Education and training profile of the faculty

Special Needs Education BA Programme

The Special Needs Education BA Programme launched in 2017 offers two areas of specialization: Speech and Language Therapy and Learning Disabilities and Difficulties.

The main goal of the programme is to train professionals in the field of Special Needs Education and to provide postgaduate learning opportunities for special needs educators and therapists (e.g. in the areas of health, pedagogy, humanities). Students can also take part in research carried out by teachers of the Institute. We incorporate the latest results of national and international research projects into our teaching programme.

The Institute provides many opportunities to gain knowledge, experience and professional practice in non-institutional facilities. These opportunities are part of a partnership with public institutions, such as public and special schools, nursery schools and health care institutions.

Early Childhood Education BA Programme

The length of the programme to become a kindergarten pedagogue is 6 terms and is worth 180 ECTS (European Transfer Credit System).

The aim of the course is to provide training for the development and care of children from 3 years of the age to 6-7. For those students who want to become kindergarten pedagogues there are entrance requirements. At the suitability exam, we ascertain if the applicant has a nice voice and can sing, has good pronunciation and coordination.

Competences to be acquired: kindergarten pedagogues have to be familiar with the characteristics and needs of the age group, tasks related to their nursing, educating, health care and feeding, the specifics of care for under 6-year-olds outside the family, the running of the social welfare system, the legal and public administration background of childcare work, the administrative responsibilities and the ethics of the profession. The pedagogues equipped with their complex skills and competencies help the development and socialisation of this age group and support education within the family.

Application of competencies: kindergarten pedagogues can apply their knowledge of development, caring and education; can choose the most suitable methods; can assess children’s normal development; can cooperate well with the children and their parents.

During the ECE programme students have different course units on literature and language development, visual and art education, music education (singing, playing the recorder and fostering music traditions), PE and getting to know about the environment through tasks.

There is group and individual practice for the students at the Training Kindergarten belonging to the University. The main aim of the practice is to form a positive attitude towards the profession of the kindergarten pedagogue, reinforcing that interest and gaining deeper insight into the profession.

Graduating students will be familiar with the system of conditions concerning the development of children. They will possess the knowledge necessary for the development of kindergarten children's emotional, intellectual, social and physical motor skills. They will learn the function of educational counselling, family support services and child welfare organisations in order to be able to cooperate with people working in those institutions for the benefit of kindergarten children.

After graduation, students can find jobs in private, public or church-funded kindergartens, in infant nurseries, family nurseries or in family care service. The graduates are suitable for jobs in nursing, caring, educating, mediating and counselling in the scope of childcare work.

Hungarian kindergartens have a long tradition in pedagogical methodology, and their use of children’s literature, children’s songs, folk music, art, motor skills and handicrafts have placed Hungary among the most successful kindergarten models in Europe. The Hungarian pedagogical approach is professionally play-based and child-centred.

The Early Childhood Education BA Programme has been running at the Faculty since 1971, when our institution was established.  The aim of the course is to train kindergarten pedagogues who are suitable and able to:

• acquire theoretical knowledge and later on organize colourful and interesting activity programmes in kindergartens using up-to-date methods
• transfer universal and national values to children as well as supporting differentiated child development, in cooperation with the family and in accord with the social environment

Practical training in kindergartens is a major integral element of the ECE BA programme. Students take part in practical training from the first to the fifth term and get to know the special characteristics of children aged 3-7. At the Campus there is a training kindergarten attached to the Faculty where students can gain valuable experience in working with children. In every group of the training kindergarten, highly qualified tutor kindergarten pedagogues support the students’ professional development.

In addition, we offer a number of high-quality vocational traning programmes and postgraduate courses for graduated kindergarten pedagogues.

Kindergarten Pedagogy for Ethnic Minorities BA Programme

Besides Early Childhood Education BA Programme

• during the education and practical training students get first-hand experience of working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds
• students are given the possibility to learn Lovari (the Hungarian Romany language)
• they obtain detailed knowledge of the colourful Romany culture and traditions in the Carpathian Basin
• both full-time and corresponding students are entitled to apply for supplementary scholarships which they can hold for the whole course

Infant and Child Care Studies BA Programme

Why do you need to learn at the University of Debrecen Faculty of Child and Special Educational Needs to become an Infant and Early Childhood Educator?

The importance of Early Childhood Education and Care development has had encouragement from the social sector and from the training system. In Hungary staff working with children from birth to three years in childcare services are required to hold a degree-level qualification. The Infant and Early Childhood Care BA was launched in 2009.

Who is this programme for? For those who...

