University of Szeged


The University of Szeged is a large research university in Hungary. It is located in Hungary's third-largest city, Szeged, in Csongrád County in the Southern Great Plain. The University is one of Hungary's most important universities and is among the most prominent higher education institutions in Central Europe. According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, it was ranked 203rd–300th in the complete list, 80th–123rd in the scientific ranking of European universities, and first in the Hungarian national ranking. In 2013 it was ranked 401-500 in the world, 124th–168th in the scientific ranking of European universities, and second in the national ranking. In 2014, the QS World University Rankings put the University of Szeged as 501-550 among universities globally. Its highest ranked subject area was Modern Languages with 101–150 globally. The University's operating budget for 2014 was US$220 million.

History

The predecessor to the modern university was the University of Kolozsvár, founded in 1872 by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, 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.

Timeline

Name of the university (in Hungarian)

Setting and architecture

Cathedral Square

Cathedral Square is one of the largest public spaces in Hungary, with a total area of 12,000 m². In 1920, all the buildings in the vicinity were torn down, giving way to the modern square, which was built according to the designs of the architect Béla Rerrich. The square is surrounded in a U-shape by archwayed buildings made of dark brown bricks. The buildings are shared by Szeged University, the College of Catholic Theology, the Seat of the Bishop and a university dormitory. The reliefs decorating the walls were made by Béla Ohmann. After the noon chimes, a musical clock brings models of famous University figures to life. 86 statues of prominent Szeged University figures line the walls of the archways.

Dugonics Square

The main building of the University, built between 1872 and 1873 to the designs of Antal Skalnitzky and Ferenc Arleth, was moved to Dugonics Square in 1921. Before the Great Szeged Flood of 1879, the square was home to Szeged's wheat market. A fountain, built in 1979 on the 100th anniversary of the flood by István Tarnai, occupies the centre of the square. Also present is a statue commemorating the famous Hungarian poet Attila József, which was sculpted by Imre Varga in 1964. Festivals and concerts are often held in Dugonics Square, which is a popular hangout for students of the University.

Organisation

Szeged University has 12 primary faculties:
There are 16 research groups supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Among other research areas: pharmaceutical chemistry, biotechnology & environmental technology. The University covers 700 research areas at 19 Doctoral Schools.
The Attila József Study and Information Centre is located near Szeged's city center and houses the university library, computer center, and lecture halls. The University plans to build another two faculties.

Enrollment

The University of Szeged has 21,000 university students, studying a total of 134 majors.
The SZTE, located in Szeged Hungary, offers 52 full-time degree programmes at Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral level.

Notable alumni and professors

Nobel laureate

Faculty of Arts

Faculty of Medicine