Higher education in Greece is entering a new era with the introduction of the country’s first English-taught four-year undergraduate programme at a state university, which will be organized by the University of Athens and the International Hellenic University in Thessaloniki.
The programme will be dedicated to the study of the country’s greatest assets – archaeology, history, the Greek language and literature – and the aim is to attract students from the European Union and beyond.
The BA Programme in Archaeology, History and Ancient Greek Literature will be offered from the next academic year at Athens University’s School of Philosophy. It will run for eight semesters over four years and be equal to all other bachelor’s degrees in Greece and elsewhere. Classes will be specially designed, while the professors will include Philosophy School educators, as well as distinguished academics from other institutions. The curriculum will also include seminars, educational activities, field trips to archaeological sites and other locations of interest, as well as participation in excavations.
The programme will take up to 100 students a year, with annual tuition fees set at 8,000 euros.
“Archaeology and Greek culture is the most important scientific field where we need an English-language programme addressed to foreign students,” Athens University Rector Thanos Dimopoulos told Kathimerini.
“The programme is a very important and innovative educational, scientific and cultural initiative for this country,” adds Athens School of Philosophy Dean Eleni Karamalengou. “The core of the programme was designed by exceptional scientists from our school... and we look forward to a constructive collaboration with the International Hellenic University.”
The programme will soon be presented to the embassies of China, the United States and India, among others, while it is also expected to attract interest from other universities in Greece with a view to designing similar degrees.
Source:ekathimerini
