Last week marked five years since the announcement of the establishment of the first foreign-language (English-speaking) Undergraduate Program of Studies (FPS) by a Greek university. During this period of time, the map of foreign language undergraduates at Greek universities has expanded: a total of 9 foreign language undergraduate programs are operating during this academic year.

One of the additional programs is expected to come from the Athens University of Economics and Business in the coming academic year, with his first MSc, thus joining the “family” of Greek HEIs that offer English-language study programs at the undergraduate level. It’s about the program “International Bachelor’s Program in Business and Technology” (International Management and Technology) and is the second English-language undergraduate program in economics.

According to him Dimitris Manolopoulosdirector of International Business and Technology, the program is planned to accept 60 first-year students and aims to train executives with a “new mentality” in the modern business reality, “the ability to combine the new principles of management at a global level with the evolution of technology that builds a keen awareness of both themselves and the operational environment around them.’

“The English-language PPS of the OPA aspires, first, to fill the great gap found in foreign language university education in Greece, in subjects that are the common ground between administrative science and technological applications in the business environment. Second, to train young scientists with an emphasis on modern skills necessary for the practice of management science at an international / global level, and, third, to enhance scientific and technological research and generate new knowledge in the knowledge areas of management and technology “, Mr. Manolopoulos reported to APE-MPE.

The number of foreign-language undergraduate programs, however, is not expected to remain at 10. It has already been announced that the English-language undergraduate program of the University of Western Attica, entitled “BA in Applied Philosophy in Business Decision” will begin next year. making” (Applied Philosophy in Business Decision Making).

Also, according to information from APE-MBE, the start of at least five new CSIs is expected for the coming year. Two of these programs are expected to come from the University of Western Macedonia, one in the field of Obstetrics and one from the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering of the Polytechnic School, in collaboration with the Neapolis University of Paphos (Cyprus) under the title “Product design Engineering” (Product Design Engineering).

The University of Western Macedonia, however, has already entered the map of foreign language education at the undergraduate level very dynamically, with two programs that started operating from the current academic year (2024-25). These are the “Creative Writing, Arts and Humanities” and “Economics and Sustainable Development” programs.

The design of the “Creative Writing, Arts and Humanities” program was “dictated by the contemporary scientific, academic and social context”, according to the director of the program, Triantafyllos Kotopoulos, and offers topics “that follow the contemporary trends of history, theory and criticism of literary production, film and television writing and the integration at every level of education of the logic of Creative Writing”.

As for the “Economy and Sustainable Development” program, the director of the program, Nikolaos Tsounis, told APE-MPE that “at the moment it is the only foreign language undergraduate program offered both in the region of Western Macedonia and in the Greek territory in the economic science and particularly in the fields of economic growth and development, circular economy, environmental economics and the use of environmentally friendly technologies to achieve sustainable economic growth and development”.

Greece as an international pole in Education

The development of more and more foreign-language – so far English-speaking – undergraduate study programs comes as a consequence of the clear priority of the Greek state, and more specifically, the Ministry of Education for the internationalization of Greek HEIs.

“In recent years, the Ministry of Education has demonstrated in practice and in many ways its commitment to supporting the international opening of Greek Higher Education, both through innovative legislative reforms and through the provision of financial tools to universities for the realization of the public for all goal of Greece becomes an international pole of education”, Thodoris Papaioannou, executive director of Study in Greece, AMKE of Greek HEIs and a national body for their internationalization and extroversion, told APE-MPE about this.

From the contacts with representatives of corresponding bodies, such as the SiG, abroad, Mr. Papaioannou pointed out that the discussions “are accompanied by enthusiasm for the spectacular progress of recent years and the belief that Greece has, as a country, the background and the perspective to become a force to be reckoned with in the field of study abroad”.

As he added, the action of the SiG is of decisive importance, as “it ensures, for the first time in the history of Greek higher education, the unified and coordinated promotion of Greek universities as well as the presence of Greece in a series of international exhibitions for the attraction of students (recruitment fairs) held in various countries”.

The reasons why Greece is gradually becoming an international pole in Education, according to Mr. Papaioannou, are the following: “His history and cultural glamour, the low cost of studies and everyday life in general compared to other European countries , the Mediterranean climate and the way of life offered for student life”.

“Interests from abroad consider Greece a particularly attractive study destination and, therefore, several times, the international demand for study programs in various academic subjects is much higher than what Greek universities offer. In other words, many more programs must be created, especially undergraduate ones, in order to respond to the international interest”, added Mr. Papaioannou.

The students’ human geography

According to what Mr. Papaioannou told APE-MPE, students from the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent are usually interested in undergraduate studies. Students from the USA are more interested in short term programs (semester abroad & summer courses).

“The interesting and encouraging thing is that in the last two years, with the creation of more English-language undergraduate and postgraduate programs, the number of both Americans and Europeans who choose to continue their studies in Greek universities for a longer period of time is gradually increasing , studying Bachelors and Masters”, noted Mr. Papaioannou.

As for the direction in which it is worth focusing the efforts of Greek universities to attract students, Mr. Papaioannou pointed out that “it would make sense to focus more on countries – markets of our “neighborhood” with which Greece is so close geographical as well as cultural: Balkans, Eastern Europe, Egypt, Middle East”.

“I also believe that we should strategically approach India, but also Central Asian countries that are interested in opening up to the West, as well as increase cooperation and joint programs with major countries of the Western world such as the USA, the UK, France, Germany and Italy, but also Australia through the use of the strong Greek diaspora in that country”, Mr. Papaioannou concluded.

The foreign language undergraduate programs that work

It is recalled that the first internationalization step in the field of undergraduate programs was made by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, with the announcement of the establishment of the BA Program in the Archaeology, History, and Literature of Ancient Greece of Ancient Greece) in October 2019. It is worth noting that the first graduates of this program – and the first graduates of a foreign language undergraduate program in Greece – completed their studies in the summer of 2024.

This was followed by the first Medical Degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2021, followed by EKPA with its own in 2022. Subsequently, the University of Crete also offered a Medical Degree in Medicine (International Program in Medicine’, 2023).

In the current academic year, four new BSc programs were launched: the fourth English-language Medicine program from the University of Thessaly, the BSc in Accounting and Finance program from the University of Macedonia, as well as the programs from the University of Western Macedonia, which mentioned above, “Creative Writing, Arts and Humanities” and “Economics and Sustainable Development”.

Athena Kastrinaki