University of Patras

University of Patras
Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών
Established November 11, 1964
Type Public
Rector Georgios Panagiotakis
Administrative staff
 754 faculty members, 238 teaching staff, 481 administrative personnel
Students 24,460
Undergraduates 21,200
Postgraduates 3,260
Location Patras, Greece
Campus Rio campus, 7 kilometres east of the city of Patras
Colors

         

    
Website www.upatras.gr

University of Patras (Greek: Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών, Panepistímio Patrón) is a university established in 1964 in Patras, Greece. Initially housed in the city centre, the university's campus is now located in the adjacent municipality of Rio. Covering an area of 4.5 km², it is one of the largest in the country. Until September 2002, it was the only university in the Peloponnese and Western Greece with the exception of Epirus.

In particular it comprises 5 Schools – School of Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Social Studies and Humanities, School of Health Sciences and School of Business Administration. It is the third largest university in the country, with 18,500 undergraduate students, 2000 post-graduate students, 670 teaching staff, 369 administrative personnel and 403 teaching and research assistants.[1] The initial emphasis on science and technology has been extended to other academic areas such as Health Sciences, Humanities and Business studies. Today, its 22 departments, with a large number of sectors and consequently a great range of disciplines, reflect a balanced academic environment.

The university is accessible by GR-8A, and now the new bypass (perimeter highway) with an interchange in the west and a westbound interchange in the northeast. The elevation is around 50 m (160 ft) above sea level. The facilities lie in the western part, the central part and the northern part. The far western part, and the eastern part are empty.

History

University of Patras, Administration Building A

The University of Patras was founded in the city of Patras in 1964 and it began functioning in the academic year 1966-67. Its establishment greatly contributed to the decentralization of academic education in Greece.

It was established primarily with the intention to concentrate on science, technology, economics, business administration and social sciences. In the proposal for a new university, which was the result of an international conference in August 1964, it is stated that the role of the University of Patras is to set an example of a highly qualified Institution of higher learning and serve as a stimulus for the creation of the Greek higher education system. Priority was given to the fields where highly trained personnel should be needed for the realization of the economic development of the country.

The University of Patras is ranked at 556 among the world's universities.[2]

Notable Alumni

Academic structure

The University consists of five Schools, one of which is under establishment, with a total of twenty-two Departments.

Schools Departments
School of Natural Sciences
School of Engineering (Polytechneio)
  • Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Technology, 1967 (renamed from Department of Electrical Engineering)
  • Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, 1972 (renamed from Department of Mechanical Engineering)
  • Department of Civil Engineering, 1972
  • Department of Chemical Engineering, 1977
  • Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics (CEID), 1980
  • Department of Architecture, 1999
School of Humanities & Social Sciences
  • Department of Early Childhood Education, 1983
  • Department of Primary Education, 1983
  • Department of Theatre Studies, 1989
  • Department of Philology, 1994
  • Department of Philosophy, 1999
School of Health Sciences
  • Faculty of Medicine, 1983 (initially as Medicine School in 1977)
  • Department of Pharmacy, 1983 (initially in the School of Mathematics and Physics in 1977)
School of Business Administration

(under establishment)
  • Department of Economics, 1985
  • Department of Business Administration, 1999

School of Natural Sciences

Founded as the School of Mathematics and Physics on 19 October 1966, it was renamed to the School of Natural Sciences in 1983.

Polytechnic, School of Engineering

Founded in 1967, it includes a Department of Engineering Sciences (1983).

School of Health Sciences

Founded as the Medicine School in 1977 and renamed to School of Health Sciences in 1983.

Academic Evaluation

An external evaluation of all academic departments in Greek universities will be conducted by the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (HQAA) in the following years.[3]

Research

The teaching and research activities of a department or a sector may be grouped and concentrated in even smaller operational, not academic units, the laboratories or clinics in the case of medicine. In its 112 laboratories that boast extensive equipment and facilities, research is conducted by students and teaching staff members.

Apart from regular teaching and research activities, the laboratories are the focal points for the creation of national and international research consortia. The University participates in all major European research programmes such as ESPRIT, EURECA, RACE, LRE, BRITE-EURAM, IMPACT, LIFE, ENVIRONMENT, COPERNICUS, FAIR, STRIDE, BIOMED and other programmes sponsored by the D6XII, D6XVI, D6XIII Directorates.

The management of research projects is carried out by the Research Committee and its administration unit. The financial management of research projects with external funding produces resources for the University, which are used for specific educational and developmental activities, as well as funding of young researchers. In recent years, over 2700 research projects, financed both by the State and the European Union have been carried out.[26][27]

The Campus

Library & Information Service building (ΒΥΠ).

