Our faculty is the first in Turkey to be established under the name “Faculty of Art and Design.” Based on the idea that, given its presence at Yıldız Technical University, there is a need to infuse technical structures with artistic and aesthetic values, and that there is always a need for faculties and departments related to art and design to foster a creative and high-quality artistic environment; it was founded in 1997 in line with an interdisciplinary educational philosophy that integrates art and technology, with programs designed to adapt to technological advancements, emphasize the growing importance of art in industrial settings, and foster communication and interdisciplinary relationships. The proposal for the structure of our faculty was developed by the “Yıldız Technical University Structural Commission,” chaired by Prof. Tomur Atagök, and comprising Prof. Mehmet Bayhan (YTÜ), Prof. Harun Baturbaygil (YTÜ), Assoc. Prof. Ahmet Yürür (MSGSÜ), Geyvan McMillen (YTÜ), and Architect Erkal Güngören. The decision to establish the faculty was adopted by the University Senate, which convened on Thursday, June 19, 1997, under the chairmanship of the then-Rector, Prof. Ayhan Alkış; and was announced in the Official Gazette dated September 3, 1997, under Decision No. 97/9892.
Our faculty began offering education and training in the 1998–1999 academic year with the following seven programs under the Department of Art, the Department of Communication Design, and the Department of Music:
Department
of Art: Interdisciplinary Arts Program, Arts Management Program, Photography and Video Program
; Department
of Communication Design: Communication Design-Multimedia Program
; Department of Music: Music Ensembles Program, Sensory Design Program, Dance Program
The Interdisciplinary Arts, Interactive Media, and Arts Management programs were pioneering programs established for the first time in Turkey.
Our faculty launched the Master’s Program in Art and Design under the Department of Art in the 2001–2002academic year under the Department of Fine Arts, and the Doctoral Program in Art and Design, which began in the 2004–2005 academic year, have helped foster a culture of research through graduate education. The Department of Art was renamed the Department of Art and Design in 2002.
Additionally, the Department of Museology at the Institute of Social Sciences—established in 1989 as Turkey’s first program offering education in the field of museology—joined the Faculty’s master’s programs under the Department of Art and Design as the “Master’s Program in Museology” as of the 2002–2003academic year.
The number of our Faculty’s master’s programs increased with the launch of the Master’s Program in Music and Performing Arts and the Doctoral Program in Music and Performing Arts during the 2014–2018 academic year. Our Faculty’s Department of Art was restructured in 2016 with the addition of the Graphic Design Major and the Industrial Product Design Major. Furthermore, due to the increasing, diversifying, and differentiating number of associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs at universities in line with developments in higher education, as noted by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the confusion regarding the names of associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs, and the resulting hardships, the Council decided to rename bachelor’s degree programs with similar content; In accordance with this decision, in 2000, the name of the Department of Arts Management was changed to Arts and Culture Management, and the name of the Department of Communication Design was changed to Communication and Design.
Our faculty aims to produce graduates who can integrate the concepts of art and design with knowledge and skills, are open to innovation, develop their creativity, express their artistic vision through diverse artistic methods and aesthetic research, closely follow technological and scientific developments, and create original and experimental works and projects that utilize both traditional materials and techniques as well as the possibilities offered by advanced technology—individuals who, with an awareness of contemporary artistic concepts and the-technology relationship, and possess social, historical, and cultural awareness to contribute to national and universal values; who recognize and question social dynamics, play a role in social transformation, and are inclined toward interdisciplinary work.
Today, our faculty comprises three undergraduate departments (Department of Art, Department of Communication Design, and Department of Performing Arts), and five master’s programs under the Department of Art and Design (Master’s Programs in Music and Performing Arts, Master’s Program in Interactive Media Design, Master’s Program in Museum Studies, Master’s Program in Art and Design, and Master’s Program in Turkish Arts Design); and three doctoral programs (Doctoral Program in Art and Design, Doctoral Program in Music and Performing Arts, and Doctor of Fine Arts in Art and Design); 70 faculty members, approximately 1,500 undergraduate students, and approximately 500 graduate students.
OUR FACULTY BUILDINGS
Our faculty began its educational activities at the Yıldız Campus. Starting its education in the Çukursaray (the Palace of the Princesses), and in 2003, it relocated to the Agavat Wing and Kiler-i Humayun buildings, both located on the same campus. In 2003, following the allocation of the Çukursaray building to the institutes, our Faculty moved to the Agavat Residence.
In 2010, our Faculty moved to the Main Barracks Building on the Davutpaşa Campus and has been conducting its educational activities in this building since the 2010–2011 academic year.
DEANS OF OUR FACULTY
Prof. Mehmet BAYHAN (1997–2004)
Prof. Y. Tomurcuk ATAGÖK (2004–2006)
Prof. Dr. B. Tevfik AKGÜN (2006–2008)
Prof. Ruhi AYANGİL (2008–2010)
Prof. İlhan ÖZKEÇECİ (2011–2014)
Prof. Dr. Turan SAĞER (2014–2023)
Prof. Kadriye TEZCAN AKMEHMET (2023–2024)
Prof. Dr. Turan SAĞER (2024–2025)