The Erasmus+ program is the European Commission’s initiative for education, training, youth, and sports. It aims to enhance skills, employability, and the modernization of education, training, and youth systems in all lifelong learning sectors. The Erasmus+ program seeks to strengthen the European dimension of studies. It provides opportunities for students to benefit from linguistic, cultural, and educational experiences from other European countries and from the offered study subjects. Young people are thus equipped with high specialization, broad understanding, and international experience, which will be useful in their subsequent professional career and life in general.

The activities within the Erasmus+ program for undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral students include:

• Student mobility for studies.
• Student mobility for internships (Era-Places).

The Department of Tourism Studies has activated the program for undergraduate and doctoral studies and plans to implement it for postgraduate studies as soon as postgraduate programs are established in the Department.

The Department is in the process of establishing bilateral agreements within and outside Europe, while at the same time relies on the agreements of the University of Piraeus for the International Mobility Program within and outside Europe.

Inside the E.U. bilateral agreements have been signed with the following academic institutions:

• Cyprus University of Technology (Limassol), Cyprus
• Universitat Rovira I Virgili (Tarragona), Spain
• Institut Limayrac (Toulouse), France
• SAS ESGCV – ESGCI, Tourisme, France
• Akademia Techniczno – Humanistyczna w Bielsku-Biatej, Poland
• Karabuk University, Turkey
• Mardin Artuklu Universitesi, Turkey

Outside the E.U. bilateral agreements have been signed with the following academic institutions:

• Logos – University College, Albania
• Alexandria University, Egypt
• Kenyatta University, Kenya

Incoming Students’ Attendance (Student mobility for studies)
Incoming students can choose courses from all the courses of the Undergraduate Studies Program provided each semester by the Department. In the courses of the Department’s Program chosen by the students of the Universities abroad as part of the Erasmus+ Program, depending on the number of students per course, it is possible to organize foreign language teaching or the independent teaching – supervision – evaluation of the students by the Professors of of corresponding courses, which is credited to the teaching work of the Professors. It is noted that by decision of the Department’s Assembly, incoming students of the Department have the possibility to choose any of the courses included in the Department’s Curriculum, with the exception of the courses “TSKPRAK1. Internship I” and “TSKPRAK2. Internship II” which correspond to the implementation of an internship training in an institution within the country.

Outgoing Students’ Attendance (Student mobility for studies)
The eligibility criteria and the selection criteria for outgoing students are defined based on the regulations for Erasmus+ of the State Scholarship Foundation (I.K.Y.), as published by the Department of International and Public Relations of the University of Piraeus. The selection of each student must be justified in writing and have relevant documentation, according to the set criteria, to clearly demonstrate why one student was chosen over all other candidates. The credits, duration of study, successful attendance of courses, and grades of outgoing students at the host university are taken into account, transferred, and considered to have been carried out at the home university, provided that these courses are included in an approved cooperation program.

The recognition of ECTS credits through the Erasmus+ program is certified by a decision of the Department Assembly, which states whether the learning outcomes achieved and assessed at another Institution are fully consistent with the learning outcomes of the offered courses of the Department. Also, the initial matching of Department courses for the Department students with Erasmus+ program courses at foreign universities is done by the relevant Professors of the Department of Tourism Studies in consultation with the Academic Coordinator.

It is noted that, by decision of the Department Assembly, the students of the Department can choose any of the courses included in the Department’s Curriculum, with the exception of the courses “TSKPRAK1. Internship I” and “TSKPRAK2. Internship II” which correspond to the implementation of an internship training in an institution within the country.

Student Mobility for Internship
Within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, recent graduates can also move for internships in the first year after their graduation. The duration of their movement for an internship is counted in the maximum limit of 12 months per cycle of studies. Students interested in undertaking an internship period after obtaining their degree in a company or organization in a participating country must submit their application during their last year of study and before obtaining their degree. It should be noted that both the application and the selection of students who wish to move as recent graduates must be made while they still maintain student status. Finally, it is noted that students can apply for an Internship from their 1st year of study.

For the academic year 2023-2024, Assistant Professor Alexandra-Paraskevi Chytiri has been appointed by the Department as responsible and Assistant Professor Olga Siskou as deputy responsible for the Erasmus+ program.

More information about the Erasmus+ program can be found in the Department’s Student and Staff Mobility Regulation. For the Department’s Student and Staff Mobility Regulation click here.