Department of History and Archaeology

The Doctoral Studies Program of the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Crete aims to promote original and innovative scientific research and to make a substantial contribution to the production and advancement of knowledge through the training of researchers in the following academic fields:

• History
• Archaeology
• Art History

A prerequisite for enrollment in the Department for the purpose of undertaking a Ph.D. dissertation is possession of a Master’s Degree from a Greek university or an equivalent and officially recognized postgraduate degree from an international institution. Αpplicants holding degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions may apply for admission to the Doctoral Studies Program of the Department of History and Archaeology, provided that their qualifications have been academically recognized in accordance with the applicable legislation. Applicants who possess a certificate (or certificates) of degree recognition issued by the competent recognition authority (the Hellenic National Academic Recognition and Information Center, DOATAP) are required to submit it with their application. Otherwise, the University of Crete shall determine whether the foreign higher education institution and the degree(s) awarded by it are recognized, provided that both the institution and the degree(s) are included in the National Register of Recognized Foreign Higher Education Institutions and the National Register of Recognized Higher Education Academic Degrees, maintained by DOATAP, in accordance with Article 304 of Law 4957/2022, as in force.

Doctoral candidates must demonstrate proficiency in at least one of the following languages at a minimum level of B2, in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish.

To pursue a Ph.D. dissertation in the Department of History and Archaeology, an applicant must first consult with a faculty member of the Department who agrees to supervise the dissertation and then submit an application to the Department Assembly. Subject to the approval of the Department Assembly, the supervisor may also be a holder of a doctoral degree who is a faculty member of another Greek or foreign higher education institution, an emeritus or retired professor, or a researcher affiliated with a recognized research institution in Greece or abroad.

Applications may be submitted at any time throughout the academic year exclusively via the online application system at https://postgrad.cict.uoc.gr. Applicants must create a user account, fill in the application form, upload the required supporting documents (as pdf files with a maximum file size of 2MB each and a maximum file size of 20MB in total), and finalize their applications.

Each application is considered by the first meeting of the Department Assembly following its submission.

The application to the Department Assembly must specify:

• the proposed title of the Ph.D. dissertation;
• the proposed supervisor, whose field of expertise or scholarly work must be relevant to the topic of the proposed dissertation;
• the proposed language of writing, which may be a language other than Greek. If the dissertation is to be written in a language other than the candidate’s native language, certified proficiency in that language at level B2 or higher, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), is required. This may be demonstrated through official language certificates or by holding a master’s degree from a higher education institution where the proposed dissertation language is the official language of instruction.

The application must be accompanied by:

• a detailed research proposal outlining the dissertation topic, its originality and scholarly contribution, the current state of research in the field, the methodology to be employed, and the primary sources on which the dissertation will be based; it must also include an indicative bibliography;
• a detailed curriculum vitae (CV) of the applicant;
• copies of the applicant’s higher-education degrees;
• copies of certificates demonstrating the applicant’s knowledge of foreign languages.

Copies of supporting documents do not need to be certified but must be complete, legible, and of sufficiently high resolution.

The Department Secretariat will verify the authenticity of the qualifications of applicants admitted to the Doctoral Studies Program. Successful applicants holding degrees awarded outside Greece must therefore submit original or officially authenticated documents bearing an Apostille, where applicable under the Hague Convention. For qualifications issued in countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention, applicants will be required to request that the awarding institution send official electronic copies directly from an institutional email address to history-archaeology@ia.uoc.gr, so that the Department Secretariat can verify them against the submitted copies.

International applicants who are not proficient in Greek may submit their application in English.

The Assembly of the Department of History and Archaeology appoints a three-member committee consisting of faculty members of the Department to examine each application and its supporting documents. If deemed necessary, the committee may invite the applicant for an interview, conducted either in person or electronically. The committee then submits a written report to the Assembly, providing a reasoned recommendation for either acceptance or rejection of the application, as well as a recommendation regarding the proposed supervisor.

If the Assembly approves the application, it appoints the supervisor and the other two members of the three-member advisory committee.

The minimum period required for the award of a Doctoral Degree is three (3) full calendar years from the date of appointment of the three-member advisory committee. The maximum permitted period for the completion of the Ph.D. dissertation is six (6) full calendar years. For the purposes of this provision, a dissertation shall be deemed completed upon its submission to the supervisor, following consultation with and approval by the latter.

Each year, the doctoral candidate is required to submit a progress report to the three-member advisory committee. The report is subsequently approved by the Department Assembly.

Doctoral studies at the Department of History and Archaeology are offered free of charge, and do not entail the payment of tuition fees by doctoral candidates.

For further information, interested applicants may contact the Secretariat of the Department of History and Archaeology: tel. +30 28310 77379, history-archaeology@ia.uoc.gr.

For more information:

• Doctoral Studies Regulations of the Department of History and Archaeology (in Greek), Government Gazette, Series B, No. 501/16.02.2018 (in force insofar as they do not conflict with the provisions of Law 4957/2022 for doctoral candidates who enrolled in the Department of History and Archaeology by 11 June 2026) (in greek)
• Doctoral Studies Regulations of the Department of History and Archaeology (in Greek), Government Gazette, Series B, No. 3375/12.06.2026 (in greek)