历史

Cathedral Square (Dóm tér) and the Pantheon

Franz Joseph, founder of the University in Pantheon

University building and the musical clock at Cathedral Square

The predecessor of the university is the University of Kolozsvár (University of today's Cluj-Napoca), founded in 1872 by Emperor Franz Joseph I., which had to move to Hungary after the Treaty of Trianon in 1921, and was restarted in Szeged.

Among its teachers were Albert Szent-Györgyi, one of the founders of the Faculty of Science, who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937 for his discoveries in connection with Vitamin C.

History of education in Szeged

After the Great Flood in 1897 the citizens of Szeged took steps on several occasions with a view to establishing an institution of higher education in Szeged. These efforts did not bear fruit until 1921 when the University of Kolozsvár (founded in 1872) moved to Szeged. This move was occasioned by the conclusion of World War I when the Trianon Peace Treaty changed the rule in Transylvania and ceded that province to Romania.

Teaching at the University started on October 10, 1921. The town made considerable efforts to ensure suitable conditions for the new university. The new buildings constructed on the Szeged bank of the Tisza river between 1924 and 1930 housed first of all the clinics and the institutes of the Medical School. Other attractive buildings surrounding the new Cathedral were given to the Faculty of Sciences and to the College of Catholic Theology. The Faculties of Law and Arts were accommodated in older buildings, originally used for other purposes.

Many outstanding professors worked at the university in the inter-war period, including Nobel Prize winner Albert Szent-Györgyi, who was the first to isolate Vitamin C, extracting it from paprika. Publications under the collective title of "Acta Universitatis Szegediensis", edited at different faculties and institutes, were already winning fame for the University at that time. Much merit lies with the Society of the Friends of the University which helped towards their publication. The Medical School (now incorporated into the University of Szeged) was given the name Szent-Györgyi.

During the Second World War, in 1940, the József Ferenc University was moved back again to Kolozsvár while in Szeged, mainly with the former staff and in the old buildings, a new university was legally established. Fascist laws issued during the war had a very adverse effect on both the personnel and the financial management of the University; the institution was in a very serious situation when the Soviet troops entered Szeged on October 11, 1944.

After World War II the University of Szeged was the first in Hungary to start functioning anew. Teaching began as early as November 3, 1945. In those years Rector Frigyes Riesz, the famous mathematician, and his staff distinguished themselves in creating reliable conditions for the work of higher education.

In 1951, the Medical School was separated from the university and was established as an independent institution. In 1962 the University of Szeged assumed the name of the great Hungarian poet, Attila József, who was a student here in the 1920s. During the post-war period the University has undergone a tremendous development. Since the Medical School was separated, the departments of the remaining faculties grew from 36 to 82 by 1990. The number of students is about five times greater than those 774 who matriculated in 1945-46. A similar proportion applies to the teaching professorial staff. The number of academic staff at the University now totals 530. SZTE plays an important role in Hungarian scholarly life and our University is not only a well-reputed school but in general qualifies as a research university and in several fields prides itself as being an important international research center, too. Nine of their professors are members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

The number of the university buildings and the area they cover have also grown considerably. As has been indicated, the University of Szeged has never had a unified campus, its buildings were rather scattered in the downtown area. As the university has grown, its buildings started characterizing more and more districts of Szeged. Remarkable among the new, modern establishments is the "Peace Building", inaugurated in 1952, which was built as a harmonious addition to the red brick buildings of the Faculty of Science.

The Bolyai Institute of Mathematics occupied the former High School of the Piarist Order in 1951, right in the neighborhood of the other science departments. The completion of one wing of a planned triangular building in New Szeged - the Biology Center - further enlarged the space for natural sciences in 1974. Two years later a teacher training primary school was opened and the University's Computer Center could move into the modernized former prep school building right in the city center, halfway between the Rector's office and the Faculty of Sciences. The Faculty of Arts could grow as some natural science departments abandoned the Arts Building in Ady square; further considerable extension was provided by acquiring an office building next to the Arts Building where the departments of education, psychology, philosophy, economics and sociology found accommodation in 1978.

The Faculty of Law also gained space as in 1963-64 a new level was added to their old building. The infrastructure of the University and student life was facilitated by the construction of two large dormitories and an adjacent cafeteria in New Szeged (1966-1977). In 1986 the University purchased a large workers' hostel and turned it into a comfortable dormitory with which currently the dormitory places available amount to 950.