The university campus is 7 km (4.3 mi) east of the city of Patras, in the area of Rio. It is a self-contained campus at the foot of Mount Panachaiko with a view over the Gulf of Corinth to the mountains of Central Greece across the water. Nearby the university property is the Rio Regional Hospital which is situated in the northeast. The parking lots are in the east and the building lies to the west. The School of Medicine lies west of the hospital but smaller in size with the parking lots in the west and downtown Rio, and a river with Papandreou Avenue in its southwest. The Rio/University of Patras/Drepano (northbound) interchange is to the north.

The campus has 4 entrances; the Platonos Entrance Eisodos Platonos, the Dionysios Solomos Entrance Eisodos Dionysiou Solomou, lying to the west next to Papandreou Avenue which is also a road linking to Kastritsi, Georgios Seferis Entrance Eisodos Georgios Seferis in the east and G. Ritsou Entrance Eisodos G. Ritsou with the old GR-8A (Patras - Corinth - Athens) in the north. The mountains are situated in the southeast. The track and field and sporting grounds are in the southern part.

The university contains:

The university was initially housed in a building in the centre of Patras. Very soon it became clear that there was need for a new campus to meet the demands of a fast-growing university. The wooded campus area of about 600 acres (2.4 km2) was selected in 1968 and was appropriated on behalf of the university. Today, the university has expanded to 4.5 km by acquiring some public land.

The first buildings of the new university campus were a unit of 20 small ground level pre-fabricated buildings, still housing some academic and administrative offices. In 1972 the construction of buildings "A" and "B" started. Building "A" houses the administrative services, the rectorship, the Senate's Conference Hall, the University's Ceremonial Hall, a teaching amphitheatre and seminar halls. The designing of the campus was entrusted to an internationally known architectural firm.

Following the master plan, 25 buildings were eventually built, and many more are under construction for the housing of most of the departments, along with a new library, a museum of science and technology, a Botanical Garden, a new Student Centre. Within the campus are also found the students' residence hall, the Conference and Cultural Centre, a restaurant, a bank, a bookstore, a stationery, the Publishing House, cafeterias and kiosks. The University Guest Hall is the only building of the University outside the campus. It is located three kilometres west of the campus.

University oof Patras with Rio–Antirrio bridge on the background

Today, buildings of a total area of Template:210100 have been fully completed and are functioning. New buildings are under construction. The campus has not been completed yet, although the rate of completion is the highest in the country. The total number of lecture halls in the different building units is 115. Within the campus there is also the Regional University Teaching Hospital which functions both as the major regional medical centre and as a teaching facility for the Faculty of Medicine. Concurrently there is a continuous effort to upgrade and improve the landscape within the campus, although extensive infrastructure projects, landscaping and athletic facilities have been completed.

Several other facilities are available on campus including a gymnasium and a swimming pool, a nursery school, a primary and secondary school for the children of faculty and staff, a post office.

In addition to constructing new buildings, new sites at the surroundings have been appropriated on behalf of the University.

There are free car parks located all over the campus. The campus has many open-spaces, green shady areas covered with characteristically Mediterranean olive groves.

Faculties and Departments

Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics

The Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics (Greek: Τμήμα Μηχανικών Ηλεκτρονικών Υπολογιστών και Πληροφορικής) (aka CEID from the initial letters of its name) was founded in 1980, and was the first in an Engineering (Polytechnic) School in Greece to offer a 5-year engineering Diploma curriculum in the field of Computer Engineering & Informatics. An active Alumni Association helps connect the Department’s graduates.[28]

Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (School of Engineering)

Established in 1967. Was renamed from Mechanical Engineering into Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering in 1995, by adding the new specialization of Aeronautics, in the course's curriculum.[29]

Divisions & Research Groups

[30][31]

Undergraduate

[32]

Postgraduate - Research

[33]

Department of Economics

The Department of Economics (Greek: Τμήμα Οικονομικών Επιστημών) was established in 1985 and began its activities in the academic year 1985-86. During the period between the academic years 1985-86 and 1995-96 it operated in a satellite campus in the town of Agrinio. Since 1996-97 all the teaching and research activities of the department have been conducted on the main campus in Rio, and from October 1998 it has permanently relocated there.

The department offers a full undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor's degree in Economics. The undergraduate program is of a 4-year duration. For the award of the Bachelor's degree in Economics, students are required to pass a total of 38 semester-long courses and two foreign-language course units offered by the Department of Foreign Languages of the University. Currently, it has about 1,200 undergraduate students and offers a total of 52 undergraduate courses.

The department also runs postgraduate studies leading to a Master degree and a Ph.D. degree.

A departmental library is situated next to the Departmental Office and has a good collection of Greek and English language books covering all fields of economics. The department subscribes to all the leading economics journals and to a large number of specialized journals related to the research activities of the faculty members. Students and staff members have access to the Central Library of the university, which, in addition to a great collection of books & periodicals covering all the subjects taught in the various departments, also has a European Documentation Centre. The Department of Economics has a new modern Computer Laboratory established on 2006, equipped with all the latest statistical packages and other software.

Program of Studies

Department of Mathematics

The Department of Mathematics (Greek: Τμήμα Μαθηματικών) teaches a range of courses, which include both classical and modern mathematical methods and theories. The rapid advances of science and technology have multiplied the domains in which mathematics is a prerequisite for a variety of applications in modern technologies. New opportunities for professional advancement constantly appear for university graduates and postgraduate with a strong training in pure and applied mathematics.

Recognizing the need for a broadly based and up-to-date education, the Department of Mathematics has expanded its activities to include teaching and research in a number of areas of current interest in informatics, numerical analysis, operational research, optimization, nonlinear dynamics, fuzzy logic, as well as applications of Mathematics to Physics, Economics and Biology. To support its research activities, the department has instituted an intensive program of graduate studies awarding Master's degrees in Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and the Mathematics of Computation and Decision Making. Moreover, the research of several faculties members is frequently funded by Greek Government Agencies and the European Community .

Developing its connections with other European universities, the department has been actively participating in the ERASMUS/SOCRATES Exchange Program since 1989. Under the auspices of this program, several students and faculty members have visited many other European universities, while the Department has also hosted students and faculty coming from a number of European universities. The department was created at the time of the foundation of the University of Patras in 1966. It has an academic staff of nearly 50 members and has one of the largest student bodies, with over 1800 students currently enrolled. Every year the department receives about 250 new students.

Divisions

Great emphasis is given to the active participation of the student in achieving his/her objectives. Thus there exists a minimal number of compulsory core courses which cover the basic elements of the various mathematical sub-fields. For each mathematical subfield, there exists a group of courses which covers the basic material of that field and students must choose at least one of each group. Free electives complete the study programme.

Students have the option to major in a particular sub-field of mathematics. This is not compulsory, but if they so choose, students may follow a certain study programme so as to cover the requirements of a particular major.

The Department Divisions and the fields of study that its one of them deals with are as follows :

See also

Notes

^ Not to be confused with the diploma provided abroad after completing training courses for professional or vocational training.

References

  1. ↑ University of Patras general info, retrieved 2014
  2. ↑ "Ranking Web of World universities". Retrieved 2011-05-20.
  3. ↑ Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency
  4. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, 2012
  5. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Medicine, University of Patras, 2013
  6. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, 2011
  7. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Geology, University of Patras, 2012
  8. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Mathematics, University of Patras, 2013
  9. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Physics, University of Patras, 2013
  10. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Biology, University of Patras, 2013
  11. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, 2013
  12. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Primary Education, University of Patras, 2013
  13. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, 2013
  14. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Philology, University of Patras, 2011
  15. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Philosophy, University of Patras, 2013
  16. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Patras, 2013
  17. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, 2013
  18. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, 2013
  19. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Civil Engineering, University of Patras, 2013
  20. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Architecture, University of Patras, 2013
  21. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Theatre Studies, University of Patras, 2013
  22. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Economics, University of Patras, 2014
  23. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Business Administration, University of Patras, 2014
  24. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Cultural Heritage Management and New Technologies, University of Patras, 2014
  25. ↑ HQAA Final Report - Department of Business Administration of Food and Agricultural Enterprises, University of Patras, 2014
  26. ↑ University of Patras Research Activities, retrieved 2013
  27. ↑ University of Patras Research Brochures, Research Development Office, retrieved 2014
  28. ↑ Τμήμα Μηχανικών Ηλεκτρονικών Υπολογιστών και Πληροφορικής
  29. ↑ Τμήμα Μηχανολόγων & Αεροναυπηγών Μηχανικών - Πληροφορίες --> Τμήμα
  30. ↑ Τμήμα Μηχανολόγων & Αεροναυπηγών Μηχανικών - Πληροφορίες --> Τομείς
  31. ↑ "Research Development Office, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering" (in Greek). Rdo.upatras.gr. 2013-08-31. Retrieved 2013-11-17.
  32. ↑ Τμήμα Μηχανολόγων & Αεροναυπηγών Μηχανικών - Εκπαίδευση --> Προπτυχιακά --> Κανονισμός Σπουδών
  33. ↑ Τμήμα Μηχανολόγων & Αεροναυπηγών Μηχανικών - Εκπαίδευση --> Μεταπτυχιακά --> Κανονισμός Σπουδών

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to University of Patras.

Coordinates: 38°17′12″N 21°47′11″E / 38.28667°N 21.78639°E