Athens University of Economics and Business

History

The Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) was originally founded in 1920 under the name of Athens School of Commercial Studies. It was renamed in 1926 as the Athens School of Economics and Business, a name that was retained until 1989 when it assumed its present name, the Athens University of Economics and Business.

It is the third oldest university in Greece and the oldest in the fields of economics and business. Up to 1955 the school offered only one degree in the general area of economics and commerce. In 1955 it started two separate programs leading to two separate degrees: one in economics and the other in business administration. In 1984 the school was divided into three departments, namely the Department of Economics, the Department of Business Administration and the Department of Statistics and Informatics.

In 1989, the university expanded to six departments. From 1999 onwards, the university developed even further and nowadays it includes eight academic departments, offering eight undergraduate degrees, 28 master's degrees and an equivalent number of doctoral programs.

Academic departments

The Athens University of Economics and Business is composed of 8 academic Departments in the areas of Economics, International and European Economics, Business Administration, Marketing and Communication, Accounting and Finance, Management Science and Technology, Informatics, and Statistics.

Each Department is run by the Chairman of the Department, the Vice-Chairman, and the General Assembly of the Department. Each Department accepts students at the undergraduate level, after successfully passing the pan-Hellenic exams, and offers a 4-year undergraduate program of studies, leading a Degree (Ptychion). Each academic department also offers one or more graduate programs of studies, leading to a master's degree, as well as a Doctoral Program, leading to a PhD Degree.

Academic evaluation

An external evaluation of all academic departments in Greek universities will be conducted by the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (HQAA) in the following years.

Faculty

The academic staff of the university consists of resident faculty, adjunct faculty, and visiting faculty. In addition, teaching and research assistants, foreign language and athletics instructors, and teachers of cultural activities are members of the academic staff. Faculty members are assisted by teaching and research assistants.

The resident academic staff of the University is currently composed of 37% professors, 18% associate professors, 23% assistant professors, and 22% lecturers. Resident faculty has to have a doctorate in order to assume any level. A vast majority (76%) of the current faculty of AUEB have obtained their PhD degrees from the US or the UK, in universities such as Harvard, Columbia, Cambridge, Northwestern University, Pennsylvania, LSE, LBS, Warwick, Manchester, Strathclyde, Essex, Maryland, City, Bath, Reading, etc. An additional 9% of the resident faculty holds a doctorate from other European countries (Aix-en-Provence, Paris), and finally the remaining 15% holds a doctorate from a Greek university.

International recognition and rankings

In a research carried out by Der Spiegel magazine among 500 European universities, AUEB ranked in 15th place. In the field of econometrics, AUEB comes internationally in 48th place according to the Journal of Econometric Theory. The economics department ranks in the 76th place worldwide.

The European Documentation Center of the AUEB is the coordinator of all the European Documentation Centers of Greek universities.

The MBA International Program, has 9 specializations / majors and is offered in English. The Program is accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA), and ranked among the top 10 MBA prograin Europe and the top 30 in the world.

Location

The Athens University of Economics and Business is centrally located in downtown Athens. The main building of the university is located at 76, Patision Street Street in Athens, two blocks away from the Archaeological Museum. This site was where the first football ground of Panathinaikos Football Club existed from 1908 until 1922. The contemporary building was constructed in 1935 with money donated by the Greek-Russian benefactor Grigorios Maraslis. The rear of the building faces the Pedion Areos Park and the Panellinios Sports Club. Four more buildings in the area cover the university's needs in offices and teaching rooms. One of them is located at 12, Kodrigtonos Street and the other at 12, Derigny Street.

The Research Center is located a few blocks away, at 46, Kefallinias Street and the Graduate School building is located at Louzitania building at the corner of Evelpidon and Lefkados Street.

Library

The AUEB library was founded in 1928 and in 1990 it experienced a massive modernization and IT automation, partly financed by the European Community. Today it covers all aspects of automation, including OPAC, SDI, acquisitions, bar-code-based lending, etc., and uses the integrated library automation system Equilibrium-Libreto. It is one of the largest libraries in Economics and Business Administration in the Balkans.

The library comprises more than 100,000 book titles, and more than 1,000 printed academic journal titles covering areas of Economics, International and European Economic Studies, Business Administration, Management Science and Marketing, Informatics, Statistics, Accounting and Finance, and Management and Technology.

The library also offers 150 CD-ROMs (the Official Journal of the EC in full text, bibliographical database of the Official Publications of the EU, statistical data on the imports and exports of the member-states of the EU etc.) Access to the above-mentioned CD-ROMs is available from all library departments via the CD-RΟΜ network. Finally, the library offers daily business magazines and journals in the areas of economics and business.

