The Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Pécs in the international elite for another five years

The Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Pécs (UPFBE) has successfully extended its programme accreditation awarded in 2020, as the first countryside university in Hungary, by the EFMD, one of the most prestigious organisations for the qualification of international business management programmes. The School was now facing the challenge of meeting the requirements of the re-accreditation process of the qualification, formerly received for a duration of three years. Not only did the School successfully surmount the obstacles but also fixed its place among the best ones, as it was rewarded the qualification for the maximum duration, 5 years, in February 2023.

The School first obtained the programme accreditation of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) in 2020. The acknowledgement was given to the English language Business Administration and Management programme of the School. In the past three years, besides several other achievements, this fact has pushed the Faculty of Business and Economics of the UP to the forefront of the world and made the certificate issued by the School compatible with diplomas issued by the most prestigious business universities in Europe.

After a preparatory work of more than half a year, the process itself took place in the Autumn of 2022, during which the delegated committee of EFMD – comprising professionals from high-quality universities of Europe – could make sure that the UPFBE had not only functioned by the standards in accordance with accreditation expectations but had also made considerable progress in each of the development areas specified during the previous procedure, in fact, had surpassed the expectations in several areas.

The reaccreditation process examined whether the training continued to meet the high international standards. In addition to programme structure, teaching and staff activity, expectations had to be met in several fields, from the infrastructure of the building through administrative tasks right to communication. The accreditation committee of the EFMD evaluated the performance of the Faculty, having completed more than 10 online interviews, read hundreds of pages of documentation and checked information on the online platforms of the organisation and materials published on a so-called BaseRoom platform.

The committee expressed its appreciation concerning the dedication of the staff of the School, the reputation of the School, its position and competitiveness in Hungary, and the proficiency of the lecturers of the School, highlighting the assessment schemes, practical approach, feedbacks provided to students, and the progress made in internationalisation. They also emphasised the implementation of practice-oriented attitude in which live business contacts play a significant role.

The qualification awarded for another five years in an objective recognition on which the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Pécs can further rely in the coming years, meet new accreditation challenges with confidence, and assist the implementation of the strategic objectives of the University as a whole. The UPFBE can still receive incoming students by reassuring them that they will start their studies in one of the most acknowledged universities of Europe.