Establishment
The field of audiology has a long history in Türkiye, whereas undergraduate programs in the discipline were first established in the early 2010s. Scientific and technological advances in the field created a demand for qualified audiologists that could not be met through postgraduate education alone.
In response to this need, Başkent University Faculty of Health Sciences, which closely monitors scientific, technological, social, and economic changes in the 21st-century health sector, adopted the approach to quality and teamwork in healthcare championed by our Founding Rector, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Haberal, and decided in 2013 to introduce a four-year undergraduate program in Audiology.
Following Faculty Board Decision No. 001/001 of 17 January 2013 and Senate Decision No. 809, adopted at the 179th Senate meeting held on 14 February 2013, the proposal to establish the Department of Audiology within Başkent University Faculty of Health Sciences was considered at the meeting of the Higher Education Executive Board held on 13 March 2013.
Pursuant to Article 7/d-2 of Higher Education Law No. 2547, as amended by Law No. 2880, the establishment of the Department of Audiology within Başkent University Faculty of Health Sciences was approved in a letter from the Presidency of the Council of Higher Education dated 20 March 2013 and numbered 75850160-101.03.01/14457.
The Early Years
The Başkent University Department of Audiology has the distinction of being the third department established within a faculty of health sciences in Türkiye to provide undergraduate education in audiology and the first Department of Audiology established at a foundation university.
Established in 2013 within Başkent University Faculty of Health Sciences, the Department of Audiology began offering undergraduate education in the 2015–2016 academic year, and its first cohort graduated in the spring semester of the 2018–2019 academic year.
The Department was established in collaboration with faculty members from Başkent University’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology, with Prof. Dr. Erol Belgin serving as its founding chair. The position was subsequently held by Prof. Dr. Ayşe Gül Güven from 2016 to 2021, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asuman Alnıaçık from 2021 to 2025, and Prof. Dr. Arzu Tüzüner in 2025.
As of 2026, Prof. Dr. Songül Aksoy serves as Chair of the Department.
Establishment and Current Status of the Laboratories
When the Department of Audiology began offering education in the 2015–2016 academic year, it sought to equip students, through its highly qualified academic staff, with the knowledge and skills required in the clinical, experimental, industrial, and rehabilitative domains of audiology.
In 2016, work began to develop the Department’s laboratory infrastructure and equip its facilities in order to enhance students’ professional practice skills.
Başkent University’s Audiology Research and Training Laboratories comprise two main units: the Hearing Laboratory and the Acoustics Laboratory.
The Hearing Laboratory enables students to gain professional experience before graduation by participating in practical training, observation, simulation, and assessment activities. These activities are designed to help students integrate theoretical knowledge with practical experience and develop the professional competence required of audiologists.
The Hearing Laboratory comprises the Behavioral Testing Room, Electrophysiology Testing Room, Hearing Aid Room, Acoustic Immittance Room, and Otoscopy Room.
The Acoustics Laboratory is a research and training facility where practical activities for courses in sound physics and acoustics are conducted, noise measurements are performed, and scientific research and applications in acoustics are carried out.
Developments in Academic Staffing and Educational Vision
The curriculum was developed in accordance with current international standards and structured to provide comprehensive theoretical and practical education, together with instruction in research methods and statistics, which are fundamental components of scientific research.
At the time of the Department’s establishment, its academic staff comprised Prof. Dr. Erol Belgin, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Gül Güven, Assist. Prof. Dr. Evren Hızal, Assist. Prof. Dr. Asuman Alnıaçık, Lecturer Sema Acar, Research Assistant Merve Deniz, and Research Assistant Gökhan Açıkgöz.
To further its educational objectives, the Department appointed academic staff specializing in physics and statistics in the 2017–2018 academic year and adopted an interdisciplinary approach to education.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Kübra Özmen, an academic in the field of physics education, joined the Department as a full-time faculty member to ensure that physics instruction was aligned with the needs of audiology. Assist. Prof. Dr. Eda Çakmak, an academic in statistics, also joined the Department full time to support research conducted by students and graduates.
Since the Department was established, numerous academic and administrative staff members have contributed to its education, research, and institutional development. The Department’s academic and administrative staff members as of 2026 are listed below.
Academic Staff
Prof. Dr. Songül Aksoy
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asuman Alnıaçık
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kübra Özmen
Assist. Prof. Dr. Eda Çakmak Aktan
Assist. Prof. Dr. Merve Deniz Sakarya
Assist. Prof. Dr. Başak Yazgan
Assist. Prof. Dr. Özge Kale Peşan
Assist. Prof. Dr. Gamze Nas
Lecturer Ezgi Ay
Lecturer Çağla Karadaş
Research Assistant Gizem Kır
Research Assistant Berfin Eylül Aydemir
Administrative Staff
Department Secretary: Nurbanu Öztürk
Concluding Remarks
Our Department aims to educate audiologists who possess up-to-date and globally relevant knowledge in the core areas of audiology, demonstrate critical thinking skills, and are competent in designing and conducting scientific research.
Accordingly, students are expected to understand their responsibilities to themselves, the individuals and groups they serve, their environment, and the society in which they live, and to apply their scientific knowledge and skills in clinical and field practice without compromising professional ethical principles.
Our Department continues to develop the scientific and academic environment required to educate audiologists with strong professional awareness and self-esteem, effective communication skills, and the ability to work independently.
