The Departments of Primary Education were established by provisions of Article 46(1) of the Law 1268/82.

Presidential Decree 320/83 (Government Gazette A, 116/07-09-1983) determined how they were to be organized and operated.

According to Article 2 of the Presidential Decree 320/83, the mission of Education Departments is:

1. a) to cultivate and promote Educational Sciences through academic and applied teaching and research,
2. b) provide their graduates with the necessary skills to ensure their thorough training for their scientific and professional careers,
3. c) contribute to raising standards and meeting the growing needs of education in pedagogical matters, and
4. d) contribute to addressing and resolving educational problems in general.

The first University Departments of Education began operating in the 1984-85 academic year at the Universities of Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, and Ioannina. The Department of Primary Education at Democritus University of Thrace, based in Alexandroupolis, enroled its first students in the academic year 1986-87. Today, it accepts an average of 230 students per year from the Panhellenic examinations, and this number is increasing due to student enrolments based on the percentage of admissions from the general category, who come from other categories (e.g., expatriates, religious minorities in Thrace, serious illnesses, distinguished athletes).

Undergraduate studies in the Department of Primary Education last four (4) years and are divided