University building at Cathedral Square, reliefs decorating the walls were done by Béla Ohmann

The 1980s did not bring major developments, the worsening economic situation demanded restricted budgets and by the end of the decade the University badly needed further physical upgrading. The turning of the decade fortunately has brought major changes. In 1989, with the changing of the political system in Hungary, the extensive infrastructure of the former Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was redistributed and the buildings became utilized mostly for educational and medical purposes. As a result of these changes, in 1990, JATE could occupy the county headquarters of that party, a lavish seven-storey building which now houses the Financing Office and parts of the Faculty of Law. Another important project, the renovation of the Irinyi Building next to the Faculty of Sciences was completed in 1992. The old-new Irinyi will accommodate the bulk of the most needed new classrooms and lecture halls serving all three faculties. Also this building is the center of catering: three comfortable cafeterias and a charming restaurant offer good food to students and faculty. One should also mention the restructuring of the majestic central building of the University in Dugonics square. With the removal of the Financing Office, the University Library (Városi Somogyi Könyvtár - Bibliotheca Civitatis Szegedinensis de Carolo Somogyi nominata) can grow by almost one third of its original space, and also the rectors of both universities will have more comfortable offices. The central building houses the Faculty Club and the Students' Club, too. Further university facilities are the general sports ground and gymnasium in the square behind the Arts Building, a high quality tennis center in the park in New Szeged, a picturesque lodge and conference hall (once a country school now modernized) in the woods, 30 km from Szeged, and a resort house at lake Balaton.

The Somogyi Library and Archive

Brief history

Name of the university (in Hungarian)

Setting and architecture

Cathedral Square

Bird's-eye view of the University and the Votive Church at Cathedral Square, place of the Open-air Plays (stages are prepared)

The Dóm square is one of the biggest (12000 m²- about as big as Saint Marc's square in Venice) and most majestic squares in all of Hungary. In 1920 all the buildings were torn down in the vicinity, which gave way to the square we see today's (built according to the designs of Béla Rerrich). The square is surrounded in a U shape by archwayed buildings made of dark brown bricks. The buildings are shared by the College of Catholic Theology, the Seat of the Bishop, the University and a dorm. The reliefs decorating the walls were done by Béla Ohmann. After the noon chimes, a musical clock (the work of Ferenc Csuri, a master watchmaker) brings all the famous figures of the University to life. 86 statues line the walls of the archways, which reminds us of the past's great figures.

Dugonics Square

Statue commemorating Attila József on Dugonics Square (sculpted by Imre Varga in 1964)

From 1921 the main building of the University (built: 1872/73, Antal Skalnitzky, Ferenc Arleth) finds place here. Before the Big Flood this square was home to the wheat market. The majestic fountain catches every visitors attention, which was built on the 100th anniversary of the Big Flood (1979) by István Tarnai. A statue commemorating Attila József (a great Hungarian poet) also decorates this vast square (sculpted by Imre Varga in 1964). Festivals and concerts are often held here and is a favorite spot of the University's students.

Organisation

Related article: Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University

• Link: Budapest (SZTE Budapest Media Institute - BMI), Hódmezővásárhely (College of Food Engineering), Kecskemét (Faculty of Law Correspondence Study), Szeged (University)

It has 11 faculties:

Recent developments

The university's future has been determined by a few cardinal decisions in the past years. The leaders of the institutions of higher education in Szeged (JATE, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University, Gyula Juhász Teacher Training College, Ferenc Liszt College of Music, College of Catholic Theology, and the College of Food Technology and Engineering) have signed an agreement to merge these institutions into a unified, sizable center of higher education, to be called the University of Szeged. As of today the "in the past independent" universities made up the faculties of the University of Szeged. The unification of these institutions was finished during the year 2000. Now the University of Szeged is planning to expand not only its quality of education but its facilities by the help of EU loans.

It is often said that the unification (January 2000) of Szeged's universities has been the most successful one in Hungary. Now the University of Szeged is able to serve the students with a huge scope of educational opportunities. The Medical Faculty of the University of Szeged gives the most prestigious level of such education in entire Hungary both in Hungarian and English.

The new building not far from the city center houses a new library, computer center and lecture halls. Its name is Attila József Study and Information Centre (in Hungarian József Attila Tanulmányi és Információs Központ - JATIK, pictures). The University will expand by another two faculties in the coming years.

• Event Halls: Directorate of Student Affairs and Public Relations, Congress Centre, University of Szeged
• Informations about the Study and Information Centre
• 151 pictures of JATIK

Enrollment

Today it has almost 30 000 university students, and altogether 134 majors. Its teachers are 1 393 in number, among them there are 18 academicians, 123 academic doctors and 818 have Ph.D. degree.

