University of Piraeus

History

The university was founded in 1938 by the Industrialists and Tradesmen Association under the name "School for Industrial Studies" and its original aim was the advanced training of managerial executives. In 1945, it was renamed to the "Higher School for Industrial Studies", while in 1958 it was renamed again as the "Graduate School for Industrial Studies" and its seat was established in Piraeus. Since then the university has evolved from its original sole focus on business management and added additional academic fields, such as economics, finance, maritime studies, informatics, and statistics. In 1966, it became a public university, and in 1989, it received its present name.

Academic structure

Each of the following 10 departments offer undergraduate programmes with a corresponding four-year Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree upon completion.

Postgraduate studies

The university is one of the two public universities in Greece that offer an Executive M.B.A. programme. Additionally, there are numerous postgraduate programmes that offer an M.B.A. or a M.Sc. degree upon completion, such as in Actuarial Science and Risk Management, Accounting, Finance, Banking, Maritime Economics, Business Administration, Marketing, Applied Statistics, Economic and Business Strategy, ICT and so on.

The University of Piraeus' Department of International and European Studies, offers two postgraduate programmes (Master of Science - MSc) taught in English language titled American Studies: Politics, Strategy and Economics and Energy: Strategy, Law and Economics.

Research and openness

The institution is home to the University of Piraeus Research Center (UPRC) which was founded in 1989.

In addition, many cooperation agreements under the Erasmus +, as well as other bilateral cooperation agreements and inter-university provided, exchange of students and staff, exchange of teaching and research material and conduct joint research projects and conferences. Moreover, the university is a member of international organizations such as European University Association, AACSB, International Association of Universities, etc.

The University of Piraeus signed a cooperation protocol with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels on 26 July 2022 with the aim of the joint action of possibilities of two parts to the promotion of their purposes. It also has made a cooperation agreement with the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 11 April 2023 where with the Quantitative Analysis in Shipping of the University of Piraeus co-organised a conference on the topic Ports, Transport and Logistics – New Skills and Modern Experiential Education, where more than 100 companies expressed interest, with most of them signing the cooperation.

Academic evaluation

In 2016 the external evaluation committee gave University of Piraeus a Positive evaluation.

An external evaluation of all academic departments in Greek universities was conducted by the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (HQA) in 2008–2014.

Governance

The university is managed by the Rectorial Council and the Senate.

The Senate consists of the rector, the two vice-rectors, the departments' chairpersons, one representative from each department's student body, two representatives from the postgraduate students and special postgraduate scholars, one representative from the assistant tutors and scientific contributors, one representative from the special teaching staff, one representative from the administrative staff, and one representative from the special administrative technical staff. There are also representatives of the associate professors, the assistant professors and the lecturers.

Notable alumni

• Nasser Al-Khelaifi, businessman, president of Paris Saint-Germain.
• George Kotsimpos, fitness athlete, achieved six Guinness World Records in the world of physical fitness.
• Spyridon Kapnisis, chess player. He was awarded the title of chess grandmaster in 2011.
• Filippos Sachinidis, politician; briefly served as Minister of Finance.
• Eva Kaili, politician who served as one of the fourteen vice presidents of the European Parliament.
• Sakis (Dionysios) Karagiorgas, economist and Greek Junta resistant. Served as Panteion University academic professor rector.

Notable professors

• Gikas Hardouvelis, economist and former senior government official serving as chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Greece.
• Nikos Kotzias, politician and diplomat who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2018.

Notes

References

1. "Rectoral Authorities". University of Piraeus.
2. "The Senate". University of Piraeus.
3. "University of Piraeus jubilatory newsletter, December 2023".
4. "HAHE Supreme Council proposition on funding".
5. (2016). "University of Piraeus – External Evaluation Report".
6. "University of Piraeus Student Guide 2017". University of Piraeus.
7. "History of the University of Piraeus". University of Piraeus.
8. "UNIPI – Departments Student Guides". University of Piraeus.
9. (2024-01-27). "School of Economics, Business and International Studies - Πανεπιστήμιο Πειραιώς".
10. "University of Piraeus, School of Finance and Statistics".
11. "University of Piraeus, School of Maritime and Industrial Studies". University of Piraeus.
12. "University of Piraeus, School of Information and Communication Technologies". University of Piraeus.
13. "University of Piraeus Postgraduate Studies". University of Piraeus.
14. "University of Piraeus Decision 20212086 Government Gazette B 1403/8-4-2021". University of Piraeus.
15. "Master programme in American Studies: Politics, Strategy and Economics". University of Piraeus.
16. "American Studies: Politics, Strategy and Economics - Master of Science (MSc) in cooperation with New York University’s Center for Global Affairs". University of Piraeus.
17. (12 November 2022). "University of Piraeus: Welcomes representatives from ten American Universities in the framework of the «Pharos Summit 2022: Greek–US Collaboration in Higher Education»".
18. "Pharos Summit 2022: Greek–US Collaboration in Higher on the 7th of November 2022 at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center". [[National and Kapodistrian University of Athens]].
19. (17 November 2022). "Pharos Summit 2022 strengthens the academic ties between the USA and Greece". [[Harvard University]].
20. (22 September 2021). "Ambassador Geoffrey R. Pyatt’s Remarks at Launch of American Studies Master’s Program, University of Piraeus (UniPi)". U.S. Embassy Greece.
21. "Ma ENERGY".
22. "University of Piraeus Research Center".
23. (26 July 2022). "University of Piraeus: Scientific associate of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels".
24. "Hellenic Chamber of Hotels".
25. (11 April 2023). "Cooperation between University of Piraeus and Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry". Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
26. (11 April 2023). "Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Piraeus is a pioneer in modern experiential education".
27. "Laboratory of Quantitative Analysis in Shipping of the University of Piraeus".
28. (2016). "Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency – External evaluation reports of Institutions".
29. (2014). "Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency – External evaluation reports of Departments".
30. "University of Piraeus Senate". University of Piraeus.