Partners

Homepage: https://drhe.hu/en/

Contact information:

Attila Koszeghy, Consultant on International Relations, koszeghy.attila@drhe.hu

Eva Edina Szegeczki, Institutional ERASMUS coordinator, szegeczki.eva@drhe.hu

Information about the institution:

Debrecen Reformed Theological University (DRTU) is the legal successor of the Debrecen Reformed College, which has been one of the influential centres of theological learning in Hungary since its foundation in 1538. Debrecen Reformed College, which soon after 1538 acquired national importance, provided education for the lower layers of society and promoted their social advancement. Several notable poets, writers and philosophers well known in Hungarian cultural history are among the alumni of the College.

Teacher training in the Reformed College was separated from training for the ministry in the mid-19th century, and a new, state-run institution was established in 1959. In 1990 the teacher training college assumed the name of the author of the Hungarian National Anthem, Kölcsey Ferenc, and the teacher training college came under the maintenance of the Tiszántúl Reformed Church District in 1992. Kölcsey Ferenc Teacher Training College was integrated into Debrecen Reformed Theological University in 2011.

The present

DRTU currently has two institutes, the Institute of Theology and the Kölcsey Ferenc Teacher Training Institute, and together they have seventeen departments. Our university offers bachelor (BA), master (MA) and PhD programmes and carries out the training of would-be Reformed ministers, Reformed church administrators, primary school teachers and other secular professionals. The University currently has 50 full time faculty members and about 500 enrolled students.

Course catalogue:

Teacher training at the DRTU happens in small groups where interaction is important and teaching is practice-oriented. We train teachers for the lower primary grades (1st grade to 4th grade) in all subject areas of primary school education. Students choose one specific subject area in which they receive extra training and are certified extra credentials (they can teach their  specific subject in grades 5 and 6 of the primary school). Teacher trainees  start observing classes in the demo-school from the very beginning of their university training and the cooperation with the demo-school goes on throughout the entire training cycle of eight semesters. Students’ classroom observation of the first term is carried on with their individual teaching commitments in each subject area they receive training in. University courses are held in small classrooms which are equipped with modern technology. Students are responsible for their progress in the specific subjects of the training and are often assigned tasks that involve the teaching of their peers, thus practice-oriented training remains a relevant part of the entire training process.

International students can apply and obtain dormitory accomodation for a relatively low rent. More infromation are available in Fact Sheet for International Partners, 2022-2023.

Courses in English at DRTU

 General education module (20 credits, recommended for all in-coming students)

• 20th Century Social and Cultural History of Hungary (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• The History of the Debrecen Reformed College and its Place in the History of the Hungarian Culture (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• Intercultural Communication (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• Introduction to Central European Identity (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• Hungarian as a Foreign Language (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)

2) Theological module (27 credits, recommended for theologians and teachers of religion)

• History and Culture of the Biblical World (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• Reformed Theology in Central and Eastern Europe (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• “Lake or River?” – Challenges for the Mission of the Church in Central and Eastern Europe in Past and Present (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• The History of Philosophy (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• Introduction to Christian Theology (Foundations of Our Christian Faith) (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• Introduction to Christian Denominations with a Special Regard to Hungary (2 hours per week, 3 ECTS credits)
• Research seminar (various topics, for topics in the given term please see our homepage) (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)

3) Pedagogical module (20 credits, recommended for teacher trainees (lay and religious training)

• Information and Communication Technology 1 (3 hours per week, 5 ECTS credits)
• Literary Theory (1 hours per week, 3 ECTS credits)
• Pedagogy 1 (Theory of Education) (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)
• Group Training 1 (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)

Introduction To Teaching Solfege Following Zoltán Kodály’s Concept (2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits)

About he Region

Debrecen is situated 220 km east of the capital city, Budapest, in the north-eastern region of the Great Hungarian Plain (in Hungarian: Alföld) a plain occupying the majority of the modern territory of Hungary. The geographical region is bordered by the River Dunabe to the west the largest part of the wider Pannonian Plain.

The City of Debrecen

Debrecen is the second largest city of the Republic of Hungary. It is the regional centre of the Northern region of the Great Plain and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. Its coat of arms (see below) has a phoenix on the top and a lamb on the shield underneath. The phoenix symbolizes the vitality of the city rising from its ashes (the city in mediaeval times suffered from severe fires that often destroyed a bigger part of its buildings); the lamb is the symbol of the Reformed Church that Debrecen has been a national symbol of eversince the foundation of that church in Hungary in the 16th century.

According to the 2011 census, the total population of Debrecen was 211,320, of whom 209,782 people (99.3%) speak Hungarian. 49,909 (23.6%) could also speak English, 22,454 (9.6%) could speak German, and 5,416 (2.6%) could speak Russian.

Debrecen has one of the largest state-run universities in the country, Debrecen University (DE), with more than 27 thousand students, over a 100 departments, laboratories, and other research facilities. The university has a growing community of international students (over 7 000 students from 133 countries).

Debrecen has recently become the site for international companies among them National Instruments, IT Services Hungary, British Telecom, Continental, BMW and Healthcare Manufacturers (like Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Gedeon Richter Plc.).

Debrecen local public transportation comprises 60 bus lines, 5 troleybus lines, and two tram lines. The Main Railway Station is a regional railway hub that links the city in the national (and international) railway network of the country (intercity trains run hourly to Budapest and other regional centres of the country). The city also has a small local airport that serves a few European destinations (e.g. Eindhoven, the Netherlands).

City centre

Debrecen University

City park (’Nagyerdő’)

City centre with statue of national hero (Lajos Kossuth)