Study Regulations

Student Status

Student status is granted upon enrollment in the Department and remains valid until the degree is awarded. Enrollment must be renewed each academic semester. The duration of undergraduate studies is defined in accordance with the applicable legal provisions (Article 76, Law 4957/2022). From 2016 onwards, the enrollment process for candidates admitted via the national university entrance examinations (Panhellenic Examinations) is carried out through the Ministry of Education’s online registration platform. The application, submitted electronically using the applicant’s Social Security Number (AMKA) and confirmation of personal details, serves as an official declaration confirming that the applicant is not currently enrolled in another Department or School of Higher Education. If the applicant is already enrolled elsewhere, they must indicate the institution and confirm their intention to withdraw from it in order to complete their enrollment in the Department of Art Theory and History. Following preliminary registration, and in order to gain access to the Department’s academic services, students must appear in person or through an authorised representative at the Department’s Secretariat and present their national identification card or passport, along with any other required documentation as specified in the relevant announcement issued by the Secretariat. Information regarding the issuance of the academic ID card can be found on the official website of the Academic Identity Service: https://academicid.minedu.gov.gr.

Students who have not exceeded the maximum duration of study may, upon submitting a formal request to the Department’s Secretariat, suspend their studies for a period not exceeding two (2) academic years. This right may be exercised either once or in segments, provided each interruption lasts at least one (1) academic semester. In the case of segmented suspension, the total period may not exceed two (2) years. Student status is suspended during the approved leave of absence, and participation in any academic or educational activity is not permitted during this period.

Transfers

Applications for academic transfers or relocations are submitted electronically through the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs website (www.minedu.gov.gr) using the designated digital transfer platforms. The process is conducted in accordance with a specific circular issued at the beginning of each academic year.

Admission under special provisions

According to Article 35 of Law 3794/2009, as amended, candidates belonging to specific categories may be admitted to Higher Education Institutions (Universities and Technological Institutes) without entrance examinations, with the exception of the Department of Visual Arts at the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA), the Department of Fine Arts and Art Sciences at the University of Ioannina, and the Departments of Visual and Applied Arts at the Universities of Thessaloniki and Western Macedonia.

Eligible candidates are admitted in excess of the regular intake by up to 5%, provided they hold a valid high school diploma (or its equivalent) from Greece or abroad and belong to one of the special health or disability categories outlined by the law. These include individuals with: visual impairments (legally blind, ≥80% disability); hearing impairments (deaf or deaf-mute); serious hematologic conditions (e.g., thalassemia, sickle cell anemia); chronic illnesses requiring regular medical treatment (e.g., kidney disease, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus Type 1, multiple sclerosis); cancer or history of malignant disease (e.g., leukemia, lymphoma); autoimmune disorders requiring immunosuppressive therapy (e.g., lupus, autoimmune hepatitis); rare congenital or acquired syndromes (e.g., Gaucher disease, Wilson’s disease); organ transplant recipients (e.g., heart, liver, kidney); students with mobility impairments or complex congenital heart disease.

If the number of applications exceeds the 5% quota, admissions are ranked based on the candidate’s overall high school GPA, in descending order. In the case of tied scores, priority is given to candidates with a higher preference ranking for the Department. If preference is also identical, the older candidate (by year of birth) is admitted. If both the score and birth year are identical, candidates are accepted as additional (supernumerary) students. The necessary documentation, submission deadlines and procedures, as well as the verification and selection process, are determined by a decision of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

The military service of eligible individuals registered in the Department of Theory and History of Art for undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral studies on the date they are required to enlist in the Armed Forces is deferred.

The deferment of military service lasts until December 31 of the year in which the conscripts granted deferment reach the age of twenty-eight (for those registered in the Department for undergraduate or postgraduate studies) or thirty-one (for those registered for doctoral studies). These age limits are extended by two years for individuals diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, alexia, dysorthographia, or attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity.

To obtain the deferment of military service due to studies, applicants must electronically submit an application and a certificate from the School to the competent recruitment office. The certificate must include full civil registry details, educational level, Department, date of initial registration, current year or semester of study, and minimum remaining duration of studies. The minimum remaining duration also includes any required mandatory internship or training period. For conscription age calculation, January 1 of the year of registration in the male registry is considered the date of birth. Additionally, individuals with the aforementioned learning difficulties must submit a relevant certification or evaluation from the competent authority.

