Democritus University of Thrace (D.U.Th.) was foundedwith the legislative decree no. 37 in July 27th 1973 and started to run in the academic year 1974-1975 with the admission of its first students to the Department of Civil Engineering in Xanthi and the Department of Law in Komotini. It was named ‘Democritus’ in honor of the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, whose origin was from the town of Abdera in the Prefecture of Xanthi. The administrative seat of the University resides in the city of Komotini, the capital city of the Administrative Region of East Macedonia & Thrace while administrative services are also provided in all four cities where the university expands.
Democritus University of Thrace has, since its foundation, been the first Greek regional multi-campus university that not only solely served purely educational objectives. Aapart from its primary educational and research activity, its running via its multiple campuses, at first in the cities of Xanthi and Komotini, and later on in Alexandroupolis and Orestiada, has essentially participated in the efforts for the economic growth of the Administrative Region of Thrace. At the same time, the university has also significantly contributed to the reinforcement of the national and cultural character of the wider area in Thrace as well as to the upgrade of its living and social status through direct and indirect initiatives.
The Universityis classified among the biggest Greek Universities in terms of the number of its active student population. Geographically dispersed throughout Thrace, with 8 Schools, 20 Departments and a wide variety of Postgraduate Programs, with a student population that reaches approximately 29,000 (undergraduate, graduate students and candidate PhD students) and with a research and teaching staff that exceeds 700 people, the university still is the only academic institution in the Administrative Region of East Macedonia & Thrace.
Within a vividly changing environment, D.U.Th. continues to aim both at educational and research excellence while, it also builds upon the challenges and demands of the future. It re-orients its research strategy based upon innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, the new digital era, the growth of large-scale research and thepursuit of financial resources from various agencies both in Greece and abroad. Nowadays, the landmark of D.U.Th. is imparted via innovative graduate programs of international recognition as well as through initiatives that allows the university to overcome the barriers of modern bureaucracy and geographical seclusion.
D.U.Th. seeks to reinforce its research profile through collaborations and projects that render it one of the leading research organizations in Greece.
The Department of Greek Philology at Democritus University of Thrace was established in Komotini in 1993 and admitted its first students in the academic year 1995-96. It became administratively autonomous in 2008.
The Department’s mission is:
- To cultivate and promote the study of Classical, Byzantine, and Modern Greek Philology and Linguistics through academic teaching and scholarly research.
- To study and carry out research on the various cultural and intellectual manifestations of Hellenism diachronically
- To provide its students with the essential knowledge and skills that will advance their scholarly and professional career.
The Department, which admits around 250 students each year, currently has 24 academic staff members, more than 800 undergraduate students and about 220 students reading for postgraduate degrees (MA, PhD, Post-Doc).
The Department comprises three divisions:
1. Classical Philology
2. Byzantine and Modern Greek Philology
3. Linguistics
and provides the following Programmes of Study:
- Undergraduate Studies Programme (four-year degree course, 240 ECTS)
- MA Postgraduate Studies Programme: “Texts and Culture” (MA Programme, 3 semesters, 180 ECTS), “Integration Pshycopedagogy” (Interinstitutional MA Programme in ICT and Special Education, 4 semesters, 120 ECTS)
- Doctoral Studies (minimum: 3 years).