Syllabus and Course of Studies
Our Department, in response to the scientific advances and the students’ academic aspirations, has undertaken an extensive curriculum reform, which was implemented in the academic year 2024-2025. The goal of the revised curriculum is to provide knowledge, develop skills, and cultivate students’ abilities.
The new features of the curriculum include:
- Independent laboratory courses designed to develop and strengthen practical laboratory skills.
- Updated scientific-area courses with renewed, updated content.
- A modular structure that promotes teaching synergies and reduces content overlap.
- An expanded and updated selection of elective courses for greater learning flexibility.
- Courses focused on digital skills and entrepreneurship.
- Revised pedagogical competence courses with updated content.
In the current academic year, first- and second-year students attend the reformed curriculum, while third- and fourth-year students continue with the previous curriculum. The studies are organized into eight semesters, two per academic year. Each semester includes at least 13 weeks of teaching and 3 weeks of examinations. An additional 3-week examination period is scheduled at the beginning of September of each academic year.
The winter semester lasts from September to January, and the spring semester from February to June.
The new curriculum includes 40 compulsory courses totaling 179 ECTS, while elective courses begin from the 5th semester. In total, 33 elective courses are offered, from which students must complete 36 ECTS. Most courses include mandatory laboratory and/or tutorial sessions.
There are no prerequisite courses. However, to enroll in the 3rd year, students must have completed courses equivalent to at least 75% of the ECTS credits from the 1st and 2nd year courses.
As part of their studies, students can obtain a Certificate in Teaching and Pedagogical Competence as well as a Certificate in Digital Skills.
Students can graduate upon completing 4 years of study and 240 ECTS, including an experimental Bachelor’s Thesis and an Internship, corresponding to 20 and 5 ECTS, respectively.
Curriculum
ECTS: European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System | Th: Theory (hours/week) | Tu: Tutorials (hours/week) | Pr: Practicals (hours/week)
1st Year – 1st Semester

Introduction to Biology
ΒΒ0101 – ECTS:4 – Th:3

Lab Skills in Biological Diversity
ΒΒ0102 – ECTS:3 – Pr:3

Chemistry for Biosciences and Experimentation
ΒΒ0103 – ECTS:6 – Th:4 Pr:2

Organic Chemistry
ΒΒ0104 – ECTS:6 – Th:3 Tu:1 Pr:2

Basic Principles in Biochemistry
ΒΒ0105 – ECTS:5 – Th:4 Pr:3

Mathematics for Biosciences
ΒΒ0106 – ECTS:3 – Th:3

Informatics and Digital Skills
ΒΒ0107 – ECTS:3 – Th:3 Pr:1
1st Year – 2nd Semester

Cell Biology
ΒΒ0201 – ETCS:6 – Th:3 Pr:2

Bioorganic Chemistry
ΒΒ0202 – ECTS:6 – Th:3 Tu:1 Pr:3

Biochemistry of Proteins and Nucleic Acids
ΒΒ0203 – ECTS:5 – Th:4 Tu:2

Human Physiology
ΒΒ0204 – ECTS:6 – Th:4 Pr:2

Biostatistics and Research Methodology
ΒΒ0205 – ECTS:5 – Th:3 Tu:1

English Terminology
ΒΒ0206 – ECTS:2 – Th:3
2nd Year – 3rd Semester

Microbiology
ΒΒ0301 – ECTS:4 – Th:4

Lab Skills in Microbiology
ΒΒ0302 – ECTS:4 – Pr:3

Εnzymology
ΒΒ0303 – ECTS:6 – Th:4 Pr:3

Molecular Biology
ΒΒ0304 – ECTS:4 – Th:4

Genetics
ΒΒ0305 – ECTS:4 – Th:4 Tu:1

Lab Skills in Molecular Biology and Genetics
ΒΒ0306 – ECTS:4 – Pr:3

Cell Signalling and Transduction
ΒΒ0307 – ECTS:4 – Th:3 Tu:2
2nd Year – 4th Semester