In addition, the Library participates in a consortium for national and international inter-library loans. Thus, the library users have access to the libraries of the Centre of Planning and Economic Research, the Bank of Greece, the National Documentation Centre, as well as to several libraries in Europe. The library employs 14 people and is open, for all students, from 08:30 to 20:00 on working-days. There are also reading facilities which are available daily until 20:00.

Business databases and literature search facilities

The AUEB library subscribes over 1,000 electronic journals through all the major electronic search engines (EBSCO, Elsevier's Sciencedirect, Springer's Link, JSTOR, MCB, WilsonWeb, Blackwell publishing, Oxford University Press, Wiley InterScience, CambridgeJournalsOnline etc.). Electronic access to the subscribed journals can be performed from any computer connected to the University intranet or irrespective of location, through dial-up, which is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Also the library offers access to the OECD iLibrary (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) database including data, analyses and forecasts.

The library also encompasses the European Documentation Centre which was established by the European Commission in partnership with the University in June 1992 in order to support teaching and research on EU matters. It is part of the University's library and is open to all members of the University, to the wider academic community as well as to everyone interested in EU policies and affairs.

AUEB Publishing The institute has recently developed a publishing activity. Seventeen academic books have already been published and others will follow. One of the future plans of the company is to set up an academic bookshop with special prices for the students. In the meantime, books are sold from the Company's offices.

Computer center

AUEB has one of the largest and most up-to-date computer center facilities in the country. It occupies an area of approximately 700 m2 and holds an extensive library of educational, scientific and business software.

The Computer Center tailored for the research and teaching needs of the University comprises to the following hardware and software facilities:

Undergraduate studies

Each department of the Athens University of Economics and Business awards an undergraduate degree (Ptychion) equivalent to a four-year B.A. or B.Sc. in their respective fields. Students are accepted after a successful nationwide entrance examination.

To be able to graduate and get his/her degree, a student has to attend and successfully complete 8 semesters of study (four years), corresponding to a total of approximately 240 ECTS credit hours. These hours correspond to core as well as to elective courses. Students in one department are allowed to take courses offered by other departments. Foreign language courses in English, French or German are offered in all semesters and count towards degree requirements. Depending on their choice of electives, students acquire a major concentration on particular subjects. According to the University's grading system the grades range from zero (0) to ten (10) with the passing grades being five (5) and above.

Undergraduate courses in English

In addition to the above, there are many courses offered in English, mainly (but not only) for international students who come to AUEB under the Erasmus program. A total of approximately 60 courses are offered in English, each one counting towards 6 ECTS credits.

Masters programmes

There are 28 different Masters Programmes that are currently offered at AUEB. They include full-time programmes, part-time programmes, and joint programmes (with other Universities).

The duration of graduate studies at the Master's level is between 15–27 months. Students are admitted to these programs after satisfying certain admission criteria such as results at the GMAT or GRE tests, proficiency of English (and maybe another language), academic performance at the undergraduate level, work experience (mainly for the MBA as well as the part-time programs), etc. Mastery of English is a prerequisite as courses include extensive seminars and lectures in English. Graduate students may receive scholarships or assistantships. All programs offer different specializations, allowing students to put together a customized program that fulfills their professional objectives and interests.

English-Speaking programmes

Programmes in collaboration with other universities

Doctoral Programmes

Doctorates are awarded by each Department upon the completion of courses, a successful qualifying exam, a dissertation and its successful defence in public. Holding a master's degree is a necessary requirement in order to be accepted to the Ph.D. program.

Non-degree programs

The University offers additional training to the students of the University, as well as executive training programs.

A number of non-degree courses are offered to the students who are interested to expand their knowledge and skills. These include foreign language courses and courses on computer skills. In addition, a large number of executive seminars are offered, either in-house to companies, or open.

Research laboratories

The activities undertaken by the faculty are twofold:

The laboratories mission is:

The research laboratories currently operating at AUEB are the following:

Department of Accounting and Finance

Department of Business Administration

Department of Economics

Department of Informatics

Department of International & European Economic Studies

Department of Management Science & Technology

Department of Marketing & Communication

Department of Statistics

AUEB Students' Clubs and Societies

There are several academic (FOSS Community), political, cultural (Film Club) and athletic groups active, as well as numerous alumni associations.

Students' Association "Sotiris Petroulas"

"Sotiris Petroulas" Students' Association is managed by 11 members elected during the students' elections each spring. The Association has played a key role in the solution of problems of student life and contributes to the enhancement of the quality of studies at the University.