Hungarian Royal University of Kolozsvár

The history of the University of Szeged

The history of the University of Szeged dates back to 1581 when István Báthory, the Prince of Transylvania founded a higher education institution in Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) which became prestigious in a short time. Due to its professors well-known all around Europe it provided high standard education and also had the right to confer baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Moreover, it was the only institute for higher education in Hungary at the end of 16th century.

Later Maria Theresia entrusted the Piarists to reorganize the institution as a result of which the Faculty of Medicine-Surgery was established in 1775. At the first times only anatomy, surgery and obstetrics were taught, further departments were established from 1787. It became Classis Chirurgica in 1789, Facultas Medica in 1808 and Institutum Medico-Chirurgicum in 1817.

Royal University of Kolozsvár
Hungarian Royal University of Kolozsvár

Later on, these served as the basis for the Hungarian Royal University of Kolozsvár, founded by Francis Joseph I in 1872. It was renamed after the king in 1881 and bore his name until 1940. The institution moved to Szeged in 1921.

In 1940, when part of it moved back to Kolozsvár, the remaining parts were reorganized and the university took the name of Miklós Horthy, former governor of Hungary. Between 1945-50 it assumed the name University of Szeged and in 1951 the Faculty of Medicine formed and independent institution, the Medical University of Szeged.

Bálint Hóman
Bálint Hóman open the academic year in 1940

Pharmacy training became an independent faculty in 1957 and the Division of Dentistry as part of the medical faculty in 1962. English-Language Program started in 1985 and from 1999 there is also German-Language Program for foreign students.
In 1987 the institution took the name of its former Biochemistry professor, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Rector and Nobel Prize Laureate Albert Szent-Györgyi. In 2000 the Medical University became an integrated part of the University of Szeged and the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy functioned as the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical and Pharmaceutical Center.
The history of the Faculty of Medicine is represented by internationally known professors such as József Baló (Pathology), Béla Issekutz, Miklós Jancsó (Pharmacology), Dezső Miskolczy (Neurology), Géza Hetényi (Internal Medicine) or Albert Szent-Györgyi (Biochemistry).

The Faculty was accredited in 1996. It was renewed in 2006 and the Hungarian Accrediation Committee gave it the title „Excellency Place”.

The Faculty of Dentistry became an independent faculty in 2007. Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical and Pharmaceutical Center was reorganized as Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center in the same year. It is the center of health care services but also serves as a higher education institution jointly with the Faculty of Medicine in graduate and postgraduate training, scientific research, PhD training. Standarization of health care service system finished in 2008.

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Where future doctors are born

Professor György Lázár M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.

Following a thorough self-evaluation process covering several areas and an on-site visit by the Accreditation Committee, the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School at the University of Szeged has been granted accreditation by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) for eight years, until 15 December 2031.

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