Greece
Basic Information about Greece
Greece is situated on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula in South East Europe; its territory also includes several hundred islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas . Around 20% of the total land area is comprised of islands. Mountains and hills dominate the landscape accounting for nearly 80% of the total land area. The capital of the country is Athens . Greece has a population of 11.3 million. The official language is Greek with 98% of the population speaking it, although English and French are also widely understood ( Greece is a Member of the International Organisation of Francophonie.
The Higher Education System
Greece has 18 university institutions (AEI) and 14 institutions of technological education (TEI). Technological Educational Institutions (TEI) form part of the higher education system just as the universities, but belong to the non-university sector. There are also Military Academies. The diplomas awarded by certain private post-secondary education institutions are not recognised by the State.
University level first stage: Proptychiakes Spoudes (undergraduate level studies)
Undergraduate degree programmes at universities normally last four years (eight semesters) and lead to a Ptychio (Bachelor) in the relevant field.
University level second stage: Metaptychiakes Spoudes (postgraduate studies)
The first level of postgraduate studies lasts a minimum of two years (four semesters) and leads to a Metaptychiako Díploma Exidíkefsis (Postgraduate Diploma of Specialisation, equivalent to Master's degree). This study programme may be taken and completed in a University or research institute outside Greece . The degree, however, is awarded in Greece .
University level third stage: Didaktorikes Metaptychiakes Spoudes (doctoral studies)
The doctoral degree (Didaktoriko) is conferred after public defence of a thesis. The research must be original and show advances in research and science. A Master's degree is required by most universities for attending doctoral studies. A doctoral thesis requires at least three years' study from the time the student enrolled in the doctoral study course.
Scholarships
Several Greek Governmental Institutions offer every year various scholarships to Australians as well as nationals of the countries of our parallel accreditation (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands) for different kind of studies, namely under- and postgraduate, doctoral studies and research, studies of Greek language and civilisation.
Scholarships of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs: A l imited number of scholarships is offered mainly to nationals of the developing countries of our parallel accreditation who want to pursue their studies at a Greek University in almost every department but theological (Bachelor and Master Programs, Doctorate Studies). www.mfa.gr
Scholarships of the State Scholarships Foundation (Idryma Kratikon Ypotrofion, IKY)
a) eight-month scholarships for attending Greek language and civilisation seminars
b) one-year-long scholarships for postgraduate and doctoral and postdoctoral studies.
www.iky.gr
For the above scholarships the Embassy of Greece in Canberra is responsible for gathering the applications, choosing the potential scholars and forwarding their files to the Greek Ministries or IKY foundation. Interested candidates are requested to keep a constant eye on the web pages of the above institutions.
Non Government institutions also offer various scholarships, for example
The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation offers several scholarships a year for a 6- or 12-month internship stay in Greece for students pursuing their doctoral studies. www.onassis.gr
Various Greek Universities offer also independently several scholarships. A list of the Greek Universities can be downloaded from the web page of the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs www.ypepth.gr
Where can I find more information?
Greek Embassy in Canberra
9 Turrana Street - Yarralumla
ACT 2600 Canberra
Ph: +61 2 62733011
Fax: +61 2 62732620
