Thessaloniki is one of the oldest cities in Europe and it is the second largest city in Greece with a population of 1,000,000. It stretches over twelve kilometers in a bowl formed by low hills facing a bay that opens into the Gulf Thermaikos. Founded about 315 B.C., on a site of old prehistoric settlements going back to 2300 B.C., by Cassander, King of Macedonia, it was named after his wife, Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander The Great. Since then, Thessaloniki has become the chief city of Macedonia and its most important commercial port.
In addition to the Aristotle University, there are numerous institutions that contribute to the academic and cultural life of the city. Among them are the Macedonian University of Industrial Management, the Archaeological and the Byzantine museums, the Folklore museum, the State Conservatory, Theatre and Orchestra, the Society of Macedonian Studies and the Institute for Balkan Studies.
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was founded in 1925 during the First Greek Republic by virtue of Decree No 3341/14-6-1925, introduced into the Fourth National Convention in Athens by Alexander Papanastasiou. The University originally consisted of five Faculties: Theology, Philosophy, Law and Economics, Physics and Mathematics, and Medicine.
Today the main campus extends over an area of 137 acres in the heart of the city. The number of students is about 70,000 in 35 Schools that cover the full range of scientific disciplines - some of them unique in Greece. Because of its size, its structure and its activities the University of Thessaloniki is the largest and most complex of Greek Higher Institutions.
The Faculty of Technology was established in 1955 with the Department of Civil Engineering. The number of students in the University at that year was about 4000. In 1957-58 the Department of Architecture opened its doors while the Department of Rural and Surveying Engineering began functioning in 1962-63.
The Department of Electrical Engineering was established by the Decree 400/72 and started in the academic year 1972-73 along with the Department of Chemical Engineering. At that year, the students of the University had become 28,000. The exact title of the Department was: Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and the courses offered were covering both areas. In 1976 that Department was divided into the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering and since the academic year 1976-77 these two new Departments have been functioning separately. Each Department is awarding its own degree after completion of five year program and submission of a Diploma thesis.
According to the Decree 266/93 the Department was renamed as Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This change is valid since the academic year 1993-94. The Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering is awarded to the students which entered the University in the academic year 1993-94 and after on.
In each division and laboratory a number of secretarial and technical staff is employed. About 1400 undergraduate and 80 postgraduate students are enrolled in the department. The areas covered are very broad. Therefore, the students after completion of the fifth semester may specialise by following one of the three distinct specialisations being supported by the corresponding Division.
