In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

With respective new, associated Master oregon Dual Master programmes betwixt Greek Higher Education Institutions and distinguished overseas universities being closed and passed into the “hands” of the National Authority for Higher Education (NTEAE) for accreditation, it is expected to beryllium clarified successful the adjacent play of clip which programs volition person approval, but besides which ones volition commencement operating from the upcoming world year, 2026-27.

However, sources from the world community, speaking to AP-MPA, estimated that the reasonably “tight” docket acceptable by the internationalization backing programme (funded by the Ministry of Education done the Recovery and Resilience Fund), combined with bureaucratic challenges that arose on the way, volition effect successful astir fractional of the 74 full approved programmes being operational by September.

Besides, the contented of the implementation of each the programs, arsenic good arsenic the instauration of caller ones, was besides addressed astatine the caller Rectors’ Meeting, held from April 1 to April 4, 2026, chaired by the University of Piraeus. Among the findings of the Summit was that caller backing instruments volition beryllium needed to instrumentality each the planetary postgraduate programmes already approved, and to supply prospects for the instauration of caller ones.

Papaioannou: Critical relation of associated master’s degrees

Speaking to APE-MPE, the Deputy Minister of Education, liable for Higher Education, Nikos Papaioannou, noted that the applicable departments are proceeding with the procedures “with a presumption to ensuring prime and existent added value”, arsenic good arsenic that “the support procedures for advances are proceeding normally”.

Papaioannou stressed the “crucial role” of associated postgraduate programmes successful the enactment of a “modern and competitory world environment” and reiterated that the purpose of the internationalisation actions is “the important upgrading of studies”.

“We are investing steadily successful quality, actively supporting the excellence and extroversion of Greek HEIs,” helium stressed, adding: “At a clip erstwhile Higher Education is called upon to respond to accrued planetary challenges, it is the work of each of america to guarantee that each inaugural that moves guardant meets the highest world standards.”

“With consistency and planning, we proceed to physique a assemblage that is strong, reliable, and internationally competitive,”
He concluded.

It is recalled that the backing project, done which 74 programmes were initially approved for funding, bears the sanction “Universities of Excellence”, frankincense defining the strategical model of the Greek State for an acquisition argumentation aimed astatine the internationalisation of Greek Higher Education and its starring role.

“Breath” for facilitating practice and challenges for Greek HEIs

It is worthy noting that the full fund for backing the caller associated postgraduate programmes amounts to €94 million, of which €80 cardinal comes from the Recovery and Resilience Fund and €12 cardinal from the National Public Investment Programme to screen VAT.

The world assemblage welcomed this backing with enthusiasm, arsenic it would let covering chiefly portion of the tuition interest spread betwixt location and abroad, to make innovative teaching methods, and to springiness planetary visibility to the programmes, making it imaginable to further deepen pre-existing partnerships betwixt universities, arsenic good arsenic to found caller ones.

“The attraction of universities with the prestige and prestige of the names connected the database of collaborating with Greek HEIs successful this discourse is owed some to the planetary designation and prestige of the idiosyncratic institutions, faculties and lecturers arsenic good arsenic the coordinated efforts made by bodies specified arsenic Study successful Greece to marque Greece an planetary hub for acquisition and research”, Theodoros Papaioannou, enforcement manager of Study successful Greece (SiG), the NGO of Greek nationalist HEIs for extroversion and internationalisation, told APE-MPA.

Theodoros Poirot, the manager of the Greek Institute for Internationalisation and Internationalisation, is liable for the promotion of the internationalisation of Greek students.

In fact, Papaioannou described the instauration of associated planetary postgraduate programmes arsenic “a strategical measurement towards a qualitative internationalisation that combines innovation with excellence”.

From the beginning, however, it had go wide that Greek nationalist universities would person to look assorted kinds of challenges up of them, some organisational and successful presumption of the timetable for the implementation of what needs to beryllium done successful bid to disburse the wealth coming from the Recovery Fund.

“There is inactive important country for betterment successful presumption of simplification and automation of procedures as, sometimes, determination are delays that jeopardize the last implementation of immoderate of the programmes and, successful my opinion, much accent and attraction should besides beryllium fixed not lone to the signifier of instauration of each programme, but besides to the readying of its planetary promotion to pull students worthy of the prime of the world product”, Mr. Papaioannou.

At this stage, the delays that beryllium are chiefly owed to delays of a bureaucratic quality connected the portion of overseas universities, though sources adjacent to the world satellite accent that the practice betwixt universities is astatine a precise bully level, and the willingness to cooperate is intelligibly expressed.

Nevertheless, adjacent successful cases wherever the greenish airy is fixed by the NIFAE, a “race” volition statesman successful bid for the postgraduate programmes that volition person accreditation to commencement the procedures for attracting students and organising the commencement of operations adjacent September. This is because, according to the timetable, the HNSAE should person completed the accreditation process for these associated postgraduate programmes by the extremity of May.

Aim to grow the web of partnerships

A emblematic illustration of the supra is the Athens University of Economics and Business, which had secured support for 3 postgraduate programmes; however, astatine this stage, 2 are proceeding successful bid to commencement operating successful September 2026, ever taxable to accreditation by the HEAEE.

“The 2 funded programmes are innovative and interdisciplinary and absorption connected cutting-edge areas with planetary interaction and important maturation prospects,” Nancy Pouloudi, Vice Rector for International Cooperation and Development of the UBA, told APE-MPA.

As she said, the backing “makes a decisive publication to their plan and implementation, supporting bilateral practice for program improvement utilizing modern teaching methods, the planetary promotion of the programmes and the strengthening of acquisition infrastructure, peculiarly successful enactment of region education.”

One of the 3 programmes, however, “despite its support and the intensive mentation and volition of the parties involved”, Pouloudi stressed, “did not proceed astatine this stage.”

“The choky timeframe, differences successful timelines and ceremonial procedures betwixt the collaborating institutions, arsenic good arsenic archetypal ambiguities successful the backing presumption did not let the completion of the collaboration wrong the circumstantial backing cycle, she explained.

However, the OPA, similar different Greek nationalist HEIs, continues to determination guardant with presumption that volition let for the enlargement of the web of collaborations.

As Ms. Pouloudi noted, successful lawsuit determination is simply a caller backing programme, this practice volition beryllium capable to beryllium completed.
At the aforesaid time, extracurricular of this backing programme, the UoA has already joined forces with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and universities successful Italy and France, for the improvement of a caller associated innovative postgraduate programme successful Sports Analytics.

At the aforesaid time, it is recalled that successful the discourse of the planetary beingness of Greek nationalist universities, the cognition and improvement of foreign-language undergraduate and postgraduate programmes continues.