Dean Q&A: Building a world-class faculty of economic and social sciences in Hungary

I would highlight three key areas. First and foremost, internationalisation - not only at the level of student and teaching mobility, but also through active presence in international academic and corporate partner networks.  

Secondly, renewing our portfolio of specialisations to adapt our training programmes to labour market trends and technological changes - including the social, economic and ethical aspects of AI and sustainability challenges.  

Thirdly, the strengthening of multidisciplinarity, i.e. the conscious use of synergies arising from cooperation within the faculty and with other faculties.  

The engine of progress is always the community: students, lecturers, alumni and corporate partners working together. 

We are on the right track in terms of internationalisation: currently, GTK offers a Bachelor’s Programme, four Master’s programmes and a doctoral programme in English.  

It is a great achievement that the Master in Management and Leadership and the Master in Finance programme have gained international EFMD accreditation - which is not only a quality endorsement, but also an entry into the most respected professional circle of international business education.  

Of course, we have to keep the certification while we prepare the accreditations for the next programmes. 

In the longer term, our aim is for all our English-language programmes to achieve international accreditation.  

This is serious work, as the evaluation covers not only curricula but the entire faculty operation - from student services and infrastructure to course templates and course materials to alumni feedback.  

The feedback from the international accreditation body clearly confirmed that GTK is on the right track, also in terms of international standards.  

This is a particularly important feedback: it indicates that the faculty's professional development, educational culture and community activities are in line with internationally expected quality standards.  

This continuous self-evaluation and development will enable us to further strengthen GTK and create an internationally competitive and inspiring teaching and research environment. 

I'm in a lucky position because several of my former peers are now in senior positions in consultancies and companies in the industry, and they are all very open to collaboration.  

This confirms that the approach and knowledge gained at GTK is of real value in the labour market.  

One of the strengths of GTK is that it is not a classical business school: its concept is better adapted to today’s challenges in the innovative environment of BME.  

A relationship is truly alive when it is based on mutual value creation. This gives us a unique opportunity to link the worlds of economy and engineering - the synergies that result from technical-economic cooperation are one of the faculty's most important resources for the future.  

The Business Breakfast is a good example of how to create a direct and informal platform with business partners, alumni and students. These conversations always lead to new ideas, joint research and project ideas.  

Our aim is to systematise this format and complement it with new opportunities for collaboration: thematic innovation workshops, student-business projects, joint research and initiatives that exploit the synergies of technical-economic cooperation.  

The Intensive Seminar, which has been running successfully for several years, is also showing the magnitude of interest - with more lecturers applying than the maximum number determined.  

The BME Circle of Supporters and Friends (MTBK) is also actively involved in these initiatives: the link to the Intensive Seminar and the joint reflection started in several development areas are already taking shape, with MTBK acting as a collaborative partner, supporter and community facilitator. 

The BME Partner Program offers further opportunities to connect university and industry actors - and I reckon that GTK should take an active role in this at faculty level as well.  

Coordinated cooperation with the MTBK and the BME Partner Program can help us build sustainable, value-creating and inspiring partnership systems that benefit all stakeholders in our community.