Collaborating Institutions for student/teaching staff mobility: https://international.ionio.gr/en/institutions-f1-fst-f2-all-f3-all-f4-all/
STUDIES ABROAD WITH THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME
Among the actions to strengthen the Department's extroversion and enrich the students' study experience both at the level of scientific knowledge and at the level of their personality development, the Department has adopted the policy (rationale) of encouraging student mobility through Erasmus+ as early as possible in their studies. If students move early in the course of their studies, several benefits and reciprocities arise as it is expected to:
(a) the increased academic experience gained abroad to return to the Department and the Ionian University,
(b) the students to be benefited from the heightened language skills and the continuation of their studies in the Department,
(c) limit the risk of prolonging studies due to mobility. Students leaving in their second or third year are expected to absorb the delays that the semester abroad usually causes.
For this reason, it has adopted:
(i) Evaluation and separate grading per year of study,
(ii) Any special arrangements apply per year and not in the aggregate.
In more detail, the mobility process for outgoing students to study through Erasmus+ is as follows:
Conditions for participation in the Erasmus+ mobility program
The right to submit an Erasmus+ grant application is available to those students who:
(a) are enrolled in the Department of Food Science and Technology at undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral level with the aim of obtaining a recognized qualification.
(b) have proven language proficiency at the required level set by the Host Institution (some Institutions reject fellows at the initial stage of their application for registration, in the absence of a corresponding language qualification)
(c) provide an indication of high motivation to participate in the mobility programme.
Host Institutions should have an Erasmus Charter (ECHE) and have signed a bilateral agreement with the Ionian University.
The ranking of candidates for student mobility is carried out under the responsibility of the Department's General Assembly after a recommendation by the Erasmus Academic Coordinator for the Department.
The ranking criteria are the following:
- Undergraduate students
The ranking of outgoing student candidates is carried out per year (first year, second year, etc.). Applications for moving to a semester beyond the normal duration of studies are considered in their entirety and only if there are vacancies and without taking into account the semester of actual study.
The applications of students who participate for the first time in the program and who request mobility in the second year of studies are considered as a matter of priority. Then, the applications of students participating in the program for the first time and requesting transfer to the third year are examined, and then applicants for the first time to transfer to the fourth year of studies. Other applications are considered only if there are vacancies.
Special provisions will be applied annually if deemed necessary.
(a) Performance criteria
First year students:
Number of admission credits from pan-Hellenic exams (in case of a tie, applications with a lower protocol number will take precedence).
Students attending the 3rd to 8th semester of studies:
Course performance average multiplied by a factor of 10.
Total ECTS units of successfully examined courses multiplied by a factor of 1.
(b) Language proficiency criteria
Foreign languages: level of language knowledge as defined by the Council of Europe. Only certificates recognized by ASEP are accepted.
Level B1: 10 points
Level B2: 15 points
Level C1: 20 points
Level C2: 25 points
(c) Incentives
Reasons for participating in the program (motivation letter) and justification: maximum 5 points.
Interview (justification of reasons for moving, expected results of mobility, etc.): maximum 5 points.
The total number of points for the ranking results from the sum of (a)+(b)+(c).
- PhD Candidates
PhD candidates of the Department have the possibility to go abroad within the framework of the Erasmus+ program to carry out part of their research work.
A necessary condition is the submission of a certificate from the supervising Professor which must state: (a) the topic of the doctoral thesis being prepared and the approval of the Supervisory Committee for the doctoral candidate to go abroad within the framework of the Program and (b) that the program that will follow the candidate will form part of his research work (without ECTS) for the preparation of the doctoral thesis and will be counted towards the total time of his studies.
For the selection of the candidates, the last submitted evaluation report of the doctoral candidate's achievements submitted by the three-member doctoral thesis supervision committee is taken into account.
In the case of several candidates for a specific host institution, priority is given to the candidate who is at a more advanced stage and has submitted his annual reports without fail.
The evaluation is carried out by the doctoral theses committee of the Department.
The positively assessed mobility applications of doctoral candidates may not exceed 20% of the total number of available Erasmus+ positions per announcement. In the event that there are no mobility applications from PhD candidates, all available places are allocated to undergraduate applicants.
The evaluation results in a single list for all candidates of the period, regardless of the course they are studying in.
Τhe sequence of actions that must be followed by each candidate for participation in Erasmus+ mobility for studies is:
(1) the candidate follows the announcements of the Erasmus Office and is informed about the announcement of mobility for studies
(2) Submission of an application to the Department Secretariat in which he/she declares his/her interest in participating in the mobility program. The application contains the details of the applicant, the type of mobility, the Host Institution. The application must be accompanied by a table of courses which the candidate will attend at the Host Institution and which are matched with courses in the Department's curriculum which will be recognized upon his/her return. These courses should be equivalent to 30 ECTS.
(3) The Secretariat forwards the applications to the Erasmus Academic Coordinator of the Department, who checks the candidacies in terms of their conditions for participating in the mobility, evaluates the course assignments proposed by the candidates, ranks the candidates based on the grading criteria and brings the matter to the General Assembly of the Department which decides on the accepted nominations.
(4) Accepted nominations are announced by the Secretariat to the candidates and the Erasmus Office. From this point onwards, the Erasmus Office continues the process according to the instructions detailed in the link https://sites.ionio.gr/international/gr/erasmus/#6.
MOBILITY OF STUDENTS FOR TRAINEESHIP
Students can participate in the Erasmus+ mobility program and carry out the traineeship abroad in two periods: before receiving a degree if they are in their 3rd or 4th year of study and after receiving the degree provided they have applied for participation in the mobility programme before they become graduates. Again, students are encouraged to participate in the mobility programme as the benefits are multiple both for them (enriching the experiences, knowledge, skills, autonomy and self-confidence of students and their competitiveness in the labor market) and for the Department and by extension the Ionian University (the extroversion of the Department and the Foundation is strengthened).
In order to participate in mobility for an traineeship through Erasmus+, students must meet the combined requirements for: (a) carrying out an traineeship and (b) participating in the Erasmus+ mobility program.
In more detail, the sequence of actions that each applicant must follow to participate in Erasmus+ mobility for traineeships is:
(1) Submit an application for an traineeship to the Department Secretariat (the student can apply if he/she is in the 5th or higher semester of studies) and at the same time follow the announcements of the Erasmus Office and be informed about the announcement of mobility for traineeship.
(2) Submission of an application to the Department's Secretariat declaring his/her interest in participating in the Erasmus+ mobility program for an traineeship. The application contains the details of the applicant, the country and the institution where he/she will carry out the traineeship and the subject of employment (the candidate has to seek an institution or company abroad where he/she will carry out his/her traineeship.
(3) The Secretariat forwards the applications (a) to the Traineeship Committee of the Department, which checks the candidacies regarding the conditions for carrying out the traineeship and makes a recommendation to the General Assembly of the Department and (b) to the Erasmus Academic Coordinator of the Department, who checks the nominations in terms of their conditions for participating in mobility for traineeships, ranks the candidates based on the grading criteria and makes a recommendation to the General Assembly of the Department, which decides on the accepted nominations.
(4) Accepted applications for traineeship mobility through Erasmus+ are announced by the Secretariat to the applicants and the Erasmus Office. From this point and after the process, the Erasmus Office continues according to instructions detailed at the link https://sites.ionio.gr/international/gr/erasmus/#14
