Faculty of Education

Address: 5540, Szarvas, Szabadság út 4.

Tel: +36 66/311 511

Fax : +36 66/311 550

e-mail: tsf.pfk@szv.tsf.hu

The Szent István University Faculty of Education is an institute with a 200 year-long history in training educators. Since the academic year 2006/2007 it has received students - like other higher education institutes - to bachelor courses of teacher training in consecutive cycles.

Experiences obtained from teacher training are also delivered to students participating in higher vocational training. We offer a wide range of post graduate special courses and further courses for qualified teachers not only in Szarvas but also in other towns in the region.

Teacher training in Szarvas started in 1862 in the Lutheran Grammar School and was broadened to include kindergarten teacher training in 1917. The Post-secondary Kindergarten Teacher Training Institute has functioned in Szarvas since 1959, and the Brunszvik Teréz Kindergarten Teacher Training College since 1990. Integrated into the higher education system, Brunszvik Teréz College Szarvas and Kőrösi Csoma Sándor College Békéscsaba were fused in 1998 under the name of Körös College. On January 1^st, 2000 Tessedik Sámuel College was formed, and on January 1^st, 2009 the Faculty of Education as part of Tessedik College was integrated in Szent István University.

The aim of Faculty of Education is to train professionals of kindergarten and primary school teaching who are able to develop and educate children of pre-school and primary school age, based on general and professional literacy, advanced educational skills, self- knowledge, knowledge of human nature with a child-centred, emotional attitude. They will be conscious in mediating universal and national values, moral norms shared with families and social surroundings.

Qualification programs of the Faculty

BA degree graduate qualification programs Bologna system

• Kindergarten teacher (BA) • Primary school teacher (BA) • Ethnic minority kindergarten teacher (Gipsy/Roma, Slovakian, Romanian) • Ethnic minority primary school teacher (Gipsy/Roma, Slovakian, Romanian)

Kindergarten teacher (BA) program

The aim of the program is to train kindergarten teachers, who gain theoretically based knowledge, skills and abilities to become mindful, child conscious and empathic professionals.

Primary school teacher (BA) program

The aim of the program is to train primary school teachers, who gain theoretically based knowledge, skills and abilities and are able to perform educational tasks in 1st-4th grades ,in each cultural domain, and in 1st-6th grades in at least one cultural domain.

Cultural domains in primary school teacher training course:

Man and Society; Singing and Music; Informatics; Hungarian Language and Literature; Nature Studies; Physical Education and Sport; Visual Education

Our students are prepared to teach in minority specialisation mother-tongue education of the minority for 1-6 forms, each cultural domain in Hungarian language for 1-4 forms, and school subjects educated in the minority language.

Students may also choose during their studies from specialisations offered by distinctive features of the institute.

Specialisations for both kindergarten and primary school teacher students:

Family education, Infant and adapted physical education, Inclusive-integrated education, Folklore in educating children, Intercultural education.

Specialisations to choose for kindergarten-teacher students:

Kindergarten education by means of art, Talent developing educator, Music kindergarten

Specialisation for primary school teacher students beyond the above mentioned:

Media educator.

The Faculty of Education offers further post graduate trainings and special degree programs for educational qualifications:

Classified kindergarten teacher, Kindergarten public education expert, Mental hygiene, Adapted physical education in kindergarten and primary school, Roma society studies, Developing kindergarten teacher, Teacher, development (differentiation), Kindergarten education by means of arts, Children dance at kindergarten and school, Puppetry at kindergarten and school, Communication techniques, Self knowledge, Conflict solving by method of disputation, Environmental education based on project system planning courses.

Higher vocational trainings (4 semesters):

Infant and Early Childhood Educator higher vocational training (Gyula, Szarvas, Szolnok). Credit points can be transferred towards kindergarten teacher BA program for students who have completed their studies successfully in higher vocational training.

Juvenile assistant higher vocational training

This program is to be started in several locations (Gyula, Szarvas, Szolnok). For students having completed their studies successfully in higher vocational training credit points can be transferred towards primary school teacher BA program.

Media technology assistant vocational higher education

The program is commenced in several places (Szarvas, Szolnok, Gyula) as a correspondence course. For students having completed their studies successfully in higher vocational training, credit points can be transferred towards primary school teacher BA program.

Moderator vocational higher education

This course is commenced in Szarvas as both a full time and correspondence course. For students having completed their studies successfully in higher vocational training, credit points can be transferred towards primary school teacher BA program.

It is also an important task of the Faculty of Education to organise free time activities for the students besides education - this is consigned to the students' autonomy under the management of the Students Self-Government. The Faculty of Education gives conditions that are even enriched by the facilities of the town.

Scientific research at the Faculty of Education is connected with kindergarten and primary school training workshops, and effectiveness is indicated by the place in the rank of Hungarian scientific student research competition (OTDK) and prizes awarded at undergraduate research conferences.

In the field of studying foreign languages, students can choose from German, English, Italian, Russian and Lovari (Roma) languages, and they can take a certified language exam at the registered language exam centre.

The autonomous training school of the Faculty of Education has been functioning in its present form since 1998 as a kindergarten and primary school. Besides the basic tasks the institute contributes to curricular practical training of the students and covering practical conditions of special post graduate courses (children dance, adapted physical education etc.).

The hostels of the Faculty of Education welcome students and guests in Szarvas. The buildings of the student hostels are modern and convenient, meet even the highest demands. We are able to accommodate students who take part in full time and correspondence courses, either funded by the state or paying tuition as well as invited guests or visitors.

International connections

Minority education has a distinctive function in the foreign relationship of the institute. Our Slovak and Romanian language teachers help in expanding partnerships abroad. Our Slovak minority students spend their training practice in Losonc, Slovakia, in a mother-tongue environment, in collaboration with and paid for by the Slovakian and Hungarian Ministries of Education.

The Faculty of Education maintains educational research partnerships with other Hungarian educational institutes abroad - II. Rákóczi Ferenc Hungarian College, Beregszász (Berehove); Sellye János Hungarian University, Komárom (Komárno); Academy of Education and Social Studies, Losonc (Lučenec); Bél Mátyás University, Besztercebánya (Banská Bystrica); Partium Christian University, Nagyvárad (Oradea); Benedek Elek Teacher Training College, Székelyudvarhely (Odorheiu Secuiesc); Hungarian Teacher Training College of Novi Sad University, Szabadka (Subotica); Hungarian Kindergarten Teacher Training College, Szabadka (Subotica).

The Faculty of Education also cultivates scientific and professional co-operations with other foreign higher educational training centres like Universite de Bordeaux and the Academie de Lille (France); ECMA Early Childhood Music Association of Ontario (Canada), Toronto; Kodály Music Education Institute of Australia, Brisbane; Auburn University, Alabama (USA)

Primary links