Animal Developmental Biology
ΒΒ0401 – ECTS:4 – Th:3

Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
ΒΒ0406 – ECTS:6 – Th:4

Immunology
ΒΒ0402 – ECTS:4 – Th:3 Tu:3

Biochemistry of Metabolism
ΒΒ0403 – ECTS:6 – Th:4 Pr:3

Clinical Biochemistry
ΒΒ0404 – ECTS:5 – Th:3

Molecular Biophysics
ΒΒ0405 – ECTS:5 – Th:3 Pr:2
3rd Year – 5th Semester

Biochemical Toxicology
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Pr:2

Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology
ECTS:5 – Th:3

Developmental Biology
ECTS:5 – Th:4

Biochemical Pharmacology
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Tu:2

Evolution
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Tu:1

Optional courses
ECTS:5
Optional Courses 5th semester

Neural Science & Behaviour
ECTS:4 – Th:2

Biochemical Engineering
ECTS:4 – Th:2 Pr:3

Anthropology of Education & Modern Pedagogical Trends
ECTS:3 – Th:3 Tu:1

From Science to Business-Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology
ECTS:3 – Th:2 Tu:1
3rd Year – 6th Semester

Biophysics
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Pr:2

From Genomics to Systems Biology
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Tu:1 Pr:2

Clinical Biochemistry
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Pr:3

Animal Biotechnology
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Pr:2

Optional Courses
ECTS:5

Vocational Training
ECTS:5
Optional Courses 6th semester

Immunology
ECTS:4 – Th:3

Specialized modules in environmental Microbiology
ECTS:3 – Th:2 Tu:1

Molecular Ecology
ECTS:3 – Th:2

Bioethics & Education
ECTS:3 – Th:2 Tu:2

Special Topics in Molecular Biology
ECTS:4 – Th:2 Pr:2

Food Biochemistry and Technology
ECTS:3 – Th:2

Synthetic Biology
ECTS:4 – Th:2
4th Year – 7th Semester

Environmental Biotechnology
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Pr:2

Plant Biotechnology
ECTS:5 – Th:3 Pr:2

Optional courses
ECTS:20
Optional Courses 7th semester

Analytical Biochemistry
ECTS:5 – Th:2 Tu:2

Nutritional & Metabolic Biochemistry
ECTS:5 – Th:2 Tu:1 Pr:2

Biochemistry of Cell Damage and Protection
ECTS:4 – Th:2

Structural Biochemistry
ECTS:5 – Th:2 Pr:2

Academic writing in Biochemistry & Biotechnology in English
ECTS:3 – Th:2 Tu:1

Applied Microbiology
ECTS:4 – Th:2

Instrumental Chemical Analysis
ECTS:4 – Th:2 Tu:1

Cell Culture Technology
ECTS:4 – Th:2 Pr:2

Insect genetic engineering and applications
ECTS:3 – Th:2 Tu:1

Theory of Teaching and Didactics of Biosciences
ECTS:3 – Th:3 Tu:1

Molecular Oncogenesis
ECTS:3 – Th:3

Introduction to Entrepreneurship*
ECTS:3 – Th:2 Tu:1
* Interdepartmental courses attended by students from different departments taking place both in Volos and Trikala.
4th Year – 8th Semester

Optional Courses
ECTS:6

Diploma Project
ECTS:24
Optional Courses 8th semester

Molecular Virology
ECTS:3 – Th:2

Waste Treatment Technologies
ECTS:4 – Th:2 Tu:4

Hormonal Regulation of metabolism
ECTS:4 – Th:2

Introduction in Programming
ECTS:4 – Th:3

Advanced Topics in Organic synthesis
ECTS:4 – Th:2 Pr:3

Drugs in sports-antidoping control, and WADA regulations
ECTS:3 – Th:2 Tu:2

Population Genetics
ECTS:3 – Th:2

Evolution of ideas in Biological Sciences
ECTS:3 – Th:2 Tu:1

Data Science & Biotechnology
ECTS:3 – Th:2



