Beszéljünk a magyar oktatásról! – Education in Hungary

Education in Hungary

Children in Hungary start school at the age of 6 and are supposed to attend school until they come of age, that is to say they turn 18. The majority of children go to state schools, there are few private schools – some of them offer alternative educational methods – and boarding schools are not popular. Before starting school, children are required to attend nursery school, which is very convenient for working parents.

Elementary School

All pupils start at elementary school (1^st to 8^th form) and after 4^th form they can decide whether to stay or transfer to an eight-form grammar school. This possibility is offered again after 6^th form as a transfer to a six-form grammar school, and many talented and academically advanced children take this opportunity. When pupils finish elementary school, they can enrol into vocational schools, where they are taught practical skills needed to perform a particular job, like carpentry, gardening, etc. These schools give a trade certificate but pupils are not prepared for the school-leaving exam that is required to enter higher education. If someone would like to learn a trade and enrol into higher education afterwards, the best choice for them is the secondary vocational school offering tuition in both practical and academic skills.

Secondary School

Secondary education is also offered by grammar schools, where the focus is purely academic and the aim is to prepare pupils for continuing their studies at college or university. Students are required to take a school-leaving exam at the end of 12^th form in five subjects. The compulsory subjects are Hungarian language and literature, Maths, History and a foreign language of choice. Pupils are allowed to pick one more subject based on their interest. The school-leaving exam is available at intermediate or advanced level and students decide which one to take based on the entrance requirement of their university or college of choice. Budapest, Szeged and Debrecen are the most significant university towns in the country.

Higher Education

At present, higher or tertiary education in Hungary is based on the Bologna system, which is in force in most European countries, making studying abroad much easier. Students who complete their first 3 or 4 years of study earn a Bachelor’s degree and can continue their studies to earn a Master’s degree, which takes 1 or 2 years. This division is not applicable in Hungary if you study to be a lawyer, doctor, vet, dentist, pharmacist, or an architect. The highest level is the doctoral degree, which means another 3-4 years of study. Students are supposed to pass at least one intermediate level foreign language exam as part of their studies in order to be awarded their degrees.

These are the English names of popular colleges and universities in Hungary:

university of agricultural sciences -agrártudományi egyetem
college of public administration – államigazgatási főiskola
university of veterinary medicine -állatorvostudományi egyetem
university of food industry -élelmiszeripari egyetem
college of fine arts -képzőművészeti főiskola
university of horticulture – kertészeti egyetem
university of economic sciences -közgazdaságtudományi egyetem
technical university -műszaki egyetem
college of technology -műszaki főiskola
medical university, university of medicine -orvostudományi egyetem
teacher training college -tanárképző főiskola
university of physical education -testnevelési egyetem
faculty of arts – bölcsészettudományi kar
faculty of science -természettudományi kar
faculty of law -állam- és jogtudományi kar

If you are considering studying abroad or you have wondered what the abbreviations on business cards might mean, we have compiled a table of common Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The degree awarded by Hungarian faculties of law is called Juris Doctor or Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD), while medical universities here award Doctor of Medicine (MD or DM). These are called junior or professional doctorates, which are above Master’s level but not equivalent to intermediate doctorates, like a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), which requires 3 more years of study and the submission of original research.