Software Engineer Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz, stating that they prioritize practical applications for Software Engineering students, one of the professions of the future, to gain authentic experiences in their career journeys, said, "While preparing our students for a strong career after graduation, we support theoretical courses with applied projects."
Explaining the vision of the Software Engineering Department, Dr. İldiz said, "Our vision is to train engineers who will shape the technologies of the future. We also aim to offer global career opportunities to our students through international collaborations."
Üsküdar University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Software Engineering (English) Department Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz explained the aims of software engineering education, its curriculum, and the opportunities they offer to students.
Students are preparing for the future with health technologies and international projects
Noting that the Software Engineering Department's educational approach aims at all fields where basic engineering skills can be developed in the field, Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz said, "For this reason, while enabling students to benefit from new software application areas in the fields of health informatics and healthcare services, where we are very strong, we also introduce students to fields where they can turn their skills into a specialization through collaborations with many international partners."
Projects that turn theory into practice and entrepreneurship support
Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz stated that they prioritize practical applications for students to gain authentic experiences in their career journeys and continued:
"While preparing our students for a strong career after graduation, we support theoretical courses with applied projects. Thanks to seminars conducted with industry experts, project-based courses, and entrepreneurship support, students have the opportunity to understand the dynamics of the business world during their university years. Within our university, at YAZAMER (Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems Application and Research Center), we are conducting TÜBİTAK and European Union-supported international projects (DAIsy, MedGPT, SpectralHealth). In such projects, we have many national and international external stakeholders and technology partnerships. We leverage these opportunities for our students by providing working student positions in projects, allowing them to also see the software application areas in the R&D sector."
Curriculum prepares students for future technologies
Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz, stating that the curriculum prepares students for future technologies, said, "Our curriculum includes current topics such as programming languages (C, Java, Python, etc.), database management systems, software development methodologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, mobile application development, and cloud computing. Additionally, students can pursue their interests with elective courses like software security, big data analytics, and game development. Especially in recent years, to support game/program development in the Unity field, we have added a course that complies with international standards to our curriculum. At the same time, to more clearly express the role of software engineering in the industrial sector, we have also included courses based on different languages (gcode) in the field of layered manufacturing engineering in our elective course pool."
Laboratories are innovation spaces for students
Noting that students actively participate not only in the classroom but also in research projects, Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz stated, "Thanks to our modern computer laboratories and project support environments, students transform their theoretical knowledge into practice. Participation in hackathons, competitions, and R&D projects is encouraged, laying the groundwork for the development of their creativity. Our students also actively participate in competitions like TEKNOFEST (2024-2025). Two of our projects in the final stage are being carried out by students in the STEM club as a multidisciplinary team. Innovative works such as virtual reality-based game development for health technologies, therapeutic device design with 3D printers, and interactive systems with EEG data are carried out with students. This way, students have the opportunity to develop solutions that provide both technical and social benefits by using software in different fields."
Students gain real customer experience through internships and industry collaborations
Stating that students gain experience early on thanks to strong ties with the industry, Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz said, "Our department collaborates with software companies and technology centers. Students gain industry experience through mandatory internship programs. Furthermore, through collaboration projects, they have the opportunity to contribute to real customer projects even during their university years. Our institution also hosts academics who have their own startups and companies within our incubation centers. In this sense, we have areas where they can gain experience in the commercialization processes of academic activities. Our BrainPark unit provides this common area to our students in this regard."
"We have established a strong support network for our graduates"
Emphasizing that career support services continue not only during student life but also after graduation, Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz said, "Through the Üsküdar University Career Center, guidance and mentorship support are provided to our graduates. While networking opportunities are increased through graduate-student meetings, our students are not left alone during the transition to the business world. Our alumni association also provides this support to all our university graduates."
"Our vision is to train the engineers of the future"
Explaining the department's goals, Dr. Lecturer Mehmet Kaan İldiz concluded:
"As the Software Engineering Department, our vision is to train engineers who will shape the technologies of the future. In addition to areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, augmented and virtual reality, we plan to develop new academic programs on health technologies, bioinformatics, industrial software solutions, and intelligent systems. Furthermore, we aim to offer global career opportunities to our students through international collaborations."