Exclusive Interview With Laszlo Lang, The Rector Of The IBS – A Thriving Education Area In Budapest

Nowadays Hungary is a well-known country due to its political issues. However, lots of people want Hungary to be more popular and recognized as a good business and educational area. Several Hungarians leave our country while lots of foreigners come to live and study here because of the high-quality education.  I interviewed Dr. Laszlo Lang, the rector of the International Business School (IBS) in Budapest about their studying method and the tendency having more foreign students who wish to get an international and well-known degree in business.

DailyNewsHungary: As the Rector of the International Business School (IBS) can you tell me your latest professional successes?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: First of all, I consider as the biggest success that we can still maintain our activity. As a private university we can still be here to provide excellent education for our students. As all private universities we also have to maintain our institute in this “market”. We get no state supports and aids, we only get the tuition fee year after year. Luckily, we can also develop our campus and university, too. Thus, this is a great success on the whole. Moreover, I do not know any other European institution that could survive and develop only with the help of tuition fees.

DailyNewsHungary: After opening your new University Campus in Vienna are you going to enlarge your educational area geographically?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: Of course, we’d like to expand in other European countries and cities where there are good business opportunities. Besides, you know, it takes time to get us accepted by locals and we have to break through the wall of distrust in a new country. But we are working on it.

DailyNewsHungary: If it is not a secret, can you share your plans with me?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: We’re planning to open a campus in Slovakia, Southern Poland and Novi Sad. It’s important for us to have the new campus near to our home university.

DailyNewsHungary: What is the ratio of Hungarian and foreign students? Where do your students mostly come from?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: By now, 50% of our students who are studying here are Hungarians, while the other half are foreigners. This is another great success and a good rate achieved in Hungary! Our university students come from all over the world, from Latin-America to Japan. In the last few years the numbers of the Iranian, Ukrainian and Western African students has increased.

DailyNewsHungary: What is the reason for that? Why foreign people choose Hungary and Budapest and primarily the IBS?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: The key is simple: We are teaching only in English with high-professional teachers and professors. Some of them are native English speakers, too. Moreover, our institution’s working language is English: everything is written in English, from the menu in the canteen to Registrar’s Offices. Another reason is that we give the acclaimed degree of The University of Buckingham. Currently, the English Degree seems more valuable and important from business point of view.
Among the students, Budapest is a famous and well-known city. Budapest is the city of eternal parties. Moreover, when I was in Peru and Colombia I heard that some of our future Latin-American students have already known the fact that Budapest is the city of amazing parties and nightlife. For students it is a very important aspect. Eventually, those students come here who can afford to pay our huge tuition fee which is, in fact, 40% cheaper here than that of in the UK.
Our students are conscious about what they’d like to achieve and what kind of business degree they’d like to get. That’s why we have to compete with the phenomenon of going and studying abroad elsewhere and not with other Hungarian universities.

DailyNewsHungary:  After getting the degree do students prefer starting working for Hungarian companies to finding a job outside of the country?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: As we see, 15-20% of our Hungarian students find a job abroad. The remaining 80% start working in Hungarian business area where their acquired skills and profession are appreciated. Luckily, our students have no problem in finding a good job in Hungary.

DailyNewsHungary: To be a bit personal… have you ever taught anything in a university?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: Although I have taught strategy here at the IBS I’m not a professional university professor. Moreover, I’m quite busy to manage the institution.

DailyNewsHungary: If you were an university student now, where would you like to study: in Hungary or in another country?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: I’d choose both of them. Well, I would surely make my Bachelor Degree at one of the Hungarian universities then I’d go abroad for a Master Program.

DailyNewsHungary: Why would you do that?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: The point is that when a student starts his Master Degree he is wiser and more mature than at the age of 18. Furthermore, a student who applies for the Master Program tends to concentrate and look especially for those possibilities which would be useful for his future career.

DailyNewsHungary: What do your university students like most in Hungary and Budapest?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: As I mentioned above, they like the Hungarian lifestyle, the parties and moreover, they highly appreciate the excellent public security. Although some of our students – mostly Africans – had some negative feedback about ethnic problems, most of our foreign students have positive opinion about Hungary and Budapest.

DailyNewsHungary: Last, but not least, what is in your mind about the future programs and projects of the IBS?
Dr. Laszlo Lang: Well, we are planning to launch a lot of new Master Programs. One of them is specifically based on the Startup developments. As there are a lot of good and feasible ideas we’d like to launch a special Msc Program where students can take part in startup and IT development projects. We need to follow the fashion even in business!

by Valentina Leanyfalvi

Photo: blog.ibs-b.hu

Source: http://dailynewshungary.com/