GREECE: Four-university postgraduate programme

A new postgraduate course on European civilisation has been established by four of the oldest and more traditional universities across Europe. The aim is to give students the opportunity to approach the subject from a multicultural standpoint within an overall international cooperation programme.

The four universities participating are the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki from Greece, the University of Bologna from Italy, the University de Haute-Alsace, Mulhouse and the University Marc Bloch, Strasbourg, from France. The agreement on academic cooperation was signed at the University of Bologna last month by the four university rectors.

The new postgraduate programme of two-year duration will be taught in the Greek, Italian and French languages. Students will attend classes in either two or three universities, giving them the opportunity to acquire double or triple special qualifications.

"It is with a great deal of satisfaction that the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is cooperating academically with three of the oldest and more traditional universities of Europe in a common postgraduate programme whose basis is the European civilisation and the European approach to philosophy, life and generally social attitudes," said Professor Anastasios Manthos, Rector of Aristotle University.

"It is a cooperation which confers added value to research activities and that has a far greater importance because these activities concern the whole of the humanities, the sciences and European civilisation."

The initiative of these four universities may open the way for similar programmes and study schemes in other areas of higher education by other universities in the future.