The Post-graduate Studies Programmes which are carried out by the Department of Biology of the University of Crete have been approved by the Ministry of Education according to Decree 2083/1992 and published in the official Government publications FEK 865/26.11.93, 1064/12.10.98.1151/3.11.98 and 354/14/1/98.

These studies lead to two awards, a post-graduate degree with specialisation (M.Sc.) and a Doctoral degree (Ph.D), and provide specialisation in the following five thematic areas:

  1. Molecular Biology - Biomedicine
  2. Environmental Biology
  3. Plant Molecular and Applied Biology - Green Biotechnology (In Greek)
  4. Protein Biotechnology
  5. Bioethics
  6. Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in AquaCulture, Environment and Society (EM JMD ACES)

  Objectives:

a. Master's degree specialization in an area of Biology so that the holder aquires increased professional qualifications and training.  

b. Ph.D degree training of scientists/researchers, so that the holder is able to contribute substantially to research, technology and higher education in the Biological Sciences. 

  Admission:

B.Sc. holders in Biological Sciences or related disciplines from Greek or foreign Universities are eligible to join the Graduate Programme. More specifically, the acceptance criteria are the grade point average and the applicant's transcript at the undergraduate level (especially in courses relevant to graduate studies in Biological Science) letters of recommendation; successful written examinations; knowledge of the English language; and personal interview. At the time of the written examination and the personal interview (usually in first week of October) it is not necessary for the applicant to have already completed his/her undergraduate studies; however final acceptance is only granted under the condition that the applicant will have graduated before registration for graduate studies in the Department.

Eligibility criteria/entry requirements Candidates who are graduates or diploma holders of tertiary education establishments, or diploma holders from Technical Colleges (TEI) arte invited to take part in a selection interview, provided that they have all the necessary qualifications as specified by the Department of Biology and they have submitted to the Secretariat of the Department the necessary documents by 21th April each year.

After scrutiny of the documents, candidates will be invited for interview in the first fortnight of May. Successful candidates will matriculate in order to start their post-graduate studies in the winter semester, with the proviso that they will have completed their first degree no later than the first fortnight in October.

The duration of M.Sc. Studies is 2 years. 

  REQUIREMENTS (depending on the M.Sc. Programme -please visit respective websites)

  1. Residency of two (2) to four (4) semesters depending on the M. Sc. Programme (please visit respective websites). After acceptance by the supervising professor and approval by the Committee Graduate Studies Committee it is possible to extend the duration of studies by up to two (2) semesters.  

  2. Successful completion of courses totalling 200 teaching hours credits.  

  3. Completion of laboratory stages (rotations). Students are expected to complete a small research project during each rotation.  

  4. Completion of a research project. The graduate project must be original or demonstrate a good knowledge and in-depth understanding of a specialized topic of current research or technical interest. The graduate project is carried out under the supervision and guidance of a supervising professor, member of faculty, and approved by a three-member Examination Committee (appointed by the Graduate Studies Committee) consisting of the supervising professor and two other members of the faculty. Research faculty members of a collaborating Istitute may also participate by approval of The Graduate Programme Committee. The Examination Committee may include a special external referee.  

Applicants holding an M. Sc. are admitted, following personal interview. Those holding M. Sc. from the Department of Biology, have no course requirements whereas those holding an M. Sc. from other Universities may be asked to complete, if needed, their curriculum by attending selected graduate courses. They also must complete two laboratory rotations.  

Thereafter, applicants must take oral qualifying examinations by a 3-member Examination Committee. The major professor of the student acts as chairperson of the Committee. Graduate students who hold an M. Sc. from University other than the University of Crete must also prepare a Research Proposal, which will be examined by the same Committee. Students who fail to pass the Qualifying examination may take it once more within 3 to 6 months, or are asked to leave the graduate programme. Graduate students who have successfully completed the Qualifying examination are nominated Ph. D. candidates and are entitled to begin their research leading to Ph. D. dissertation. A 3-faculty member consulting committee is appointed for each graduate student by the general Assembly of the Department of Biology.

The final approval of the Ph. D. dissertation is granted by a 7-faculty member examining Committee and a public defence of the work.  

  Graduate Courses

 Each graduate course is expressed in teaching hours. The method of examination is determined by the Instructor. Performance evaluation is expressed on a discrete scale ranging from 0 to 10. The student's performance in his/her courses is considered adequate if he/she has an average grade point average of at least 7.0.

For further information and applications you may contact the Department's Secretary : 

Mrs E. Bervanaki at

Tel: +30-2810-39 44 01 

Fax: +30-2810-39 44 04

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.