Practical
Information
Implementation of
the Bologna Declaration: The Czech Republic and Hungary
by Robert
Sedgwick
Editor, WENR
Until
1989, when the communist Eastern Bloc collapsed, the educational systems
in former Czechoslovakia and Hungary were based largely on the Soviet
model of higher education.
Following
independence, new laws were passed in both counties that ended the state
monopoly on education, promoted the liberalization of curricula, and adopted
an Anglo-American system of degrees.
Below we
have outlined the current systems of the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Part VII: The Czech
Republic
 The
implementation of higher education reforms in 1990 and 1998 have added
two-tier — bachelor's and master's — programs to the traditional one-tier
system, which leads to a master's-level degree taking between four and
six years.
Since 1990,
institutions have offered degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral
level. In addition, many institutions have introduced tuition-based, short-term
and degree programs for international students. Others have set up joint-degree
programs with foreign universities to offer business and management programs
to Czech students.
Bachelor's
degrees are relatively new in the Czech Republic, and are not well known
among students and employers. Only 17.5 percent of all students are enrolled
in bachelor's programs, compared to 75 percent enrolled in master's programs,
and 7.5 percent in doctoral programs.
Current
System of Higher Education
Private and
state-run universities provide the bulk of higher education in the Czech
Republic. There are also schools offering non-university and professional
higher education. The Ministry of Education,
Youth and Sport set enrollment quotas until 1990, when state planning
was eradicated and institutions of higher education were allowed to specify
their own enrollment numbers. The schools now also decide whether to set
entrance examinations.
The primary
function of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport is to promote the
advancement of higher education in the Czech Republic and to distribute
financial resources. Recognition of degrees and other qualifications is
the responsibility of individual colleges and universities.
Access to
higher education institutions is based on the Maturitni Vysvedceni
(secondary school leaving certificate) or an equivalent qualification
recognized by the government. This certificate is awarded after four years
of secondary education. Colleges and universities are free of charge for
Czech citizens. An entrance exam is required by most institutions, and
the academic requirements and duration of study vary, depending on the
field of study.
University
Education
Stage
I: The bakalár degree is awarded after three
to four years of study at a recognized university. Study programs leading
to the bakalár are designed to prepare students for a profession
and include a final state examination and defense of a thesis.
Stage
II: Despite the introduction of bachelor-type degrees, universities
continue to offer one-tier master's degree programs that take between
four and six years. Master's programs that follow the bakalár
take two to three years of study and lead to the magister
(formerly absolvent vysoke skoly) in the humanities, natural
sciences, mathematics or theology. The title of inzenyr
is awarded as a first qualification in the field of engineering. The title
of doktor as the result of a first degree is now only awarded
in the medical sciences (medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine).
Stage
III: A doctoral degree doktor usually requires three
years of full-time study beyond the master's level. Doctoral programs
require defending a dissertation and the passing of an examen rigorosum.
Doctoral study programs are administered in coordination with individual
universities and the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Non-University
Higher Education
Institutions
that fall into this category (many of them only recently established)
are actually considered universities. They offer mainly bachelor's programs
lasting between three and four years, but many also offer master's degrees.
Institutions of this type are not typically divided into faculties.
In addition
to nonuniversity programs, there are also higher professional schools,
which award the diploma of specialist after two to 3 1/2 years of study.
These institutions are not part of the official system of higher education
in the Czech Republic.
Part VIII: Hungary
Hungary's
system of higher education underwent significant changes after Parliament
passed a reform package in 1993 aimed at overhauling education at the
tertiary level. Under the new laws, only institutions offering both undergraduate
and postgraduate education are permitted to call themselves universities.
Schools that only offer undergraduate degrees are designated as colleges.
Similarly, those that only offer postgraduate courses cannot call themselves
universities.
Hungary has
adopted the Anglo-American system of bachelor's degrees, master's degrees
and doctorates. New MBA degrees have also been introduced and are offered
by specialized postgraduate programs. As they are not considered equivalent
to a master's-level degree, the MBA cannot be used to enter a doctoral
program.
Current
System of Higher Education
Higher education
in Hungary is provided by universities, technical universities, colleges
and religious institutions. Traditional-style universities offer degrees
in arts and sciences, law, social sciences, economics and education. Technical
universities provide instruction and training in the various technological
fields and also in architecture. There are also several specialized universities
for medicine, economics, veterinary medicine, architecture, forestry,
fine arts, music, theater and physical education.
Colleges
called föiskolai represent the main branch of Hungary's higher
education system, offering three- to four-year, practical-oriented programs
in such fields as business administration, computer science, catering
and teacher training for primary school teachers. Most colleges operate
independently of universities, but some (especially in the technical fields)
function as separate faculties of universities.
A new higher
education law was passed in 1993, approving the establishment of private
colleges and universities, including church-run institutions. There are
now 17 state universities and 13 state colleges; the total number of state
institutions has been reduced from 55 to 30. In addition, there are 26
church-run institutions and six foundation colleges. Private institutions
of higher education currently enroll approximately 10 percent of all students
in Hungary.
Higher education
in Hungary is based on a one-tier degree system. However, in the wake
of the Bologna Declaration, many institutions have introduced a two-tier
system, especially in programs designed primarily for foreign students.
Stage
I: Föiskolai (colleges) offer bachelor's-level degrees
(föiskolai oklevél) with the possibility to
continue on for a master's degree at a recognized university. Most föiskolai
programs, including agriculture, production engineering, economics, computer
science, commerce, tourism and catering, take three years to complete.
A few programs, such as upper primary teaching, take four years.
Stages
I & II: Universities generally follow a one-tier system leading
to a master's-level degree (egyetemi oklevél) that
requires five years of study (six years for medicine). Holders of the
föiskolai oklevél can continue on for a master's,which
requires an additional two to three years of study.
Stage
III: The university doctorate, called egyetemi doktor,
is offered in medicine, law, dentistry and veterinary medicine after one
to three years of study beyond the egyetemi oklevél. The
kandidatus is higher than the university doctorate and
is awarded by the State Committee for Scientific Degrees. It is not necessary
to hold a university doctorate to be admitted into a kandidatus
program, although this is often the case. The kandidatus requires
at least three years of research beyond the egyetemi oklevél.
In medicine, it can take as long as 10 additional years. Further requirements
include defending a dissertation and the passing of an oral exam, which
includes foreign languages. The tudomanyok doktora is the
highest postgraduate qualification awarded in Hungary and requires at
least three to four years of additional research work beyond the kandidatus.
The kandidatus and the tudomanyok doktora were adopted from
the Soviet system of advanced higher education.
Both colleges
and universities also offer short-term, post-secondary programs with a
two-year duration called accredited higher vocational training courses,
which lead to a certificate.
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