Interview with Dr. László Kozma, Program Director Of Non-Medical Related Programs At The University Of Debrecen

Several foreigners live in Hungary, who have contributed to the country’s development with their mental and financial capital. The “Study In Hungary” education service made an interview with Dr. László Kozma, Program Director of non-medical related programs at the University of Debrecen.

Study in Hungary: Dear László, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Dr. László Kozma: I am Dr. László Kozma, Program Director of non-medical related programs at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. My main task is to promote these programs among international students, therefore I often participate in higher education fairs. In addition, I regularly travel abroad to conduct entrance exams and to meet genuine students. I have an important role during the admission procedure, too.

Study in Hungary:  How would you briefly define the University of Debrecen in 3-4 sentences?
Dr. László Kozma: The University of Debrecen is one of the most prestigious higher educational institutions in Hungary, bearing the Research Excellence title. Its history goes back to the 16th century. More than 30 thousands of students study here, and among them 3600 are international from 82 countries. We offer the highest number of English programs in Hungary, which increasing year by year, and counts 35 at the moment.

Study in Hungary: What are the competitive advantages of the University of Debrecen compared to other Hungarian and European universities?
Dr. László Kozma: Being a research university, and providing modern new facilities, the level of education is of first class, therefore the degrees of the University has high value on the job market. Students gain all the competencies needed for the chosen profession, and enjoy the vivid student life in a small school town, Debrecen. In addition, the tuition fee and living costs are affordable and students may study in the fantastic nice surrounding of our campuses.

Study in Hungary: Which programs does your university offer for foreign students and what are the languages of instruction?
Dr. László Kozma: ¾ of the student body study medical related programs. The most popular ones are Medicine and Dentistry. These two programs were offered first to international students 25 years ago in English, in Debrecen. Later we introduced a series of other programs in English for international students, and by now we offer Foundation, Bachelor, Master and PhD programs in a number of fields, like Business, IT, Engineering, Agriculture, Music, Law, Humanities, etc. Applicants may find, especially, a wide range of engineering-related undergraduate programs: Biochemical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Mechatronics. Also, new medical related programs were launched some years ago; such as Pharmacy, Physiotherapy and Public Health. Of course, all programs for international students are taught completely in English.

Study in Hungary: Could you give information about the university campus to us?
Dr. László Kozma: We bravely state that our main campus is the most beautiful one in Central Europe. Elegant historical buildings and new modern ones in splendid park areas provide a perfect place for study and live. Outside of academic life, a wide range of cultural and entertainment events welcome all students on the campuses of the University. Sport lovers will not regret choosing our university either as we provide an almost all-absorbing range of sporting facilities.

Study in Hungary: What are the tuition fees, dormitory costs and other living expenses of your students?
Dr. László Kozma: The tuition fee varies depending on programs, and starts from 5500 USD per academic year of an undergraduate program up to 16000 USD of medical studies. There are several dormitories on the campuses, their prices also vary, depending on the arrangement and quality. Additionally to the tuition fee, students need typically about 6000 USD per academic year at standard level, including dormitory fee.

Study in Hungary: Do you plan to launch new programs in near future – upcoming September?
Dr. László Kozma: Year by year we introduce new programs, this year two master programs: LLM in International and European Business Law, and Molecular Biology, MSc. Next year we plan to offer two new Master programs in Engineering: Mechatronics, and Biotechnology.

Study in Hungary: Do you have any scholarships or discounts for prospective students?
Dr. László Kozma: Honestly, the University does not offer scholarship for international students currently, though based on academic achievement, from the second year we offer 20% discount of the tuition fee for the top 20% of cohorts.
Also, a new initiation of the Hungarian government is the Stipendium Hungaricum which invites high quality students with full scholarship to study in Hungary. A further opportunity is the grant of the Visegrad Fund. Obviously, these full scholarship programs are available only for excellent students.

Study in Hungary: What are the current and new target countries for the University of Debrecen to recruit new students?
Dr. László Kozma: As mentioned before we have students from a lot of countries, from 4 continents, the majority is from Nigeria, then follows Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, etc. Our new targets are Central Asia, and Middle East, the Gulf.

Source: http://www.study-hungary.com/