Foreign students, like at other universities in Hungary, have to pay for tuition here too, while native Hungarians – under certain conditions – don't.

Alumni & Notable persons & Professors

Pantheon

Albert Szent-Györgyi Nobel Prize laureate biochemist in Pantheon

Nobel laureate

• Albert Szent-Györgyi, biochemistry

Humanities and Social Sciences

Faculty of Arts

• János Csengery, philosophy
• Zoltán Gombocz, philologist
• Sándor Imre, pedagogy
• Károly Marót, philosophy
• Sándor Márki, medieval history
• Ágoston Pável, ethnology
• István Schneller, pedagogy
• Sándor Sik, hungarian literature
• Antal Szerb, author
• József Szinnyei, history of literature
• Hildebrand Dezső Várkonyi psychologist

Faculty of Law and Public Administration

• István Bibó, politics
• László Buza, international law
• Győző Concha, politics
• István Ereky, public administration
• Ferenc Finkey, criminal law
• Barna Horváth, sociology of law
• Sándor Kolosváry, private law
• Ernő Nagy, public law
• Kelemen Óvári, history of law
• Ödön Polner, public law
• Elemér Pólay, roman law
• Bódog Somló, philosophy of law

Natural Sciences

Zoltán Lajos Bay (1900–1992) Hungarian physicist

Mathematicians in Pantheon: László Kalmár, László Rédei, Béla Szőkefalvi-Nagy

Alfréd Haar, Frigyes Riesz made a major mathematical centre from the university

Faculty of Medicine

• József Baló, anatomy
• Gábor Fodor, chemistry
• Endre Hőgyes, pharmacy
• Béla Issekutz senior, pharmacy
• Miklós Jancsó senior, internal medicine
• Dezső Miskolczy, neurology
• István Rusznyák, internal medicine

Faculty of Sciences

• István Apáthy, zoology
• Zoltán Bay, physicist
• Jenő Cholnoky, geography
• Lipót Fejér, mathematics
• István Györffy, botanics
• Alfréd Haar, mathematics
• László Kalmár, computer science
• Béla Kerékjártó, geometry
• László Lovász, mathematics
• Tibor Radó, mathematics
• László Rédei, mathematics
• Frigyes Riesz, mathematics
• Brúnó F. Straub, biology
• Béla Szőkefalvi-Nagy, mathematics

Notable Students

• Attila József, poet
• Gyula Juhász, poet, journalist, educator
• Miklós Radnóti, poet
• Mario Szenessy, author
• István Tömörkény, writer, archeologist and journalist
• Mohammad Sharif Chattar, educationist, botanist, author, poet

Olympic Athletes

• Natasa Janics, canoeing, gold medal
• Márton Joób, canoeing, gold medal

更多

Departments

• Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University
• Faculties of the University of Szeged
• Research Institute: János Bolyai Mathematical Institute

Lists

• List of universities in Hungary
• List of University of Szeged people

Publications

• Acta Universitatis Szegediensis

Research

• Graph eXchange Language (GXL)
• WebMathematics Interactive (WMI)

University related places

Faculties & departments

• Szeged, Balaton, Budapest, Hódmezővásárhely, Kecskemét

Historical

• Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Szeged Education

Library

• The Somogyi Library (in English)
• University Library (Attila József Study and Information Centre)
• Google Book Search University of Szeged

Online news

• SZTE-reo
• Tiszaportal - Szegedi Egyetem Online (news in Hungarian)
• Webradio - Universitas Szeged (recent news in Hungarian)

Rankings

• Academic Ranking of World Universities

Related pages

• József Attila University memorial page
• Tempus Public Foundation - Newsletter (Research Hungary - Education and Research in the Southern Great Plain Region)

Study in Hungary

• Faculty of Juhász Gyula Teacher's Training College Erasmus Homepage
• Foreign Language Program (Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy)
• Hungarian education
• Study in Hungary

University links

• Budapest Media Institute - SZTE BMI
• Department of Biotechnology
• Homepage (some part in English)

Bibliography

• János Martonyi, József Ruszoly: A JATE története - A Szegedi Tudományegyetem múltja és jelene. Szeged, 1999.

Faculties of the University of Szeged
Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty of Arts | Faculty of Economics and Business Administration | Faculty of Law and Public Administration | Faculty of Music | Gyula Juhász Teacher Training College Natural Sciences College Faculty of Agriculture | College Faculty of Health Sciences | College of Food Engineering | Faculty of Sciences
Medical University: Faculty of Medicine | Faculty of Pharmacy