Documents for granting deferment due to studies must be submitted from January 1 of the year in which the applicant turns nineteen until the date they are required to enlist in the Armed Forces. If submitted later, deferment may be granted provided the conditions existed on the original conscription date.

Deferment due to studies may be terminated before its expiration upon request by the eligible individual. Deferment granted for studies in another Department or School remains valid if, by the date of required enlistment (due to interruption or completion), the conscript registers anew in the Department of Theory and History of Art, and the remaining study duration does not exceed the above age limits.

Each course is examined at the end of the semester during which it is taught. In the event of failure, the student is entitled to be re-examined during the September examination period in courses from both the winter and spring semesters. Students who have completed the period of regular study – defined as the minimum number of academic semesters required for the award of the degree – are entitled to be examined during the examination period of each academic semester, provided they submit a relevant declaration to the Department Secretariat by the dates specified in the corresponding announcement. The thesis defense takes place exclusively during the spring and September examination periods.

Special provision is made for the (oral) examination of students with disabilities or with documented dyslexia or other learning difficulties identified prior to their admission to the institution.

In the event of failure in a compulsory course, the student is required to retake the course in a subsequent semester. In the event of failure in an elective compulsory course, the student is required either to retake the course in a subsequent semester or to replace it with another elective course.

It is not permitted to select and be examined in compulsory courses of higher semesters unless the prerequisite compulsory courses of lower semesters have been successfully completed. The knowledge of such prerequisite courses is deemed, by decision of the Department Assembly, to be academically essential for the attendance and successful completion of compulsory courses in higher semesters, according to the indicative Study Programme and the corresponding timetable of the Department. (For information on the existence of prerequisite courses, please consult the currently applicable Study Programme and the relevant course descriptions.)

If a student fails the same course more than three (3) times, they may submit a written request to the Head of the Department to be assessed by a three-member committee. This committee consists of teaching staff from the same or another Department of the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA) with expertise in the same or a related subject area. The course instructor may not participate in the committee. If the Head of the Department does not appoint the members of the committee within one (1) month of the submission of the request, the student may request their appointment by the Dean of the School. The assessment by the aforementioned three-member committee may take place at any time within the academic year.

A student is considered to have successfully completed a course if the final grade is equal to or greater than 5 on a scale from 0 to 10. For courses taught by two instructors, a composite grade is accepted, including decimal values, rounded to the nearest first decimal place. In all courses, grades including half-unit decimal values are accepted.

Students may be eligible to receive scholarships awarded by various institutions. Information is available from the Department Secretariat.

A textbook is defined as any printed or electronic book (including open-access electronic books and printed or electronic academic notes) that has been approved annually by the Department Assembly, provided that it comprehensively corresponds to the subject matter of a course and covers all or the majority of the course content in accordance with the Department’s approved Curriculum. The list of textbooks includes at least one recommended textbook for each compulsory or elective course, selected from the titles registered in the Central Information System “EUDOXUS” and compiled following recommendations from the respective instructors or persons responsible for each course, as well as other faculty members holding positions in the same or related academic fields relevant to the course content.

Textbooks are distributed free of charge to active undergraduate students through the electronic “EUDOXUS” service, in accordance with applicable regulations, as well as to students enrolled in the undergraduate programme pursuing a second degree.

Lecture notes prepared by faculty members and other instructors of the Department are posted online, specifically on each course’s page on the eClass platform.

The degree is awarded upon the completion of the student’s studies and is signed by the Rector, the Dean, the Chairperson, and the Secretary of the Department. The calculation of the degree grade is based on the sum of the products of each course grade multiplied by its corresponding ECTS credits, divided by the total number of ECTS credits accumulated by the student. The degree is issued together with the relevant Diploma Supplement.

If a student has been graded in more courses than those required for degree completion, the calculation of the degree grade may exclude the grades of certain elective compulsory courses, provided that the total ECTS credits of the remaining courses equal the required credits for degree conferral.

When the total number of ECTS credits accumulated by a student exceeds the required credits for degree completion, but the number of courses corresponding to those credits is the minimum required for degree award, in this case, the grades of all courses will be taken into account regardless of the total ECTS credits.