Rethymno, April 7, 2024
With great pleasure and responsibility, we announce that recently (March 7, 2024) the Presidential Decree on the renaming and change of the subject matter of the Department of Philosophical and Social Studies (DPS) to the Department of Philosophy was published in the Government Gazette.
This is a significant event as the University of Crete for the first time has a department that autonomously cultivates the unified and cohesive scientific subject of philosophy, both educationally and research-wise. The University of Crete finally joins the ranks of universities worldwide that independently foster philosophy and enhances the comparative advantage of Greek universities in teaching ancient Greek philosophy. At the same time, it continues to exploit from a more scientifically solid and institutional position the relationship of philosophy with other scientific subjects to which philosophy provides conceptual foundations, exemplified by the organization of the highly successful Inter-Institutional Postgraduate Program “Bioethics.”
In this spirit, we have designed a modern and flexible Undergraduate Program (UP) in Philosophy, which has been graded “Excellent” in all its parameters by the National Authority for Higher Education (NAHE)! We are proud of this challenging achievement, as are the University of Crete and the local community, which will benefit from this institutional enhancement of our Foundation. This new UP was implemented from the last winter semester.
In parallel, the faculty members of the Department of Philosophy continue to ensure that our students receive all the tools that allow them to direct themselves to the field of secondary education employment as philologists (category PE02). Additionally, our graduates will be maximally equipped to continue their studies at a higher level, including master’s and doctoral studies, in a wide range of fields in the humanities and social sciences, taking advantage also of elective courses beyond philosophy. Philosophy equips its graduates with “transferable skills” necessary for employment in a range of professional fields such as consulting, writing, digital technologies, cultural sectors, areas related to entrepreneurship, etc.
In this year’s academic catalog, the Department of Philosophy appears under the new UP in Philosophy. Based on the stated identity, role, and prospects of the Department of Philosophy and the UP in Philosophy, choosing our Department forms a solid basis for the high-level scientific training of our students and the acquisition of those critical skills necessary for employment in a complex labor market in the modern world.
We are confident about the best possible course for our new Department and its students into the future, and we work tirelessly to make this a reality.