• like children’s company
• are cheerful, playful, empathetic
• can influence children with their personality
• can meet children’s needs
• can arrange children’s daily activities

The criteria of the Programme

• Bachelor’s degree
• Infant and Early Childhood Educator

What do students learn in this programme?

• Fundamental content areas of pedagogical studies for children from birth to five and their families
• Basic principles of education studies and their methodology
• Theory and practice of communication studies
• Family pedagogy
• Sociology, social policy and child protection system
• Care and health care studies

Differentiated knowledge:

• Methods of early development and supporting natural maturation
• Equality of socially disadvantaged groups
•  Support in early development for children with special educational needs
• Support to families educating children from birth to three. They will learn the functions of educational counselling, family-support services and child welfare organisations in order to be able to cooperate with people working in those institutions for the benefit of kindergarten children.

Practical training:

• group practice at the Training institution
• visiting external institutions
• individual practice at the external institutions
• continuous external practice
• the practice of special knowledge (early development, family counselling)

Language requirement: a state-accredited language exam at the intermediate level, type B2 or other equivalent language exams.

The programme of Infant and Early Childhood Care BA was launched at the Faculty in 2009. The importance of Early Childhood Education and Care as well as development has received encouragement from the social sector and from the training system. The degree awarded at the end of the programme enables students to work with children from birth to the age of 3.

The practical training involves:

• group practice and supervision at the training institution
• visiting external institutions, observation in more institutions
• individual practice at the partner institutions
• extended practical placement

Romany Studies BA

The University of Debrecen Faculty of Education for Children and Special Educational Needs has obtained the opportunity to launch Romani Studies (Romology) BA course. The main objective of Romani Studies is to train those kinds of experts who are capable of conveying issues, problems concerning roma communities. The institutions and social organisations which are in contact with roma people are the major targets.

Students acquire a wide range of awareness in the field of social science. They get acquainted with the culture, language, history and literature of roma groups. In addition, they become aware of the social situation, legal and institutional system of roma and disadvantaged groups in Hungary.

For the practical implementation of local communities and wider spectrum of social science research, students learn the appropriate methodology which is prevalent during social science research. The effectiveness of this is ensured by the fact that the participants are familiar with the phenomena and issues at first hand.

Getting to know the language of the targeted community is an essential factor. As a result of it, students are given the possibility to learn the lovari (gypsy) language at a high conversational level and to get hold of an intermediate language certificate. Being able to speak the language of the community also contributes to the efficient implementation of field research, as students will be able to establish relationships with the target group.

The main disciplines leading to the qualification:

• Humanities and social sciences that develop general competencies
• Professional grounding knowledge (introduction to linguistics, literary science, romology; socialization and minority identity; territorial-social knowledge focusing primarily on roma communities)
• Cultural and ethnographic knowledge (cultural anthropology, ethnographic research among roma, music and dance culture of roma communities, roma literature and fine arts, research methodology)

The main objective of Romany Studies is to:

• train those kinds of experts who are capable of conveying issues and problems concerning Roma communities.

• mediate effectively between social organisations and Romany communities
• inform Roma communities and disadvantaged groups about the requirements of different social organizations
• mediate between professionals (sociologists, social politicians, teachers, lawyers, doctors) who deal with cultural, social and financial issues of Roma communities and disadvantaged groups

Students acquire a wide range of awareness during their training:

• they get acquainted with the culture, language, history and literature of Roma groups
• they become aware of the social situation, legal and institutional system of Roma communities and disadvantaged groups in Hungary
• students learn the appropriate methodologies which are the most commonly used in social science research

Social Pedagogy BA and MA

There has been a Social Pedagogy major at the University of Debrecen Faculty of Child and Special Educational Needs since 1992. The first MA major in Social Pedagogy in Hungary was launched at Faculty of Child and Special Educational Needs.

The aim of the Social Pedagogy BA is to train social pedagogues:

• who can use theoretical knowledge about the functioning of and disruptions to society, interpersonal relationships, deviations, groups with special needs, child welfare and child protection systems to help others.
• who are able to improve the social integration of children and young people, their families, groups and communities, the life chances and the quality of life of those in need of social assistance.

The Department of Social Pedagogy works in close contact with over 70 field institutions where our students receive their practical training.

The further aims of the Social Pedagogy MA are to:

• train students who will be able to carry out research
• enable graduates to engage in professional, educational decision making,
• develop the skills required to control, plan and organize tasks responsibly in social pedagogical environments, either individually or as part of a team

• produce students who are able to continue with doctoral studies.