Structure of Education
System
Pre-higher education:
Duration of compulsory education:
Age of entry: 6
Age of exit: 18
Structure of school system:
Basic First Stage
Type of school providing this education: Általános
iskola (Elementary School)
Length of program in years: 4
Age level from: 6 to: 10
Basic Second Stage
Type of school providing this education: Általános
iskola
Length of program in years: 4
Age level from: 10 to: 14
Comprehensive
Type of school providing this education: Gimnázium
(Four-Year (Regular) General Secondary School
Length of program in years: 4
Age level from: 14 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: Erettségi
Bizonyítvány/Secondary School Leaving
Certificate
General Secondary
Type of school providing this education: Gimnázium
Length of program in years: 8
Age level from: 10 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: Érettségi
Bizonyítvány/Secondary School Leaving
Certificate
General Secondary
Type of school providing this education: Gimnázium
Length of program in years: 6
Age level from: 12 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: Érettségi
Bizonyítvány/Secondary School Leaving
Certificate
Vocational Secondary
Type of school providing this education: Szakkozepiskola
(Vocational Secondary School, type 1)
Length of program in years: 4
Age level from: 14 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: Érettségi
Bizonyítvány after finishing the
4th year and Higher Level Vocational Qualification
after completing the vocational training
Vocational
Type of school providing this education: Szakiskola
4-year Vocational School
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 14 to: 17
Certificate/diploma awarded: Lower Level Vocational
Qualification
School Education:
Basic education lasts for eight years divided
into two stages of four years each. Secondary
education is provided in comprehensive/academic
secondary schools (gimnázium) or vocational
secondary schools (szakközépiiskola).
Schools often offer more than one programme (e.g.
academic and vocational, academic four- or six-year
courses). The typical institutions offering general
education and an Upper Secondary School Leaving
Certificate are known as comprehensive/academic
secondary schools (gimnázium) and may be
attended for four, five (e.g. bilingual secondary
schools), six or eight years. Secondary vocational
schools (szakközépiskola) and vocational
schools (szakiskola) train in the fields of humanities,
technical, agricultural sciences and services.
Secondary vocational schools provide general education
in the first four years and award the Secondary
School Leaving Certificates. Vocational education
generally begins after the fourth year, although
some introductory vocational subjects may be taught
during the first four years as well. Length of
vocational courses may vary from one to three
years up to vocational programmes. Vocational
schools do not award secondary school leaving
certificates and the level of the vocational qualification
is lower than that in the vocational secondary
schools.
Higher Education:
Hungarian higher education has a dual system
with colleges and universities. Some colleges
are associated with universities and operate as
college faculties of the universities. A university
can also offer college level courses. The duration
of training at college level is minimum 3 years,
maximum 4 years; the duration of education at
university level is minimum 4 years, maximum 5
years (with the exception of medical universities
where it is 6 years). According to the binary
pattern, colleges and universities grant Föiskolai
Oklevél (college level degree) and universities
grant Egyetemi Oklevél (university level
degree). Universities organize three-year PhD
courses, specialized further education courses
(with a normal duration of two years) and various
continuous education courses. The Act LXXX of
1993 on Higher Education established two institutions
to provide professional advice on the development
and control of higher education: the Hungarian
Accreditation Committee (HAC) and the Higher Education
and Scientific Council (HESC). On 1 June 1999,
Parliament passed Act LII of 1999 on Restructuring
the Institutions of Higher Education and amended
Act LXXX of 1993 on Higher Education. By passing
the above law the number of state run universities
and colleges decreased significantly. The number
of higher education institutions was 89 (55 run
by the State, 28 by Churches and 6 by foundations).
At present, the new network of higher education
institutions consists of 17 state universities,
1 non-state university, 13 colleges, 26 Church
universities and colleges and 9 colleges run by
foundations.
Academic Year:
Classes from: September to: June
Long vacation from: July to: August
Languages of instruction:
Hungarian
Stages of studies:
Non-university level post-secondary studies (technical/vocational
type):
Non-university level:
Since September 1, 1996, a new form of higher
learning has been introduced : accredited higher
vocational training (akkreditált iskolai
rendszerü felsöfokú szakképzés).
It is integrated into the system of higher education.
This short-cycle post-secondary course is not
a degree course. The graduates obtain a vocational
certificate (bizonyítvány). The
2-year programmes are offered mainly by colleges
(sometimes by universities) and in many cases
in collaboration with secondary vocational schools.Higher,
more practice-oriented education is offered in
non-university higher education institutions (foiskola).
Courses last for three or four years and graduates
obtain a College Degree (Foiskolai Oklevél).
This qualification - which may also be called
"Bachelor" - entitles holders to practise
a profession or to continue higher education studies
and obtain the Szakosító Oklevél
(Post-college Specialization Degree) in one to
two years or in some cases the Egyetemi Oklevél
(University Degree). Universities may also offer
college level courses.
University level studies:
Higher education at university level generally
consists of a course, usually four to six years
in duration, which confers, after the defence
of a thesis and successful completion of the final
examination, the higher education qualification
of Oklevél/Egyetemi Oklevél (University
Degree). This qualification - which may also be
called "Master's"- entitles holders
to practise a profession or to continue higher
education studies and obtain a Szakirányú
Továbbképzési Oklevél
(Post-university Specialization degree) in one
to three years or to pursue doctoral studies.
University level second stage: University studies:
The Szakirányú Továbbképzési
Oklevél (Further Specialization Degree)
may be obtained after the Föiskolai Oklevél
(College Degree) or Egyetemi Oklevél (University
Degree) after following a programme of one to
two years.
University level third stage: Postgraduate studies:
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph D), Doctor of Liberal
Arts (DLA):
Doctoral studies are another type of postgraduate
studies. This stage of higher education leads
to the degrees of Doktor or Mester three years
after the Oklevél/ Egyetemi Oklevél.
The Doktor and Mester are awarded by a Committee
of the University after not less than three years'
research following upon the Oklevél/Egyetemi
Oklevél and the submission of a thesis/dissertation
and an oral examination which includes foreign
languages. The new Hungarian Doctorate (Doctor
of Philosophy and, in the case of Arts universities,
the Doctor of Liberal Arts degree) corresponds
to what is known and recognized internationally
as a PhD.
Teacher Education:
Training of pre-primary and primary/basic school
teachers:
Kindergarten and primary school teachers are
trained at college level in teacher training colleges
(foiskola) for three years (kindergarten teachers)
and for four years (basic school teachers). Second
cycle primary school teachers follow a four-year
course at a college of education and specialize
in two subjects. According to the 1996 Amendment
of the Public Education Act, a college or university
qualification is needed to teach academic subjects
or a special field of the National Core Curriculum
in elementary education.
Training of secondary school teachers:
Secondary school teachers are trained in four
or five years in universities and specialize in
one or two subjects.
Training of higher education teachers:
According to the Higher Education Act, only those
with a university degree may work as teachers
or lecturers in higher education institutions.
The Higher Education Teaching Qualification may
only be obtained after four or five years of university
study.
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