Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.; often called the Aristotelian University or University of Thessaloniki; Greek: Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης) is the second oldest tertiary education institution within Greece. Named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, about 55 km (34 miles) east of Thessaloniki, it is the largest university in Greece and its campus covers 230,000 square metres in the centre of Thessaloniki, with additional educational and administrative facilities elsewhere.[3]
Motto
Μούσαις Χάρισι Θῦε (Ancient Greek)
1925
€12.52 million (2021)[1]
(state funding only)
Nikos Papaioannou[2]
2,024
40,000 (active)
31,000 (active)
4,520
3,952
230,000 m²
As of 2023, there is a student population of approximately 88,283 active students enrolled at the university (77,198 at the undergraduate level and 6,588 in postgraduate programmes of which 3,952 at doctoral level) and 2,366 faculty members.[4] There are additionally 248 members of the Special Laboratory Teaching Personnel and 213 members of the Special Technical Laboratory Personnel. The administrative staff consists of 400 permanent employees and 528 subcontractor employees that are contracted by the university.[5]
The language of instruction is Greek, although there are programs in foreign languages and courses for international students, which are carried out in English, French, German and Italian.
Emblem[edit]
The emblem of the Aristotle University is Demetrius of Thessaloniki.
The university consists of eleven faculties, consisting of 41 schools.[13]
History and affiliations of schools
Research[edit]
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki performs a great deal of research in a variety of scientific fields. It is in constant and close cooperation with universities, organizations and research centres both in Greece and abroad. The large number of its faculties and its approximately 250 laboratories enable scientists of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki to carry out a variety of research projects with great success. During the past 12 years, 4500 research programs were undertaken and realized with the participation of more than 10,000 members of the academic community and several external collaborators.
During the past three years, 985 researchers – distinguished scientists – have provided educational and research services in collaboration with a total of 7,263 external scientific associates for the implementation of 3,151 International, European and National Research and Technological Development (RTD) projects. 1,436 of these partners were universities, research centers and organizations, while 405 were businesses.[56]
Based on recent data from international ranking lists, of 20,372 higher institutions in the world, AUTh moved from the 407th position in 2011 to the 158th in 2012, ranking first among 23 Greek universities. It is worth mentioning that Greece ranks first in the lists for the expenditure per publication per capita as a percentage of GNP, and second (following Ireland) in regard to the amount invested in scientific publications per country (Nature "Top Countries 2011: Scientific Publications").[56]
In terms of promoting innovation, 32 Patents have been granted during the last 3 years on a national, European and international level.[56]
Finally, AUTh is currently involved in establishing new infrastructure, setting up technology transfer systems, and creating an Interdisciplinary Research Center, in order to facilitate the selection process, as well as the implementation, placement and financing of research projects.
The A.U.TH. Research Committee[57] is a university body which coordinates the research done at the university. It was established in order to satisfy the special needs of research activity and to administer the "Special Account of Research Funds", allocating funding resources to different research programs.[58]
University rankings
501–600 (2023)
=530 (2024)
801–1000 (2024)
=363 (2023)
The university staff is divided into five main categories:
The educational work is also exercised by people that do not belong to the university staff, such as guest professors and generally scientists who are invited to teach specific courses.
Student services[edit]
Career Services Office[edit]
The Career Services Office of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was established in 1997 and its main objective is to help students and graduates take decisions concerning their future studies and career. It provides support and information about a variety of subjects including: undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Greek or foreign universities, available scholarships, student mobility programs (IAESTE, SOCRATES etc.), labor market in Greece and abroad, job vacancies and many more. There is also a group of specially trained personnel, which provides advice and guidance to students and graduates on decision making, CV compilation, job interviews and job application.[94]
The Career Services Office organizes regularly career seminars inviting professionals from different scientific fields to lecture about their jobs and the status of the job market. These career seminars appear to be very helpful because they give students and graduates a chance to get in contact with people of different professions and acquire information about their experiences and accomplishments.
Information Technology Centre[edit]
The Information Technology Centre of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was established in the beginning of 1998 under the financial support of the Greek Ministry of Education and the European Union.[95] Its mission is to provide the academic community of the university with a variety of computer facilities, such as client–server applications, host-based applications, High Performance Computing and many more. It also provides technical support via email, phone or fax to all AUTH members and takes care of central backup issues, site licensing matters, maintenance contracts, etc. ITC regularly organizes seminars on topics of computer science, popular software packages and the usage of the university infrastructure. Some of the services provided by ITC to AUTH members are listed below:[96][97]
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki participates in the following International Organizations, Unions and University Networks:
Student Unions