The Computer Engineering Department was established in 2003 and began admitting students at the Üsküdar Campus in 2004. Although the department has been part of a foundation university since its establishment, it has reached a level of institutionalization very close to that of equivalent departments at state universities, thanks in part to the fact that the university’s founder is a public professional organization (the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce). Education in our department is conducted with the seriousness and discipline characteristic of state universities.

Since its establishment, the department has placed great emphasis on foreign language education. Although instruction was conducted entirely in Turkish during its early years, intensive English education was provided through compulsory English courses throughout the four-year program. In addition, Professional English courses were offered to students as electives. Following these efforts, the department transitioned to a 30% English instruction program.

In 2007, following an investment by the founding foundation, the department moved to the Küçükyalı Campus, where it continues to operate today. In subsequent years, the academic staff was strengthened with newly appointed faculty members. In 2010, the curriculum was enriched through revisions that introduced important department courses with both technical and design-oriented content, such as Information Systems Design Project and Computer Graphics. Laboratory facilities were also continuously expanded. At the current stage, experiments covering the topics of all courses are conducted within the Computer Engineering Department.

Starting from the 2011–2012 Academic Year, ECTS credits began to be used instead of course credits in the calculation of graduation grade point averages. In 2013, the academic staff was further expanded, and the number of research assistants in the department was increased. From 2013 onward, curricula and adaptation programs have been structured in accordance with MÜDEK standards and classified as Basic Sciences, Professional (Engineering) Courses, and General Courses; ECTS and credit values for these categories have been included in course syllabi. Within this framework, a “Course File Preparation System” was piloted, and Course Files for selected courses were prepared in compliance with MÜDEK standards.

In 2014, infrastructure studies were carried out for the transition to the 30% English Program. During these studies, the courses to be taken by students in English were selected with great care. As of the 2015–2016 Academic Year, the department officially transitioned to the 30% English Program. In the same period, efforts were initiated to open a 100% English Program as well.

Since 2017, efforts toward MÜDEK accreditation have been intensified; existing deficiencies have been identified, and actions to eliminate these deficiencies have been accelerated. With the goal of educating computer engineers at a global level, the Computer Engineering Department continues its work, drawing strength from its 19-year history and its ongoing motivation for continuous improvement.

The Heads of the Department who have served in our department are listed below in chronological order:

• Prof. Dr. Sezgin Alsan

• Prof. Dr. Eralp Özil

• Prof. Dr. Rıfat Yazıcı

• Prof. Dr. Sibkat Kaçtıoğlu

• Prof. Dr. Rıfat Yazıcı

• Prof. Dr. Saadettin Aksoy (currently serving)