Professions related to earth sciences are one of the oldest fields of human endeavor. Today, the basic knowledge of Geological Engineering is needed in all areas of life, from mines to the exploration of energy raw materials, from the discovery and utilization of water resources to the basic survey studies of engineering structures, from understanding the earth's surface to space exploration. Geological Engineering is one of the shining professions of the future, as well as the present.

KTU Geological Engineering, 58 years of experience

Our department, which is one of the best Geological Engineering Departments in our country, has been educating Geological Engineers needed by our country for 58 years. The advantage of being located in the Eastern Black Sea Region, which is a natural laboratory in almost every subject of geology, and the fact that our department carries out its educational activities in a practical way in the field, makes our graduate engineers who are sought after both in the sector and in academic fields.

Karadeniz Technical University Department of Geological Engineering is one of the oldest Geology departments established in our country. After German Geologist Prof. Dr. Hans Pflug took office at KTU on December 14, 1965, it was decided to open our department as the Institute of Geology affiliated to the Faculty of Basic Sciences at the meeting of the general assembly consisting of university faculty members and assistants convened under the chairmanship of Dean Prof. Dr. Halis Duman on December 16, 1965.  Accordingly, it was unanimously decided to open the Department of Geology, to admit 35 students to the department, for these students to be only students of the Department of Geology and to prepare a curriculum. This department is the third department opened at KTU after the Civil Engineering and Architecture departments.

The first director of the Institute of Geology was Prof. Dr. Hans Pflug. The first members of the Institute of Geology were Prof. Dr. Hans Pflug, Lecturer Dr. Togan Ş. Önay, Res. Asst. Türker Özsayar, Res. Asst. Ükkaş Ağar and Res. Asst. Özkan İşgüden. Prof. Dr. Hans Pflug left KTU in 1967, and Dr. Altan Gümüş was appointed as the director. Later Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aslaner, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Tatar, Prof. Dr. İsmet Gedik, Prof. Dr. Şakir Abdüsselamoğlu, Prof. Dr. Remzi Dilek, Prof. Dr. Erkan Tanyolu, Prof. Dr. Necati Tüysüz, Prof. Dr. Burhan Sadıklar, Prof. Dr. Cemil Yılmaz, Prof. Dr. Cemil Yılmaz, Prof. Dr. Burhan Sadıklar, Prof. Dr. Burhan Sadıklar, Prof. Dr. Cemil Yılmaz, Prof. Dr. Necati Tüysüz. Prof. Dr. Cemil Yılmaz, Prof. Dr. Sadettin Korkmaz, Prof. Dr. Cüneyt Şen, Prof. Dr. M. Ziya Kırmacı, and Prof. Dr. Fatma Gültekin served as the head of the department at different times.

The Department of Geological Engineering, which started education in 1965, remained affiliated to the Faculty of Basic Sciences until 1973. In 1973, the Faculty of Earth Sciences was established and the departments of Geology, Geodesy, Photogrammetry, and Geophysics were included in this faculty. In 1982, with the Higher Education Law No. 2547, the Department of Geological Engineering was incorporated into the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. In 2005, this faculty was separated as Engineering and Architecture faculties, and the Department of Geological Engineering was affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering.

The Department of Geological Engineering was housed in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences building between 1965 and 1975 and moved to its own building at the end of 1975. The department, which started education in the 1965-66 academic year, gave first graduates with the degree of Master of Science in Geological Engineering based on 5-year education until 1970. As of the 1970-71 academic year, it switched to a 4-year system and started to graduate with the title of Geological Engineer.

The Department of Geological Engineering provided graduate (master's and doctorate) education within the Faculty of Earth Sciences. It has been educating within the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences since 1982.