İstanbul Kültür University Faculty of Architecture was established on 23 August 2011 with the decision of IKU Faculty of Architecture published in the Official Gazette with the approval of the Council of Ministers. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şener KÜÇÜKDOĞU was appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture on January 12, 2012 and continued his duty until 2017. Since October 6, 2017, Prof. Dr. Neslihan DOSTOGLU has been working as the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture.
IKÜ Faculty of Architecture, where the Department of Architecture and the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design take part in two different programs Turkish and English has been shaped with a multidimensional and interdisciplinary understanding of education from design knowledge to technology, philosophy and art to economy, from social dynamics to urban changes.
The Department of Architecture was established on 11.12.1997 during the Rector Prof. Dr. Önder ÖZTUNALI under the Dean of Prof. Dr. Okay EROSKAY, within the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of İstanbul Kültür University. Prof. Dr. Koray GÖKAN (1997-2002), Prof. Dr. Turgut UZEL (2002), Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şener KÜÇÜKDOĞU (2003-2012), Prof. Dr. Neslihan DOSTOĞLU (2012-2017) and Prof. Dr. Esin KASAPOĞLU (2017-2023) were the Head of Department of Architecture at İKÜ. On November 1, 2023, Prof. Dr. Esira Bostancıoğlu took over the department. Until 2012 the Department of Architecture Degree Program continued to Turkish education, starting with 2012-2013 academic semester, the Department of Architecture added English as a second program within the department.
In this process, the Department of Architecture has developed and made radical changes in the fields of enriching the academic staff, restructuring the curriculum, increasing the recognition of the Department of Architecture at home and abroad. The training program has been co-credited in accordance with the European Transfer System and has been implemented since 2005. By examining the educational models at the international level, the norms of the accreditation organizations valid in the USA and Europe have been evaluated by considering our national values and requirements, and a training program has been prepared in accordance with the mission of the Department of Architecture and compatible with the Bologna process.
In 2008, the architecture program applied to Architectural Accrediting Board (MİAK) and in 2010 the program was awarded 3-year accreditation.. At the end of the three-year period, the architecture program re-applied to MİAK and as of 2014, the same program was awarded the Specialized 6-Year Accreditation in the 3rd Year. Finally, the specialized evaluation on the 2017 Annual Report of the Department of Architecture has been positive and with the decision of MİAK dated 16.02.2018, the Department of Architecture has been entitled to 6-Year Accreditation in Turkish Program. IKU Department of Architecture has registered its quality by showing that it is one of the institutions providing qualified architectural education with a six-year accreditation period given to the most successful institutions. Istanbul Kültür University Architecture Program is proud to be the only non-profit foundation university architecture program eligible for accreditation among the architecture programs in non-profit foundation universities that currently provide education in Turkey. Attempts have been made to implement this successful process of accreditation of the Architecture Turkish program for the English program with the same academic staff and syllabus.
In 2001-2002 academic year, IKU Graduate School of Architecture and Architecture Ph.D. Program were opened in 2011-2012 academic year. In addition to that, our programs are evolving themselves to become even better each year.
The second department of the Faculty of Architecture, the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, was established in 2001 under the affiliation of the Faculty of Art and Design at IKU. Established by, Prof. Dr Mete ÜNÜGÜR, who was also the head of our department, after him, between 2004-2006 Prof. Dr. Mustafa DEMİRKAN and between 2006-2014 Prof. Dr. Zafer ERTÜRK were the Heads of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design. In 2014, Prof. Dr. Gülay USTA assumed the position of Head of Department and is currently Head of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design. In 2008, the department underwent fundamental changes in education and training at the undergraduate and graduate levels. While structuring the curriculum, a project-oriented holistic system proposal, which was fed by the main fields of Architecture and Art, was developed and implemented. The Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, which has been continuing its education in Turkish since 2002, started its academic life in the English program in the 2016-2017 academic year.
In accordance with the decision of the Higher Education Executive Board dated 30.12.2015, it was deemed appropriate to open the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at the Faculty of Architecture of Istanbul Kültür University. Following this decision, in accordance with the letter of 89480013/286 dated 08.02.2016 of the Executive Board of Higher Education, it was deemed appropriate to transfer the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design within the Faculty of Art and Design to the Faculty of Architecture with the existing students and staff.
At the graduate level, since 2004, the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design has two programs such as, "Master of Science in Interior Architecture" and "Environmental Design" with thesis under the Institute of Science and Technology.
