This is the first foreign language department at this University and the fourth in a row in the country.
The Medical Degree English Program starts at the University of Thessaly on October 7, which will welcome 40 foreign students to Larissa. This is the first foreign language department at this University and the fourth in a row, after the Universities of Thessaloniki, Athens and Crete. In the “call” of the University to foreign students there is a commitment to an excellent level of studies, in the birthplace of Western Medicine. High-quality scientific research in collaboration with Greek and international research centers is a priority of the University, while students have the opportunity to participate in various research programs and have internships in the laboratories of the Medical departments. From the Rector’s Authorities of the University of Thessaly, they declare that they are ready to welcome the 40 new foreign students.
The Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaly, which according to international rankings is between the 300-400 positions, has been operating in Larissa since 1985. As for the newly established Medical Degree English Program, it will operate alongside the corresponding Greek-language department. It is recalled that in Greece, Departments of Medicine are already operating with great success at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the University of Crete. The process of selecting students was carried out in three phases while a waiting list was drawn up. Regarding their origin, most new incoming medical students will come from Cyprus but there will also be students from France, Great Britain, Ireland, Belgium, Slovakia, Bulgaria, India, Saudi Arabia as well as one from the United States of America.
The professors involved in selecting the students noted that they all exhibit an exceptionally high level of ability. They state, in fact, that they received a total of 180 applications for the 40 slots. Selection criteria for the department of Larissa, were – based on the responses of the interested students – the fact that it is the city where Hippocrates, the father of medical science, lived, while they took seriously the “security” parameter and the low levels of crime in Larissa. As mentioned above, the Medical Degree English Program will operate in parallel at both sites with the corresponding Greek-speaking Department. All faculty members will be teachers, but it is deemed necessary to hire additional scientific staff, which will be financed by ELKE (Special Research Funds Account), which is responsible for managing the Department’s resources. These include the tuition fees of the Medical Degree English Program, which amount to €12,000 per year.
Source: https://www.protothema.gr/greece/article/1538533/panepistimio-thessalias-neo-agglofono-tmima-iatrikis-stis-7-oktovriou-i-upodohi-ton-proton-40-xenon-foititon/