The Metropolitan University now defines itself as University of Creative Industries. The new brand sums up many years of conscious work, the aim of which is to provide education that prepares for the expectations of the Hungarian competitive sector as effectively as possible, with real practical knowledge, skills development and building a personal portfolio. 

According to Bálint Bachmann, Rector of the Budapest Metropolitan University, the essence of education at the university can be best summarized with the sentence in the title, and this is also expressed by the university's new self-definition, University of Creative Industries. 

 

The institution, which started as the Budapest College of Communication, has been on this path from the beginning, and this is far from over with the becoming of the Creative University -concludes the rector.  

Over the past twenty years, Metropolitan has grown into the largest private university in Hungary, and the idea of practice-based training has matured into a concept with its own methodology. “We are constantly training both students and faculty in this spirit. We are transforming not only the curriculum, but also the educational spaces to better meet the needs of creative work, workshops and practices, says Bálint Bachmann. 

 

The aim of METU is for students to start their professional careers during their university years. Not only can they acquire theoretical knowledge, they can not only present articles written in the University Newsletter as practice,  in addition to the expertise, they also have at least as important competencies - teamwork and peers. And since employers want to see all this in the job interview, the training at Metropolitan not only gives graduates a degree, but also a personal portfolio that includes all the internships, skills, and recognition gained during their university years in a presentable way. 

 
Portfolio-based education was launched in 2018 by Metropolitan University. The essence of the method is that students can acquire knowledge and skills from all elements of their studies, starting from the basic subjects, which can also be evaluated for the labor market. Each semester starts with training to develop skills that complement the knowledge. “In these trainings, we test, explore students’ competencies, fill in gaps, and develop the skills the market demands the most.  Says the rector of the university - Bálint Bachmann. 

 

Metropolitan University has two thousand corporate partners, and a significant portion of the faculty also come from the private sector. They not only pass on their daily experiences to students, but also involve them in their own work. In this way, students can work on real projects, even at international companies. The university also pays attention to the fact that internships are not limited to photocopying. Therefore, the needs of companies are also monitored so that they can send students with knowledge that can be used for internships. 

 

The approach represented by the methodology can also encourage industrial and economic actors to take a greater part in cooperation with higher education, - says Bálint Bachmann.  

According to the Rector of Metropolitan, there is still a lot to develop in this area, in which, in addition to business actors, education policy and educational institutions also have a role to play. "As a university, we also need to be involved in this work by trying to align our teaching methods as much as possible with the needs of both students and the business community." 

2024. 05. 02.