Monash Memo - 27 June 2001

Back to this edition's story list

IT and business opportunities in Greece

The Business and Economics and Information Technology faculties plan to develop a new market for their courses in Greece.

Staff from the two faculties set up displays for a four-day higher education exhibition in Athens earlier this year. It was attended by about 25,000 people including prospective students, educators and academics.

Business and Economics dean Professor Gill Palmer said the exhibition offered opportunities to expand the faculty's postgraduate market.

"It was a very successful fair where we made various contacts who were interested in pursuing postgraduate programs in management, particularly the MBA," she said.

"There are also many students who already have connections with relatives in Melbourne who might be interested in our postgraduate programs."

IT faculty international operations manager Ms Sonja Smith said she believed great potential existed in the Greek market since Melbourne boasted the largest Greek population in the world outside of Athens.

"When we spoke to people who came to the exhibition, it seemed nearly everyone had aunts, uncles and cousins in Australia but they'd never actually considered coming here to study."

She said there was strong demand for the masters courses in business systems and management because they have less access to good programs in this field in Greece.

"We'll be spending the next two years building up our contacts in Greece. The faculty has a number of scholarships we can offer, which is a good way to get the first group of students to take the plunge and come to Australia."

"As the dollar drops we become a much more viable destination for them. At the moment, it will cost them 60 to 70 per cent less to study in Australia than in the UK."

Ms Smith said the IT faculty also hoped to establish an off-campus centre supported by local education providers in Greece.