Public Administration Sciences

The Doctoral School of Public Administration Sciences was established in 2013 and currently it is the only doctoral school specializing in the field of public administration in Hungary. The aim of the Doctoral School’s program is to provide high-quality postgraduate-level education to professionals (researchers and practitioners) working in the field of public administration. The Doctoral School offers training in organised full-time and part-time forms, funded either by scholarship or individually through a tuition fee. Selected students with proven scientific background and research activity might be eligible for individual training/preparation. Organized training lasts six semesters and it consists of various study obligations (obtaining at least 53 credits by attending courses and passing exams according to the curriculum of the doctoral school), scientific research work (receiving at least 120 credits for publications and conference participation) and teaching practice (maximum 20 credits). All students must submit and successfully defend a doctoral thesis in order to obtain a doctoral (PhD) title.

Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded a PhD degree in Public Administration Sciences. Besides providing top-quality postgraduate education to our students, the Doctoral School’s mission is to establish a national centre of excellence for the research of public administration that meets the highest standards of the international scientific community.

The Doctoral School of Public Administration Sciences was established in 2013. Currently, it is the only doctoral school specializing in the field of public administration in Hungary. The aim of the Doctoral School’s program is to provide postgraduate-level education to professionals (researchers and practitioners) working in the field public administration.

The Doctoral School of Public Administration Sciences focuses on 6 areas of research:
- Public Law and Public Administration
- State and Society
- Public Management
- State and Economics
- Public Administration in the International and European Context
- Human Resources

The training of the Doctoral School is available in the following forms:
• organised training
- full-time training (funded by scholarship or individually through tuition fee)
- part-time (funded individually through tuition fee)
- individual training (funded individually through tuition fee)
• individual preparation

The organised training lasts 6 semesters and applies the system of credit points. In order to successfully end their training and receive their leaving certificate (absolutory) by the end of the 6th semester, PhD students must obtain at least 180 credit points in accordance with the following criteria:
- study obligations (min. 59 credits)
- scientific research work (min. 120 credits)
- holding lectures (max. 15 credits)

Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded a PhD degree in Public Administration Sciences. Besides providing top-quality postgraduate education to our students, the Doctoral School’s mission is to establish a national center of excellence for the research of public administration that meets the highest standards of the international scientific community

(1)  Students enrolled in an organised programme may pursue their studies in organised full-time 
(funded from scholarship or self-paid) or in organised part-time (self-paid) or in an individual 
programme.
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(2)  In an organised PhD programme, the period available for the fulfilment of the obligations set 
forth in these Regulations equals up to six semesters, and, in respect of programmes funded from 
a scholarship, the scholarship will be disbursed for up to six semesters. 
(3)  The doctoral schools may permit the interruption of a study period on up to three occasions, for 
a total period of three years (leave of absence for an academic year). The interruption of the 
student status at one time may exceed two semesters. A student may only interrupt a study 
programme after the successful completion of the first semester. An application for suspension 
must be accepted on the first occasion. During the  suspension of the student status, state 
scholarship may not be disbursed. 
(4)  The student status is also suspended if the student is unable to fulfil his or her obligations arising 
from the student status due to childbirth, accident, illness or any other unexpected cause (long-
time study abroad), through no fault of his or her own. The restrictions described in paragraph 
(3) do not apply in the cases set forth in this paragraph. The student shall be bound by a 
notification requirement also in this case. 
(5)  With regard to all types of PhD programmes, the meeting of the requirements involving work 
time, set as a precondition for obtaining the doctoral pre-degree certificate must be measured in 
study points (credits). 
 (6)  An organised programme assists a PhD student in acquiring the knowledge and the individual 
research experience required for obtaining a PhD degree. To this end, a PhD student participated 
in academic courses, performs individual research activities and may also undertake lecturing 
tasks. 
(7)  A three-year programme consists of six active semesters. Over the course of the programme, at 
least 180 credits must be obtained in total. In the period of coursework, a PhD student may take 
up, with no additional tuition fees required, subjects of a credit value exceeding the total number 
of credit required by 10 per cent. Thus, on completion of the programme, a total of 198 credits 
may be recognised on his or her part.  
(8)  The units of a PhD programme, the minimum and expected number of credits that may be 
obtained in each module, the academic requirements  and those relating to scientific research 
work and lecturing must be set forth in the academic and examination regulations of doctoral 
schools (DS AER). 
(9)  Rules relating to concurrent programmes and foreign studies must be set forth in the academic 
and examination regulations of doctoral schools. 
 (10) The rules relating to the recognition and accounting of credits obtained by a student enrolled in a 
PhD programme for subjects taken in the doctoral school of another faculty or institute must be 
set forth in the academic and examination regulations of doctoral schools. With regard to credit 
recognition, the provisions of the Diploma and Credit Recognition Regulations of the University 
must be also applied. 
(11) The planning and reporting obligations of a PhD student and his or her supervisor, the scheme of 
testing the knowledge of a PhD student and the order of examination period must be set forth in 
the academic and examination regulations of doctoral schools, in accordance with the university 
rules. 
(12) Each PhD student, with the exception of those individually preparing for the degree, shall 
possess a statement of acceptance issued by the department that gives lectures and performs 
research in the given research subject, signed by the head of the given department.