University of Pannonia - History and Profile

History and Profile

The university was founded in 1949. In the beginning it worked as a regional faculty of the Technical University of Budapest. In 1951, it became independent under the name of Veszprém University of Chemical Engineering. From 1991, the university has been called the University of Veszprém.

The university first offered courses in four areas of Chemical Technology: Oil and Coal Technology, Electrochemical Industry, Inorganic Chemical Technology, Silicate Chemistry. From the mid-1960s two courses — Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, Process Control and System Engineering — became part of the Chemical Engineering education in Veszprém.

The changing and increasing requirements set for the graduates persuaded the university to continually reform and restructure its education activity. As a result, new courses were introduced: agrochemistry in 1970, Chemical Engineering Management in 1973, higher level foreign language teaching in 1983 and Instrumentation and Measurement Techniques in 1984.

The restructuring process accelerated in the past few years and this resulted in the renewal and expansion of the university's education profile.

To respond to the society's growing demand for computer professionals, with the help of external financial support and the university's scientific expertise, the education infrastructure of the Information Technology and Automation courses has been created.

As a result of the increasing openness of Hungary, the need for teachers of foreign languages increased considerably. Having recognized this, the university introduced Teacher Training courses for teachers of English and then for teachers of German and French and the education of philologists in specialties: Hungarian language and literature, theatre sciences. etc. In the meantime, the education of Catholic theologists started in the form of a regional faculty of the Theologic College. Simultaneously, the Faculty of Teacher Training (now: Faculty of Arts) and the Faculty of Engineering were established and the name of the university was changed to University of Veszprém.

The centre of scientific and cultural life, the University of Veszprém with the 200-year-old Georgikon Faculty of Ariculture turned into a three-faculty university on 1 January 2000. On 1 September 2003, two new faculties were created: the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Information Technology.

Every year the University of Pannonia hosts national and international research conferences, which strengthen its international reputation. In the near future, the offer will include new faculties and new schools. The leaders of the institution strive to turn the university into the educational, intellectual, and research centre of the Transdanubian region and to help find its place in Europe.