reputable universities. To this end, students will be equipped with rigorous research methodologies and exposed to various micro, meso and macro-level topics in management and organization area. The curriculum includes topics such as strategic thinking, innovation, decision making, collaboration, motivation, teams, leadership, design thinking, international business, and many more. Our faculty members conduct conceptual and empirical research in these fields and publish their studies in prestigious international journals.
Sample Curriculum…

Research Faculty:  Zahide Karakitapoğlu-Aygün, Lale Tomruk Gümüşlüoğlu, Rasim Serdar Kurtoğlu, Atilla Onuklu, Örsan Örge.

MARKETING

MARKETING

The objective of MS in marketing specialization is to train intellectually curious individuals in the craft of marketing scholarship. We seek to produce graduates who have the ability and motivation to conduct important, meaningful and impactful research and take positions in leading universities in Turkey and abroad. The curriculum offers students a broad background in social sciences and in-depth specialization in a particular area of marketing, such as consumer culture theory, consumer decision making, marketing strategy or social marketing. The graduates can continue their education in a marketing Ph.D. program or seek marketing-related positions in the industry.
Sample Curriculum…

Research Faculty: Ahmet Ekici, Güliz Ger, Onur Osmanoğlu, Saurabh Pandharinath Shinde.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Operations Management is concerned with gaining knowledge, skills, and expertise needed to manage and advance the efficiency and productivity of business operations. Operations Management studies emphasize the development of models, methods, applications, and algorithms as they apply to problems in production and services. Management of resources, the distribution of goods and services to customers, and the analysis of queuing and inventory systems are also within the scope of Operations Management. The research interests of the Operations Management faculty follow up-to-date business practices and needs, with emphasis on revenue management, perishable and recyclable inventory control, health care management, supply chain contracts, production and customer order scheduling, and coordination issues in inventory management, supply chain scheduling, and new product development.
Sample Curriculum…

Research Faculty: Emre Berk, Erdal Erel, Yasemin Limon, Fehmi Tanrısever, Feray Tunçalp.

TESTIMONIALS

Furkan Adem Güven

Bilkent University is one of the best universities to start an academic career in marketing because it has a research-oriented master's program in marketing and promising faculty members who are distinguished and research-active scholars in their fields. During the program, the faculty offers various graduate courses regarding our area of specialization and encourages us to take courses from other departments and universities to widen our knowledge and gain new perspectives. Thanks to my coursework and participation in seminars and workshops, I developed my research and critical thinking skills. I also would like to highlight that everyone in the faculty, from administrative staff to faculty members, is kind and helpful if you need any help or assistance."

Furkan Adem Güven, M.S. 2022 (Marketing)
PhD Student, University of Illinois Chicago

Nabiya Bano Gulzar

Bilkent University is equipped with brilliant and experienced faculty, especially in department of business administration. This was my biggest motivation to study here. I have been under the tutelage of outstanding professors and a very supportive academic advisor who instills in me the zeal to learn and courage to work harder with purpose. My experience and learning process here has been quite rich and I believe this exposure has empowered me with the knowledge and skills vital to succeed both academically and grow as a person. Water scarcity is a global phenomenon. My research is a case study directed towards assessing sustainable solutions proposed for water crisis in underprivileged communities of India.

Nabiya Bano Gulzar, M.S. 2023 (Marketing)
Growth Specialist / Mobile Action

Soo Youn Kim

My desire to become an expert in the field of finance motivated me to pursue higher education in FBA. Before starting the program, I was aware of the challenges ahead of me, especially since I was coming from a different academic background. However, thanks to the supportive professors who encouraged asking questions and made time for office hours, our approachable staff who were always willing to help, and bright classmates who shared insightful ideas beyond the classrooms, I was able to acquire substantial knowledge and skills by the end of my first semester. Furthermore, by attending weekly seminars with speakers from prestigious universities around the world, I was able to gain insight into some of the latest research topics in the business world. Having experienced significant personal improvement so far, I look forward to learning and growing alongside our FBA community in the upcoming years.

Soo Youn Kim, M.S. 2024 (Finance)
PhD Student, University of Michigan

Canan Keleş

Bilkent University Faculty of Business Marketing Graduate Program has given me a stimulating and encouraging learning environment. I have the chance to learn from many world-renowned researchers and professors. I enjoy the diverse environment here and have the opportunity to collaborate with friends with different research interests. The many learning opportunities between professors and students in dynamic and friendly surroundings help us move forward. Bilkent provides me the chance to enrich my academic background with the world's leading scholars.

Canan Keleş, M.S. 2023 (Marketing)
PhD Student , Aalto University

Hafize Çelik

Bilkent University has a great MSc programme in Marketing where you can explore your intellectual potential with diverse courses, experienced faculty and multiple seminars. As my academic interests matched with these offerings, I preferred to start my academic journey at the Faculty of Business Administration in Bilkent University. I enjoyed every minute of experience in Bilkent as I could grow my capabilities and enrich my perspectives here. All the professors and staff have been supportive and kind through each step of development, whether it be intellectual challenges or daily life obstacles. Also, the courses were demanding but I felt that my capabilities and skills enhanced to a great extent at the end of each semester. I am thankful to the community here as they provide me opportunities to grow. Bilkent University Faculty of Business Administration will always be a home for me."

Hafize Çelik, M.S. 2022 (Marketing)
PhD Student, University of Bath

Orçun Turan

As a former Bilkenter, I felt as if I was going back home when I started my master’s program. I was supported by the faculty, staff, and fellow students who enriched my time at Bilkent and offered a set of diverse perspectives during the program. Thanks to Bilkent’s exchange partnerships, I was able to go abroad for a semester in Copenhagen, Denmark, and engage with the academic community there. Moreover, there are seminars and talks given by academics from various institutions in which the community remains up to date and scrutinizes each other's work for higher quality research. My professional goal of pursuing a PhD degree abroad was mainly achieved due to these connections I made during my study, as well as the continuous support I received from great professors who equipped me with theoretical knowledge and intellectual skills that I would need.

Orçun Turan, M.S. 2021 (Marketing)
PhD Student, Schulich School of Business - York University