Degree Programmes
A five-year (10 semesters) programme of undergraduate studies is offered by the SCHOOL of Agriculture, which leads to a Degree in Agricultural Sciences.
Each semester consists of a 14-week teaching period (approximately). Within each semester, students attend up to six courses; each course consists of lectures, practical work, seminars, fieldwork, and home study. Formal written or oral examination is normally carried out at the end of each semester (January and June) and re-examination before the beginning of each academic year (September).
The workload of each course is expressed in credits. Each credit, according to the article 24, paragraph 3 of the 1268/82 Greek law, corresponds to one hour lecture per week during one semester or 1-3 hours of practical or other type of teaching. The semester workload of a student is the sum of the credits taken by the student during that semester. It is recommended that this load is approximately equal to 30 ECTS per semester.
The programme for semesters 1-5 is common to all students as it provides courses in basic sciences and fundamental coursework in agriculture. Semesters 6-10 are devoted to courses in one of the following specializations:
- Animal Production
- Agricultural Economics
- Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering
- Food Science and Technology
- Plant Production
Some of the offered courses, which are Compulsory, while the rest, are Elective (Optional). The latter can be selected by a student from a list of courses.
All Degrees provide training in environmental issues related to agricultural and biological sciences. Teaching is constantly adjusted to fulfill the requirements of the students. The educational goals of the Undergraduate Programme at the SCHOOL of Agriculture are 1) introduction to contemporary concepts in Biology, Economy, and Agriculture, 2) high level instruction, according to international standards, 3) strong emphasis on practical work, experience from research projects during the last two years, compulsory summer work during the fourth year of studies.
During the 9th and 10th semesters, the students must carry out a project for a thesis. Each student undertakes an experimental project (of at least 6 months) after the end of the third year. The work is carried out in the laboratory or in the field. After the end of the project a dissertation is written up according to the standards of a scientific paper (Introduction with a detailed review of the pertinent literature, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, References). This is a part of the final assessment and give the opportunity to the students to follow their own particular interests and to get research experience. It corresponds to 30 ECTS credits.
Students are also required to get two months practical training in an appropriate agricultural institution in Greece or abroad. This normally takes place during the summer vacation after the 8th semester. It includes visits to private greenhouses, industrial companies, government agencies, agricultural industries, research institutions, agricultural cooperatives, and crops grown under farmer’s conditions. Examination for this training period includes a combination of written papers with reports on the practical work conducted out of the SCHOOL. Students are also examined orally. Grading for the practical training is made as Succeeded or Failed only. It corresponds to 10 ECTS credits.
A foreign language course (English, German, French, or Italian) is compulsory for the semesters 1-2. Credits are not earned during the first three semesters even after successful examination. The final grade is given after a successful examination taken at the end of the fourth semester. It corresponds to a total of 4 ECTS credits.
Every staff member of the School of Agriculture is adviser to at least two students. Her/his responsibility is to advise the students on subjects concerning their studies or any other matter related to their studies. The administration office of the School of Agriculture makes this allocation soon after the admission of the students. The role of the adviser is explained to the new students in their first welcome meeting organized by the Dean of the School of Agriculture at the beginning of each academic year.
Teaching and Learning Methods
Most of the courses offered by the SCHOOL comprise lectures and practicals (laboratory exercises, demostrations and fieldwork). Attendance of practicals but not of lectures is compulsory for all students. Lectures last 45 minutes and are usually carried out with the assistance of slide projectors, overhead projectors, computer projectors, and occasionally video. For each course or group of courses, textbooks or other publications are provided to the students free of charge. The tittle, content, teaching hours per week, and their sequence in semesters appear in the Table of Courses.
Examination and Grading
The performance of the student in a course can be assessed by formal written or oral examinations. These examinations are carried out at the end of each semester (January and June) and reexamination before the beginning of the academic year (September). The examination method (written or oral) for each course is chosen by the instructor, while the date is announced by the SCHOOL of Agriculture and is known to both teachers and students at the beginning of each academic year.
Grading is based on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. The passing grade is 5. The relationship between the grading system of the SCHOOL of Agriculture and that of ECTS is the following:
| ECTS grade | Departmental grade | Definition |
| A | 9-10 | Excellent |
| B | 8 | Very Good |
| C | 7 | Good |
| D | 6 | Satisfactory |
| E | 5 | Sufficient |
| FX | 3-4 | Fail |
| F | 0-2 | Fail |
The same scale is also used for the grading of student’s project (dissertation).