Study Program

Strategic Objectives of the New PPS

The main objectives achieved through the proposal of the New PPS are:

• The integration of new data and trends that exist, both at an academic - national and international, and more broadly at a social, economic and business level, regarding the concepts of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Sustainable Development, Digital Transformation.
• The increase in the flexibility of the SP by creating 6 specializations instead of 3 directions. Students will be asked to choose 2 specializations and create their own distinct portfolio, based on their scientific and professional interests. In this way, they will have the opportunity to combine scientific fields that were not involved in the past.
• The student-centered approach by providing more options is achieved by reducing the core courses to 28 from 34 and simultaneously increasing specialization courses to 8 instead of 6 and free-choice courses to 12 instead of 8.
• The fulfillment of the strategic goals that were set in the previous evaluations of the Department, regarding the improvement of the General Knowledge Courses Index and the Skills Development Courses Index.

The Institution of the Academic Advisor

The Academic Advisor is an institution that aims to provide substantial assistance to the students, so that they can effectively address questions, problems and challenges of the academic environment. This assistance concerns studies, research interests, professional orientation and broader issues of the students’ academic career (postgraduate studies, scholarships, etc.).

A Faculty Member is appointed as a Study Advisor for each student by the Department Assembly.

Requirements for Obtaining a Degree

University courses have as their content cognitive units, which are basically distinguished:

1. Epistemological (in terms of the field, that is, which constitutes their specific object of study).
2. Methodological (in terms of the way, that is, in which they approach and study the subject in question).

Certain courses often concern sub-units of a broader cognitive subject, which are determined mainly by pedagogical criteria, that is, in such a way as to facilitate the segmental and gradual assimilation of all the necessary knowledge. It can be said that a university course is generally not identical with a subject and, of course, does not exhaust it.

To obtain a degree from the Department of Business Administration, it is necessary to complete 240 units of the “European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)” or 144 teaching units, which are analyzed as follows:

TOTAL COURSES FOR OBTAINING A DEGREE:
either 48 COURSES (of which 12 are free-choice courses)
or 46 COURSES (of which 10 are free-choice courses) plus a GRADUATE THESIS

In more detail:

• 84 teaching units or 140 ECTS units must correspond to core courses (28 compulsory courses, C)
• 24 teaching units or 40 ECTS units must correspond to courses of study specializations (8 compulsory elective courses, CE)
• 36 teaching units or 60 ECTS units must correspond to free-choice elective courses (12 elective courses, E, or 10 elective courses plus a thesis).

The minimum duration of study for the completion of the Undergraduate Studies Program is eight (8) academic semesters.

ECTS Units (Credit Units)

The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is a system of awarding and transferring academic credits, which was developed experimentally in recent years in Europe and was implemented on a large scale within the framework of the “Institutional Convention”. Its purpose is to strengthen and facilitate academic recognition processes between partner institutions in Europe, through the use of real and generally applicable mechanisms. ECTS provides a code of good practice for the organization of academic recognition, by enhancing the transparency of curricula and student achievements. In the Department of Business Administration, all courses offered have 5 ECTS credits, each semester has 30 ECTS credits, while the completion of 240 ECTS credits is required to obtain a degree.

Teaching Units (TU)

The teaching hours are equal for all university courses and correspond to an equal number of teaching units. It is clarified that:

1. A teaching unit corresponds to a weekly delivery of one hour.
2. Each course corresponds to 3 teaching hours.
3. The total number of obligations that the student must meet in order to complete individual cycles or modules of the Study Program is defined based on the total number of teaching units and not on a specific number of courses.

The current Study Program at the DBA includes only courses with three teaching units.

Individual study program and rule regulating the number of courses that a student can register for

Regarding the time in which each student will attend the required courses, as well as with regard to which courses they will choose, where they have such an opportunity, the Department's Study Program is indicative. Each student gradually draws up an individual Curriculum, declaring, at the beginning of each semester, the courses they will attend. However, there is a limit to how many courses they can register for and attend per semester. This limit is formed based on the “n+2” rule for the first year of studies and the “n+n” rule for the following years of studies, where n is the total number of teaching units (TU) of the courses provided for in the indicative Curriculum of each academic semester.

According to this regulation, when drawing up their individual semester program, students may enroll in up to as many courses as correspond to the total number of teaching units of the courses provided for in the indicative Curriculum based on the rule applicable for that semester.

For example, in the Indicative Curriculum, the 6 courses of the first semester total 18 teaching units (3x6=18). Therefore, based on the “n+2” rule that applies to the first year, since 18+6=24, a student cannot enroll in more courses than those that complete 24 teaching units (i.e., 8 courses) per semester in the first year. For the remaining years (i.e., from the second year onwards) and based on the “n+n” rule, since 18+18=36, a student cannot enroll in more courses than those that complete 36 teaching units (i.e., 12 courses) per semester.

Learning outcomes of the degree

• are equipped with the required knowledge, abilities and skills, which will ensure their scientific and professional recognition and development in the field of business administration,
• have acquired a scientific way of thinking, which allows for a methodical and rational approach to solving problems and effectively addressing the needs of modern businesses and organizations,
• have been taught and are able to utilize a series of modern tools and methods which, in combination with the learned way of thinking, allow them to respond to the demanding and competitive market environment,
• are suitably prepared to continue their studies at postgraduate level.

Categories of courses offered

The Department of Business Administration offers its students a series of courses which are divided into the following categories:

• Category A: Core Courses (C)
• Category B: Specialization Courses (S)
• Category C: Elective Courses (E)

Category A: Core Courses

The first cycle of studies includes core courses, corresponding to 84 teaching units or 140 ECTS units. These courses fully cover the first two years of studies, as well as part of the third and fourth years. These courses are mandatory for all students. Each student must re-enroll and re-examine each core course in which they have failed. Specifically, the mandatory core courses are distributed to the corresponding semesters of courses according to the following table:

Category B: Specializations

Starting from the basic core knowledge, specialized courses are then offered, which, as appropriate:

1. Examine the peculiarities of planning, organization and operation of businesses, either in specific sectors of activity, or according to the current system of ownership and control of the business.
2. Delve deeper, either into the study of individual functions of the business in general, or into the study of the conditions and consequences of the use of certain methods, techniques and/or technologies, for the promotion or analysis of specific purposes of the business.
3. Focus on the study of selected social, economic or legal dimensions of the business environment.

The student must choose 2 of the 6 specializations offered. For each specialization, 4 courses must be successfully examined (optionally mandatory – a total of 8 for the 2 selected specializations), which correspond to 24 teaching units or 40 ECTS units.

A prerequisite for enrollment in a specialization, as well as in any course included in a specialization, is the successful completion of core courses, with which the student accumulates at least 50% of the teaching units (i.e., 14 core courses, corresponding to 42 teaching units or 70 ECTS units) and has completed the 2nd year of studies.

Specifically and exceptionally, the course Practical Training can be selected by students after completing the first year of studies.

Six specializations of study are offered at the DBA, which include S courses according to the following table:

Category C: Elective Courses

The Elective Courses which students must successfully pass are 12 and they can be chosen from the 5th semester onwards. Students will be invited to choose these courses, freely, from among the courses offered by the Department of Business Administration.

Specifically, these courses are:

Courses falling within the area of Informatics and Computer Handling for the granting of relevant certificates.

A student who has successfully passed at least four of the following courses, upon receiving their degree, will also receive a certificate of computer handling.

These courses are: