Study Guide Structure | Department of Political Science and International Relations

Bachelor’s Degree in
Political Science and International Relations

Download the 2023-2024 Study Guide [☍] (last update: 02/2024)

Core and Specializations

Studies are organized into eight (8) terms. They include 48 compulsory and optional courses (including courses of English language and terminology). According to the program of studies, students are expected to attend six (6) courses per term. Curriculum for Terms 1 to 4 is common and compulsory for all students (core courses). Students are expected to successfully complete certain core courses first seen as prerequisites for registering for more advanced courses in both fields of specialization.

In Term 5, students are called to choose one of the department’s two fields of specialization, in order to acquire expert knowledge in the field of their choice. The available fields of specialization are:

– Political Science

– International Relations

The selection of a field of specialization entails a partial differentiation in courses for Terms 5 to 8, as indicated in the program of studies. During each of the four final terms (5-8), students select their six courses per term as follows: 3 courses from a list of courses offered at the chosen specialization and three elective courses from a common list for both specializations.

Students are required to register for compulsory, specialization and elective courses at the Department Registrar at specific dates during October for Winter term and during March for Spring Term upon decision of Departmental Faculty Meeting.

Final Year Dissertation

Students may opt to write a dissertation, which corresponds to two courses, provided they meet the following criteria:

a) they should be registered for Term 7; and
b) they have succeeded at the exam of 30 courses.
c) they should have achieved an overall mark of 7 or above
d) they should submit an abstract of their research proposal

Students close to graduation are granted the opportunity to submit a dissertation provided they have successfully concluded 42 out of 48 courses including all the courses of the first year and an average overall mark of 7,5 or above.

The dissertation’s length should be around 10,000 words. Dissertations should strictly abide by the rules of scholarly writing (methodology, documentation, bibliography, etc.) and display a certain degree of originality. They are graded on a scale of 1-10, as is the case for all courses in the curriculum. The duration of the dissertation’s writing is two (2) academic terms and the deadline of submission is the 31^st May of each academic year. All members of the Department’s Faculty can be appointed as supervisors. Students are expected to submit a request for writing a degree dissertation in consultation with their supervisor, during October of their final year of study.

Work Placement Programme (Internship)

Work placement in the department allows students to get a taste of the employment environment and to experience personally how it is to work for an organization like the one they are placed at. The department collaborates and offers work placements both in Greece and abroad.

Work placement is tightly connected to the degree programme; it offered as the equivalent of an optional module in either the winter or spring semesters.

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ERASMUS Student Exchange

Students that have completed at least four (4) semesters of study are eligible to participate in the ERASMUS exchange programme, either for studying or for work placement. This is an opportunity for them to broaden their academic background and to experience, first hand, how other universities in the European union operate while being able, at the same time, to make acquaintances with other cultures and societies in Europe.