Overview
Legal studies have always been an essential component of academic programs at the University of Pécs. In fact, university education in Pécs started in 1367 with the teaching of canon law. Between 1950 and 1971, the Faculty of Law was the only faculty that secured the continuity of the University after World War II.
In 2023, the Faculty celebrated the 100th anniversary of the modern law school in Pécs.
Our faculty has extensive international relations. This faculty relations system looks back on a long history and significant traditions, and our highly diverse network of partners encompasses numerous law faculties from Marburg to InHolland University in Rotterdam, and from London South Bank University to Vilnius. Our international relations enable, among other things, faculty and student exchanges, international educational programs, and joint research activities.
CEEPUS
The Faculty has established co-operative relations with law faculties in countries in our wider region (e.g., Cluj-Napoca, Novi Sad, Rijeka, and Wrocław), which involve teacher and student mobility and short study visits.
The successful CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies) applications from the Faculty in the academic years 2005/2006 and 2008/2009 led to the establishment of the first CEEPUS network operating in the field of law in Central and Eastern Europe.
In the first case, the objective was to study the relationship between three legal systems: international law, European Union law, and domestic laws; in the second case, the aim is to examine the situation of minorities in the Central European region.
This cooperation resulted in special forms of joint education and training programs, such as the joint master’s degree program in Cluj-Napoca, an experimental tandem seminar launched within the framework of BA-level education, and various summer universities. Currently, the Faculty is part of the Law and Technology CEEPUS network coordinated by the Osijek Law Faculty.
International Organisations
The Faculty is a member of the European organisations ERA and ELFA. Most of our academic departments' international relations have also become stronger.
In addition to international relations at the faculty level, our external relations at the department and research institute levels have also been strengthened.
The Department of Criminal Procedure Law initiated the establishment of the Central European Criminal Cooperation, which involves approximately a dozen foreign criminal departments and institutes from Central Europe.
The Faculty has established relations outside Europe as well. Upon the initiative of specific departments, several visiting professors from North American universities have delivered lectures and seminars at the Faculty, as well as in cooperation with Chinese partners (e.g., the East China University of Political Science and Law) and African partners (e.g., Kenyatta University).
The Centre for European Research and Education
The Centre for European Research and Education of the Faculty also has an extensive and active international academic network. The Centre has been (and continues to be) involved in numerous European Union-funded teaching and research projects. The Centre publishes the open-access e-journal entitled Pécs Journal of International and European Law.
The international activity of the Europe Centre is also significant: the Centre has participated in and continues to participate in several European Union education and research tender projects, and it also publishes the online journal Pécs Journal of International and European Law. The Faculty of Law of the University of Pécs and the Faculty of Law of the West University of Timisoara jointly founded and published the international Journal of Eastern European Criminal Law.
Research & Postgraduate Studies
Interest in learning English has increased considerably, and the number of courses offered in foreign languages is also constantly growing. The postgraduate and PhD courses offered by the Faculty of Law are increasingly popular; the PhD program is also taught in English, which attracts more and more foreign doctoral students to Pécs, mainly through the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship.
The Law Library at the Regional Library and Knowledge Centre is well-equipped to serve international students, with a substantial collection of English-language journals, books, and databases. The European Documentation Centre was established in 1995 and is part of the Law Library of the Regional Library and Knowledge Centre; its collection serves as an essential source of information for students, researchers, and businesses in the Transdanubian region regarding the European Union.
ERASMUS
The ERASMUS+ programme offers our teachers and students new opportunities. The number of our Erasmus partner universities and, consequently, the number of participants in the mobility program is increasing annually; currently, the Faculty has almost 40 Erasmus partner universities across Europe. It also enables us to welcome students and teachers from abroad through this EU-funded academic mobility scheme.
Since the foundation of this programme, our Faculty has welcomed almost 500 international students from across Europe, thanks to the growing number of foreign-language courses in our law curriculum.
In addition to its extensive bilateral and regional partnerships, the Faculty is also an active participant in the European Digital UniverCity (EDUC) alliance. As a member institution, the Faculty contributes to a broad, cross-European academic network that promotes collaborative teaching, digital mobility, joint research initiatives, and innovative international learning opportunities.
The EDUC partnership further strengthens the Faculty’s commitment to openness, cooperation, and the continuous development of a genuinely European legal education.
