The Summer School of 2024 has started

As the summer sun shines through the historic streets of Pécs, the city will once again become a centre of international knowledge and culture this summer. The University of Pécs is organising six different summer schools this year as part of the Pécs Summer School, which attracts students from all over the world. The programmes take place in five periods during July, in two- and four-week cycles, and cover a wide spectrum of academic and cultural content. On 4 July, we attended the opening ceremony in the Dr. Halasy-Nagy József Aula.

"Our long-term goal is to connect as many students as possible to the University of Pécs, either in the form of shorter-term programmes or longer-term degree programmes. So far, this strategy is working well and the number of students enrolling in these programmes is steadily increasing.

Our experience shows that those who attend the summer schools often return later for an exchange semester or even enroll in a degree programme.

We also think it is important to spice up and enrich our bilateral contacts. This is why, for example, we offer our foreign partners the opportunity to send their students to study in Pécs for two or four weeks. This model has also successfully welcomed Chinese and American students. This is how we can become more visible and internationally known, while offering meaningful and useful content for both parties", said Dr István Tarrósy, Director of the International Directorate.

This year's summer universities will explore a range of interesting topics. They range from European studies to leadership skills and international human rights. The Debate Academy offers participants the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge. 

Dr. Ágoston Mohay, Vice-Dean for General and Internationalisation at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pécs, said, "I would like to emphasise that internationalisation in a legal context is not always easy. However, our faculty is increasingly active in this field, especially in cooperation with the International Directorate, as we are doing now. One of the programmes put together by our faculty focuses on international human rights. We are organising a summer university in 2024 focusing on this topic because of the many challenges we have recently faced in the field of human rights."

Almost 200 students from 4 continents take part in the programmes.

Courses are attended by students from partner universities abroad and from UP. The classes are taught by Dutch and Croatian lecturers, in addition to UP teachers. For the first time this year, students will also receive a micro-certificate for completing the programme.

We asked Blessing Onwudiwe, a student of the Pécs Summer School - European Studies and Leadership programme from Nigeria, why she chose UP: "There were two main reasons that influenced my choice. First,

the programme came highly recommended by former students who praised the quality of the school, the studies and the overall experience.

They particularly appreciated the exposure to European culture and the relaxed learning environment during the summer school placement. Secondly, the nice weather also played a big role in their decision."

In addition to the various summer university courses, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the US also runs three summer courses at UP for its own students. "The so-called "facility exchange programme" is becoming increasingly popular in American universities. This means that one or more faculty members take their own university group to a partner university abroad during the summer, where they can continue their studies in the same seamless way. We have managed to make an agreement with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where three of their instructors will accompany a group of 25 students and teach three different classes at the University of Pécs over a period of four weeks. We also organise a number of cultural and internship programmes for the students," explained Dr Gyöngyi Pozsgai, Head of Study Abroad and Summer School Office.

Furthermore, Dr. István Tarrósy reported that after years of discussions with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, they have managed to develop this programme. The cooperation first started after a meeting at a higher education expo and the relationship has been maintained ever since. He is pleased to see that the idea and the fruit of many years of visits, meetings and discussions has finally come to fruition.

"It is a particular prestige for us to have Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - one of the leading institutions in the United States in the field of aeronautical engineering - as a partner in this programme," he stressed.

The programmes will conclude with the week-long Debate Tournament for students of the Compostela Group University Association, an event that is also a highlight for UP as the founder of the Compostela Group.

As Dr. Gyöngyi Pozsgai mentioned, the participants will not only gain professional knowledge, but will also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of cultural activities. "This year, we have timed the start of the Summer School to coincide with the Zsolnay Light Festival," the head of the Study Abroad and Summer University Office told the students. During the Summer Universities there will be a quiz, an intercultural evening, an evening of Hungarian flavours, wine tasting, museum visits and excursions to Villány and Siklós. This year, for the first time, there will also be a dragon boat race, wakeboarding, laser combat and darts tournaments to add even more colour to the programme.

With a growing number of summer programmes, UP has become a market leader among Hungarian higher education institutions and a major Summer School Hub in the region.

The Summer University not only provides an academic and cultural meeting place, but also offers new opportunities for global knowledge sharing and intercultural experiences.

More information about the Summer Schools:
Nyári egyetemek | Pécsi Tudományegyetem (pte.hu)
Summer School | University of Pécs (pte.hu)