University of Crete

[EduCativ]

The University of Crete is a young public educational institution committed to excellence in research and teaching.
Established in 1973, the University accepted its first students in 1977-78. It now has 16 Departments in 5 Schools (Philosophy, Education, Social, Economic & Political Sciences, Sciences & Engineering, and Medicine) as well as several affiliated research-oriented institutions, including the Skinakas Observatory, the Natural History Museum, and the University General Hospital. Currently, over 16,000 undergraduates and 2500 postgraduate students are registered here. They are educated by an outward-looking academic faculty of around 500 members, supported by adjunct lecturers, post-doctoral researchers, laboratory support staff and instructors, and around 300 technical and administrative support staff.
The University's international orientation is reflected in its track record of collaborations with many leading research and educational institutions in Europe and worldwide and the active promotion of mobility and exchange programs. Research and research training at all levels also benefits from the close collaboration between many of the University's research groups with the Institutes of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) and the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC)
Reflecting its research activity and associated initiatives, the University of Crete is the first Greek University to have signed the EU Charter and the Code for the recruitment of researchers and forms part of the Euraxess European network for researchers' mobility. The University fully participates in quality assurance mechanisms both for its academic and administrative structures. The University's strategic choice is that there will be an ongoing effort to meet quality in its structures.
Located at campuses in Heraklion and Rethymnon on Crete, a site rich in ancient and modern Mediterranean cultures, the University offers a vibrant social and intellectual environment for research and education. As such, whether your contact with the University is brief or long-term, we trust it will be rewarding.
Universities' mission in Greece is 'to generate and transmit knowledge through research and teaching, prepare students for its application on a professional level, and cultivate the arts and culture' (Ν.4009/2011, s.4).
Quality assurance goes hand-in-hand with the University's commitment to ensure that the quality of education and research training provided is under continuous review. The standards set are appropriate and are being met.
The University's dedicated Quality Assurance site sets out the structures, procedures, and outcomes of the evaluation processes (in Greek).
In brief, the University first sought the benefits of independent evaluations in 2000 (committee of 'Greek diaspora' academics chaired by Prof Eleni Arveler, Sorbonne) pdf, and again in 2001 with an Institutional Review by the European Universities Association (EUA) pdf. Since then, in line with policy developments at a European level and the formation of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), systematic quality assurance procedures applying to all Greek HEIs have been developed and implemented.
The current legal framework for QA in higher education institutions in Greece was created in 2005 (N.3374/2205). This law established the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (ΑΔΙΠ/HQAA), which acts as a national supervisory and coordinating body.
Within the University, each department has a QA group (OMEA) which works together with the University QA Committee (ΜΟΔΙΠ) to meet the requirements for periodic internal and external evaluations. The Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs heads the University QA Committee. It includes three faculty members, a representative of the policy support unit, and two student representatives.

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