Diplom - Greece

Greece

In Greece, a diploma is a 5-year (10-semester) (diplom uni) (300E.C.T.S – I.S.C.E.D. 5A) degree, formatted similarly to the German Diplom, awarded to students of the Greek Engineering Schools and Departments (called Polytechinc in Greece – not to be confused though with the polytechnics of the UK).

While every institution has its own individual approaches, the curriculum usually consists of general knowledge and essential background subjects in the first five semesters. After the end of the fifth semester, students select their academic area of interest and pursue a set of specialised courses for the next four semesters. The last semester is devoted to the preparation of a thesis on the student's chosen area of interest, which is presented before a three-member panel.

Diplomas are considered equivalent to master's degrees (MEng)and allow the holder to sit in the Technical Chamber of Greece exams without any prerequisite. It also allows the engineer to be considered for doctorate studies without taking any additional classes.

Since adoption of the 2001 Higher Education Reform Act (Ν. 2916/2001 – Ν. 3549/2007) the higher technological institutes (Ανώτατα Τεχνολογικά Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα – Α.T.E.I) constitute a parallel, equivalent, and complementary part of public higher education in Greece. They confer a 4-year bachelor's degree formatted similarly to the German Diplom (FH) (240E.C.T.S – I.S.C.E.D. 5A).

Grades range between 0 and 10, 5 being the passing mark. However, since grading practice differs amongst awarding institutions, a descriptive mark is used, which is more or less universal throughout Greece. For example, in the National Technical University of Athens, a grade in the diploma between 5 and 6.99 is "good" (καλώς), a grade between 7.00 and 8.99 is "very good" (λίαν καλώς) and a grade of 9.00 or more is "excellent" (άριστα). In the University of Patras the ranges are from 5 to 6.49 (good), from 6.5 to 8.49 (very good) and from 8.5 to 10 (excellent).