The institution structure of Hungarian tertiary education is governed
by relevant legislation. The structure is of a dual nature consisting
of universities ( egyetem) and of
főiskola.
The two are legally identical. Their tasks and the employment criteria
of some of the jobs in some of the institutions are partly different,
that is why the collective term institution of tertiary educationmay be used. The procedure of establishing an institution of tertiary education is governed by the 2005 Act on Higher Education.
The
higher education institution can receive state accreditation if it
ensures the conditions required for the fulfilment of its mission and
provides
1. bachelor (undergraduate) courses, 2. bachelor (undergraduate) and master (graduate) courses, 3. bachelor (undergraduate), master (graduate) and doctorate courses, 4. master (graduate) and doctorate courses
in
a given training structure defined in the Act on Higher Education,
offering more than one programme in at least one field of training,
discipline of science or field of art.
A university (
egyetem)
must have the authority of conducting scientific research at least in
one discipline of science, doctoral courses, to recognize tertiary
qualifications, to award doctoral grades, and offer master courses at
least in two fields of training.
At least two thirds of its professors must have a
doctoral grade, and the infrastructure necessary to run its training
and scientific research (buildings suitable for the purpose, a
dedicated library, an IT system, a laboratory, work stations for
experimentation and practice, instrumentation, and other equipment).
Universities
are divided into faculties. The faculty is an educational and
organisational unit in an institution of tertiary education that
arranges and provides tertiary level education in one or several –
professionally related – courses. The internal structure of the
university ( egyetem) and the
főiskola is designed by the institutions themselves.
A
state maintained institution of tertiary education is a budgetary
institution responsible for treasury property, and resources allocated
to it in the country’s annual budget. Regulations determining the
operation of higher education institutions are unified and do not
depend on the entity of the maintainer.
However, higher
education institutions maintained by the state, local authority, or the
authority of a minority may operate on the basis of the order of the
central budgetary regulations, they cannot be committed to any
religions or ideology. Distinguishing between state maintained and
non-state run higher education institutions are important in case of
establishment, changing, closing down, and economic activities of the
institution. In giving orders to the rector of the higher education
institution, the Minister of Education and Culture as the maintainer of
the state-funded higher education institutions has fewer rights than
the maintainer of a non-state higher education institution.
Only state-funded higher education institutions have to establish a Financial (economic) Board.
The
Act on Higher Education provides a list of the names and location of
institutions of tertiary education that are formally recognised as such
in Hungary, and whose degrees or grades are recognised as a degree or
grade of tertiary education. The institutions listed in the Act on
Higher Education are the ones eligible for recognition abroad, whose
degrees, and scientific grades may likewise be recognised.
The name (
egyetem) (university) and
főiskola
or their foreign language equivalents may only be used by institutions
of tertiary education established by or with the approval of the
Parliament (Magyar Köztársaság Országggyűlése).
A
foreign institution of tertiary education may only operate in Hungary
with the permission of the Minister of Education and Culture. A foreign
institution of tertiary education may only provide initial training
(bachelor, master and long courses), specialised or doctoral training
regularly on an independent basis, under the auspices of or in
cooperation with another organisation, or may issue a foreign degree in
Hungary in the event that in the country of its headquarters the
institution is officially recognised as an institution of tertiary
education, and the degree it issues or the grade it awards is
recognised as a degree or grade of tertiary education.
Hungarian
institutions of tertiary education may provide training jointly with a
foreign institution of tertiary education as long as the cooperating
foreign institution is officially recognised in its home country, has
the right to deliver education and training, and its diploma/degree
issued is recognized in tertiary education.
An institution of
tertiary education may establish and maintain an institution of public
education. Such institutions are training schools, training
kindergartens (gyakorlóiskola)as part of the teacher training system, and kindergartens
(óvoda), and schools
(általános iskola), and
középiskola, in which the practical training of students is done.
Szakközépiskolamay contribute to higher vocational training on the basis of an agreement concluded with an institution of tertiary education.
The contribution of
szakközépiskola means that the
szakközépiskola Institutions: