Quality Policy of the Academic Unit for the Development and Improvement of the Postgraduate Program

The Quality Assurance Policy of the Department of Communication and Media Studies is fully harmonized with the quality policy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, making the Department of Communication and Media Studies committed to providing high quality Greek and foreign language higher education to the students who choose it, by organizing and implementing Postgraduate Programmes of high academic standards and significant added value, both in Greek and English, in the most important fields studied in the Department.

In addition, the Department seeks to develop a creative environment of research, free scientific expression, and work for all staff and members of its academic community. The Department is committed to the implementation of this quality policy in all the postgraduate programmes it offers and will offer in the future, implementing the quality procedures stipulated by the University Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS), with the ultimate aim of continuous improvement. Through this Quality Policy, the academic character and orientation of the Postgraduate Programmes is strengthened, their purpose and object is promoted, as well as the implementation of specific objectives set for each year, while the means and ways of achieving the above are defined and the participation of stakeholders in the evaluation and redesign processes is ensured.

In particular, for the implementation of this policy in the MSc in Media and Refugee/Migrant Flows, the Department is committed to apply the quality processes/procedures foreseen and analysed in the Quality Manual of the IQAS of the Institution, and implemented at the level of the Department's Programmes with the required specialisation/customisation in this MSc, and in close cooperation with the University's Quality Assurance Unit (QAU). All quality assurance procedures of the Department's Prostgraduate programmes are subject to inspection, review and revision, which are carried out annually by the Internal Assessment Team (IAT), in collaboration with the University's QAU. The processes - procedures implemented for monitoring and continuous improvement of the quality of the Postgraduate Programmes are the following:

The implementation of the Quality Assurance Policy for the Postgraduate Programmes, which includes specific quality assurance actions, aiming at creating a framework within which the Postgraduate Programmes must operate.
The allocation and management of the resources of the Department's Postgraduate Programmes through procedures that contribute to the best choices in order to create an appropriate environment for the achievement of the Institution's objectives in terms of ensuring the provision of the necessary resources for personnel, funding, infrastructure and equipment, in order to operate and continuously improve the effectiveness of the Postgraduate Programmes in terms of the degree of achievement of the quality objectives they set.
Setting Quality Assurance Objectives on an annual basis by all the Postgraduate Programmes of the Department which are operating or are about to start operating within the academic year. Specific measurable and readily observable annual quantitative and qualitative objectives, assessed by specific indicators, are selected for each Postgraduate Programme, following consultation and agreement of the Departmental and Postgraduate Programme management. The achievement of these objectives is considered crucial for improving the efficiency of the internal functions (administrative, educational, research) of the Postgraduate Programmes.
The Periodic Internal Evaluation and Monitoring on an annual basis of all the Postgraduate Programmes of the Department in collaboration and with the support of the University’s QAU. An internal evaluation and assessment of all the processes implemented in all the Postgraduate Programmes is carried out, so that through the identification of elements and issues for correction with the implementation of improvements agreed jointly with the QAU, the objectives set are achieved, with the final result being the improvement of the Postgraduate Programmes of the Department.
Quality data collection: measurement, analysis and improvement of the Postgraduate Programmes of the Department of Communication and Media Studies, which implements effective procedures for the collection and analysis of information on the Postgraduate Programmes (student data, faculty data, course structure and organisation, teaching and student services, etc.) and feeds data into the National Information System for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NISQA) of the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE) as well as internal information systems of the Departments and the Institution.
The Publication of Information on the Postgraduate Programmes of the Department of Communication and Media Studies. Through this process, all the information concerning the Postgraduate Programmes is made directly accessible, up-to-date and formulated objectively and clearly. The existence of a specialised area on the Department's website for the promotion of the Postgraduate Programmes, the existence of a special bilingual page for them and the procedures for checking and updating their content are checked.
The External Evaluation of the Department's MSc programmes. All the Postgraduate Programmes of the Department are subject to a periodic accreditation procedure by the HAHE, which is carried out through external evaluation by committees of independent experts.

The implementation of the above procedures in the MSc "Media and refugee/migration flows" will ensure a) the appropriateness of the structure and organization of the Programme of Studies, b) that the learning outcomes and the resulting qualifications of the graduates of the MSc aim to correspond as far as possible to the European and National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education level 7, c) the promotion of the quality and effectiveness of the teaching work of this MSc through its monitoring by the coordinating committee, the IAT, the Department's administration and the QAU, d) that the qualifications of the teaching staff and especially of the external collaborators are appropriate for the education of postgraduate students, e) the drafting, implementation and review of specific annual quality objectives for the improvement of the MSc "Media and refugee/migration flows", f) the level of demand for the acquired qualifications of graduates in the job market, through the investigation at regular intervals of job market needs and the monitoring of the progress of the graduates of the MSc "Media and refugee/migration flows", g) that the support services provided to postgraduate students – including students with disabilities – are of high quality and meet their needs for effective follow-up, e.g., easily accessible and available administrative services and libraries, online services, scholarships, and student affairs services appropriate to the MSc, h) the efficient use of the MSc's financial resources derived from tuition fees to provide the necessary services to postgraduate students and to facilitate the operation of the programmes on the premises of the Department, but also in whatever else is required, e.g. on-site visits to off-site locations for their integrated education, i) the implementation of the yearly internal evaluation and review of the quality assurance system for the English-language MSc “Media and refugee/migration flows”, with the collaboration of the IAT and the QAU of the Department.

The Quality objectives on which the Department of Communication and Media Studies will focus its efforts for "Media and refugee/migration flows" will be the following:

Improve the Graduation Rate of Postgraduate Students
Increase in the number of students' active participation in the Internal Evaluation processes
Increase the participation of students in relevant workshops, conferences and publications in Greece and abroad
Linking the MSc to Studies at Doctoral Level
Promotion, Cooperation and Networking with the Alumni of the Department and the MSc
Participation of postgraduate students of the programme in ERASMUS
Participation in activities of the European university cooperation CIVIS
Development of Management Information Systems and Digital Governance Services
Greater interconnection of the MSc with the job market in countries outside Greece
Even greater attraction of foreign students to the MSc
Increase in the percentage of MSc graduates who during their studies publish a research paper or participate in a writing group with a faculty member - MSc instructor,
Renewal of Office, Classroom and Laboratory Equipment and Adequate Staffing of the Administrative Staff of the MSc
Greater contribution to resolving the student visa hinderances encountered by eligible students from third countries