Regulations concerning the final examination, degrees and titles/grades
are provided by the Act CXXXIX of 2005 on Higher Education, and the
individual institutions’ regulations in harmony with the above.
Final examination
Students
conclude their studies by a complex final examination. In a course also
issuing a teacher’s degree, at the final examination students must
prove having the required proficiency for the teaching profession. The
final exam is to be taken in front of a committee. At least one member
of the committee should be a teacher with accredited scientific degree,
and at least one member is an external professional, who is not
employed by the institution.
Final certificate
The final certificate
(
abszolutórium
)proves
successful passing of examinations laid down in the curriculum without
any grading or evaluation, except for success at the language
examination, and the completion of the thesis.
Degree
The
degree is an official document with the coat of arms of the Republic of
Hungary documenting successful completion of studies in the course
named in the degree. The form of degree is defined by a governmental
decree. Institutions of tertiary education can issue their degrees in a
form and with content in line with their traditions so that it should
be still identifiable and controllable.
The Act on Higher
Education prescribes that the degree should include the name of the
issuing institution of tertiary education, name of possessor, place and
date of birth, qualification, grade awarded, specialisation, course
completed, name of professional qualification, place of issue, date,
original signature of head of institution and chairperson of
examination committee before which the examination was passed, and the
stamp of the institution.
A condition to issuing the degree is performing the academic requirements, i.e. completing the
(
abszolutórium
),
and passing the final examination. Degrees may be conditional upon
foreign language skills. In such cases the relevant certificate must be
presented as a condition to degree.
Degrees must be issued in the Hungarian and English
language, or in Hungarian and Latin, and, in the event of training for
national or ethnic minorities, in the language of the national or
ethnic minorities.
In 2003 a new clause was added to the Act on
Higher Education, at the request of the student tertiary institutions
have to issue a Hungarian language document, a Diploma Supplement,
designed by the European Commission, and the Council of Europe. The
Diploma Supplement must be issued also in English from March 2006. The
Ministry of Education and Culture provided higher education
institutions with a diploma supplement designer software, which enables
higher education institutions to create and archive Hungarian and
English language diploma supplements.
After a successful final exam of higher vocational training, a certificate proving vocational qualification may be issued.
The doctoral grade and the degree indicating the relevant area/branch of sciences is awarded by the doctoral board.
Titles
The
various titles available in tertiary education are provided in the Act
LXXX of 1993 on Higher Education, and by decrees on qualification
criteria. The title of doctor indicating university education (
egyetemi képzés
)may
be used by doctors, dentists, veterinary doctors, and lawyers, with the
respective abbreviations of dr. med., dr. med. dent., dr. vet., dr.
jur.
Further titles to persons with university education
(
egyetemi képzés)include: engineer MS, economist MS, teacher MA, or other titles determined by qualification criteria.
With
főiskola level degrees the law does not list the available titles; it only refers to the qualification in the criteria. Persons with
főiskola
degrees may use the following titles: engineer, economist, teacher
(single structure primary school, lower secondary), kindergarten
teacher, corrective pedagogy teacher, specialist teacher, etc.
For specialised further training the ministerial
decree that permits the creation of the course specifies the
qualification; in general, specific titles may be used, referring to
the content of the qualification.
Persons with a doctoral grade may use the abbreviation ‘doctor (PhD) or ‘Dr.’.
There is legislation to allow persons with a tertiary qualification in Hungary to use the following English names/titles abroad:
1. Those with a
főiskola level qualification may use the term "Bachelor" (abbreviated:BA, BSc etc.).
2. Those with a university
(
egyetem
)level qualification may use the term "Master" (abbreviated: MA, MSc etc.).
3. Those with a higher academic grade in sciences may use the term "Doctor of Philosophy" (abbreviated: PhD).
4. Those with a higher academic grade in liberal arts may use the term "Doctor of Liberal Arts" (abbreviated: DLA).
According
to the 2005 Act on Higher Education that introduces and regulates the
new multi-cycle training structure, the English and Latin descriptions
of the levels are as follows:
1. Bachelor degree or ‛baccalaureus’ (abbreviation: BA, BSc),
2. Master degree or ‛magister’ (abbreviation: MA, MSc).
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