“BA Program in the Archaeology, History, and Literature of Ancient Greece”, Presentation of the first undergraduate program in English at a Greek University.

Τhe first English-language undergraduate program at a Greek University was presented at a Press Conference on Wednesday, October 23, 2019, by the Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and members the Steering Committee of the Program.

Τhe “BA Program in the Archaeology, History, and Literature of Ancient Greece”, which is addressed exclusively to prospective University students from countries outside the European Union, is offered by the School of Philosophy of the NKUA and it is oriented towards the study of Ancient Greek Culture, combining the sciences of archaeology, ancient history and ancient Greek literature.

At her welcoming address, the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Ms. Niki Kerameus, expressed her satisfaction for this leading initiative, as it is a proof that our Universities can overcome any obstacle in order to invest in internationalization and attract foreign students. She emphasized that classical studies are the ideal subject for attracting foreign students. “If not here, where? If not us, who?”, the Minister characteristically pointed out and she also notified the audience that during her recent trip to the United States, she announced this new undergraduate program which was accepted with much enthusiasm by all interested parties. She concluded that the primary concern of the leadership of the Ministry is to make Greece a regional educational and training center.

At his welcoming address, the Rector of the University, Professor Meletios-Athanasios Dimopoulos characterized the program as a pioneer one. He concluded that “Following a tradition of more than a hundred and eighty years, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens announces today a decisive step in creating and offering to the international community of an innovative program, which reflects the extroversion and international orientation of its studies. It is our primary responsibility to contribute to the dissemination of Greek culture and the creation of spiritual ties with countries and cultures…”.

A detailed presentation was then offered by Professor Eleni Karamalengou, Scientific Director of the program. Professor Karamalengou outlined the program’s quality features, highlighting its innovative character, explaining that its curriculum covers all aspects of Ancient Greek Studies, tailored for a global audience with an interest in Classical culture. With an emphasis on hands-on, on-site instruction, the new BA offers a unique opportunity for specialist studies on Ancient Greece in Greece itself. Then, the members of the Steering Committee, Professors E. Mantzourani, D. Plantzos and S. Matthaios presented the three academic components of the program, which encompass courses in the prehistoric and classical archaeology, history and literature of Ancient Greece.

The Press Conference attended (among others) representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of the Archbishop of Athens an all Greece, the Ambassadors of Brazil and of Indonesia, representatives of the Embassies of (alphabetically): China, Korea, Russian Federation, Swiss, U.S.A.; the co-founders of the non-profit organization “Study in Greece”; representatives of “Plaka International Education Institute”; representatives from Greek and foreign media.

The Program at a Glance 

  • Τitle: “BA Program in the Archaeology, History, and Literature of Ancient Greece”;
  • It will welcome its first students for the academic year 2020-21 (fall 2020);
  • It is addressed exclusively to prospective students who are citizens of non-EU countries;
  • It focuses on Greek antiquity and awards a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts (BA);
  • Duration of the study program is four years (eight academic semesters);
  • Total amounts of ECTS required to successfully complete the program: 248 ECTS;
  • Tuition and fees are set to 6.000 Euro annually;
  • It is the first undergraduate resident degree program that is taught fully in English at a Greek University. Instruction is conducted exclusively in the English language;
  • The Program has been designed and is offered by the School of Philosophy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in collaboration with the International Hellenic University (IHU);
  • It may accommodate up to 100 students annually;
  • Admission Requirements are listed in detail on the program’s website https://baag.uoa.gr

Application deadline: March 31, 2020

The Innovative Aspects of the Program 

The innovative characteristic, which sets it apart from other similar programs of various international universities, is summarized in the following elements:

  • It combines the disciplines of archaeology, ancient history and ancient Greek literature in a unique synthesis;
  • It is based on a carefully designed combination of instruction in the classroom and instruction on-site, during frequent visits to archaeological sites and other locations of cultural interest.
  • International students will immerse themselves into the study of ancient Greek civilization exactly where this civilization was born and flourished. They will become part of the landscape they study, in ideal physical interaction with it, next or close to world famous monuments, such as the Parthenon, Delphi, and Olympia, etc.;
  • The students will have the unique opportunity to participate actively in university excavations, both in the broader district of Attica and in sites of Northern Greece – this is a dream for many foreign students of Classics, even for people who are not Classical experts, yet admire the Ancient Greeks and their culture;
  • Alongside their core studies, the prospective students will have the chance to study the Modern Greek language as a second language, at the Modern Greek Language Teaching Centre, which offers every year high-quality, specialized language instruction to thousands of foreign students.

Quality Characteristics 

  • The Program is supported by a historical University and a School with a tradition that exceeds 180 years of ongoing activity and strong presence in the area of tertiary education—both the University and the School are regularly highly ranked in international university rankings.
  • It enjoys all the privileges of a large University, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (an institution with 43 academic departments), and of a large School of Humanities, the School of Philosophy (with thirteen academic departments), and utilizes its facilities and partakes of the numerous and diverse cultural events hosted under its auspices every year.
  • Opportunities for further studies at postgraduate level are available to the BA holders, since the NKUA in general, and the School of Philosophy in particular, offer a significant amount of relative postgraduate programs in Greek, English and other languages if they select to continue their studies in Greece.
  • The courses offered at the BA are taught by prestigious scholars.
  • The students receive systematic and ongoing support by the academic staff, instructors and administrative staff, in order to ensure that their studies at the program and their stay in Athens may be as fruitful and comfortable as possible.

Curriculum/Admission requirements/Faculty and other supporting documents can be downloaded by clicking here