Quality Policy of the Department of Pharmacy (AUTh)

The quality policy of the Department of Pharmacy of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) is aligned with the overall quality policy of AUTH and aims to implement quality objectives that concern the overall organization and operation of the Department and specifically the Undergraduate Degree Program (UGP). Specifically, it aims to:

1. Continuously improve the quality of pharmaceutical education and research
2. Continuously improve the quality of the Department’s processes and services
3. Transparency at all levels
4. Highlight the educational and research work that takes place at the Department of Pharmacy of AUTh in society, the state, and the international scientific community.

Overall, the Department is committed to the continuous implementation of a quality policy that supports the academic profile and orientation of the UGP, strengthening its purpose and scope. This policy reinforces the implementation of the Department’s strategic objectives, and defines the appropriate actions and ways through which they can be achieved so that the Department can continuously improve (even when the general conditions are relatively difficult).

The objectives of the UGP are:

• Provision of high-level and quality education in accordance with international criteria.
• Balance:
  1. Between basic (general) knowledge and knowledge and skills that are directly involved in the fields of Pharmaceutical Science.
  2. Between theoretical teaching and laboratory education
  3. Between the depth and breadth of the knowledge provided.
• Cultivation of research and creative thinking, in order to achieve the correct education of the pharmacist scientist.

The achievement of the above objectives is achieved through cooperation of the competent bodies of the Department with the personnel of the Department of Pharmacy (Scientific, Technical, Administrative) and the students for the continuous recording of specific quality indicators of the UGP. The body which is mainly responsible, in cooperation with the President of the Department and with the support of the MΟΔΙΠ of AUTH, for the internal quality assurance is the Internal Evaluation Group (IAE) of the Department of Pharmacy. More specifically, the IAE, on an annual basis, conducts the collection, recording, and processing of quantitative data on the progress of the students of the UGP, the quality of the knowledge provided (as reflected in the course evaluation questionnaires), the recruitment and development of the teaching staff and the rest of the scientific and research staff, the implementation of the degree programs (undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral), as well as any other matter which is relevant to the functioning and the Objectives of the Department. The results of the internal evaluation are presented at a meeting of the Department’s Assembly where any corrective interventions and improvement actions are decided.

A very important role in the process of improving the quality of the UGP is also played by the internal and external evaluation processes that have been established in recent years, and the results of which are publicly posted and available on the official website of the Department of Pharmacy of AUTh.

The quality policy of the Department of Pharmacy of AUTh is communicated through the department’s website (http://www.pharm.auth.gr/el/faculty-evaluation) and at the beginning of each academic year at the welcome ceremony for first-year students.