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University of Patras

Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών
Type	Public
Established	November 11, 1964
Rector	Venetsana Kyriazopoulou
Academic staff	672 (data from 2017)[1]
Administrative staff	368 (data from 2017)
Students	34,079
Undergraduates	30.254[2] (17,000 active)
Postgraduates	3,825
Location	Patras, Greece
Campus	Rio campus, 7 kilometres east of the city centre of Patras
Colors
Affiliations	EASN
Website	www.upatras.gr

University of Patras (UPatras; Greek: Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών, Panepistímio Patrón) is a public university in Patras, Greece. It is the third largest university in Greece with respect to the size of the student body, the staff, and the number of departments.^[3]

In 2014, the student population was 21,000 (17,000 at the undergraduate level and 4,000 at the postgraduate level). It has 672 faculty members, 155 scientific staff members and 372 administrative personnel and comprises 24 Departments, which operate 161 laboratories and 17 clinics.^[4][5]

The University of Patras is considered one of the best universities in Greece and has been placed in the top 200 universities in subject areas.^[6][7][8]

History

The University of Patras was established on 11 November 1964 as a self-administered academic institution under the supervision of the Greek Government.^[9] It was housed in the city centre of Patras, Greece and later in a campus area of about 600 acres selected in 1968 and appropriated on behalf of the university, located in the adjacent municipality of Rio. Covering an area of 4.5 km², it is one of the largest in the country.^[10]

In June 2013 the University of Western Greece was incorporated in the University of Patras.^[11][12] The University is a two-city campus, situated in both Patras and Agrinion.^[10]

The university conducts research in Environment, Health, Biotechnology, Mechanics, Electronics, Informatics and Basic Science. A number of the departments, laboratories and clinics have been designated as Centres of Excellence, on the basis of international assessment.^[13]

Emblem

The emblem of the university is Andrew the Apostle. Its opening took place on 30 November 1966 which is the date that the city of Patras celebrates its patron "Saint Andrew". This is the reason that the emblem of the University is an X cross which symbolises the one on which St. Andrew was crucified.^[14]

Academic profile

The University consists of five schools, twenty-four departments with undergraduate study programs leading to a degree.
Furthermore, the University of Patras offers forty seven postgraduate study programs, as well as Digital and Open Courses.^[15]

Research

In its 161 laboratories, research is conducted by students and teaching staff members.^[16]

Apart from regular teaching and research activities, the laboratories are the focal points for the creation of national and international research consortia. The university participates in all major European research programmes such as ESPRIT, EURECA, RACE, LRE, BRITE-EURAM, IMPACT, LIFE, ENVIRONMENT, COPERNICUS, FAIR, STRIDE, BIOMED and other programmes sponsored by the D6XII, D6XVI, D6XIII Directorates.

The management of research projects is carried out by the Research Committee and its administration unit. The financial management of research projects with external funding produces resources for the University, which are used for specific educational and developmental activities, as well as funding of researchers. In recent years, over 2700 research projects, financed both by the State and the European Union have been carried out.^[17][18][19]

Academic evaluation

In 2015 the external evaluation committee gave University of Patras a Positive evaluation.^[20]

An external evaluation of all academic departments in Greek universities was conducted by the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (HQAA).
^[21]

Location and campus

University of Patras with Rio–Antirrio bridge

Front view of the Central Library of the University of Patras (March 2018)

University of Patras, Administration Building A

The university chapel of the Three Holy Hierarchs and the campus as seen from the hills behind the students residences.

The university on the Campus of Patras and in the city of Agrinio.^[10]

The campus of Patras is located next to the University Regional General Hospital of Patras, in the suburb Rion, which is 7 km (4.3 mi) North East of the City of Patras within the Municipality of Patras. It is a self-contained campus located at the foot of mount Panachaiko with a view over the Gulf of Corinth and the mountains of Central Greece across the water.^[22]

The School of Medicine lies west of the hospital but smaller in size with the parking lots in the west and downtown Rio, and a river with Papandreou Avenue in its southwest. The university is accessible by GR-8A, and by the bypass (perimeter highway) with an interchange in the west and a westbound interchange in the northeast. The elevation is around 50 m (160 ft) above sea level. The facilities lie in the western part, the central part and the northern part. The far western part, and the eastern part are empty.

The campus has four entrances; the Platonos Entrance Eisodos Platonos, the Dionysios Solomos Entrance Eisodos Dionysiou Solomou, lying to the west next to Papandreou Avenue which is also a road linking to Kastritsi, Georgios Seferis Entrance Eisodos Georgios Seferis in the east and Yianni Ritsou Entrance Eisodos Y. Ritsou with the old GR-8A (Patras - Corinth - Athens) in the north. The mountains are situated in the southeast. The track and field and sporting grounds are in the southern part.

The first buildings of the new university campus were a unit of 20 small ground level pre-fabricated buildings, still housing some academic and administrative offices. In 1972 the construction of buildings "A" and "B" started. Building "A" houses the administrative services, the rectorship, the Senate's Conference Hall, the University's Ceremonial Hall, a teaching amphitheatre and seminar halls.^[22]

Following the master plan, 25 buildings were built, and many more are under construction for the housing of most of the departments, along with a library, a museum of science and technology, a Botanical Garden, and a Student Centre. Within the campus are the students' residence hall, the Conference and Cultural Centre, a restaurant, a bank, a bookstore, a stationery, the Publishing House, cafeterias and kiosks. The University Guest Hall is the only building of the university outside the campus. It is located three kilometres west of the campus. The total number of lecture halls in the different building units is 115. In November 2018 it was announced, that the Region of Western Greece will fund the complete renovation and reconstruction of 20 amphitheatres/lecture halls of the university^[23].

Within the campus there is also the General University Hospital of Patras which functions both as the major regional medical centre and as a teaching facility for the Faculty of Medicine. Several other facilities are available on campus including a gymnasium and a swimming pool (not in operation as of April 2018) , a nursery school, a primary and secondary school for the children of faculty and staff, a post office. In addition to constructing new buildings, new sites at the surroundings have been appropriated on behalf of the university.^[22]

Today, buildings of a total area of 210,100 m² have been completed and are functioning.

The university contains:

• Academic areas (1 northwest)


• School of Engineering / Polytechnic Faculty (central)


• School of Business Administration (south-central)


• School of Medicine
  


• School of Sciences (1 central, western and southern part)


• University office (south and west)

The Municipality of Agrinio is the link connecting Aitolia and Akarnania and it is one of the largest cities of Western Greece.^[24]

Gallery

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  Library & Information Service building
  

  
  

  
  


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  The main restaurant of the students residence halls of the university of patras
  

  
  

  
  


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  Back view of the Patras university hospital and the new buildings of the department of medicine
  

  
  

  
  

Notable alumni

• Nikolaos Bourbakis


• Panos_Ipeirotis


• Maria X


• Marilita Lambropoulou


• Christos Laskaris

See also

• List of universities in Greece


• Academic grading in Greece


• Bologna Process


• Education in Greece


• Polytechnic (Greece)


• Open access in Greece


• University of Patras Formula Student Team - UoP Racing Team

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to University of Patras.

• 
  University of Patras - Official website (in Greek) (in English)
  


• 
  Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (HQAA) (in English)
  


• 
  University of Patras Internal Quality Assurance Unit (in Greek)
  

Coordinates: 38°17′12″N 21°47′11″E / 38.28667°N 21.78639°E / 38.28667; 21.78639