The University of Szeged is set to become the first regional higher education institution in Hungary to offer a Chinese specialization program as part of its academic offerings.
A delegation from the University of Szeged, led by
Prof. Dr. Péter Zakar, Vice-Rector for International and Public Relations, is visiting China to discuss the expansion of the university’s Chinese program portfolio. As part of these efforts, the Department of Altaic Studies, which oversees Chinese-language instruction at SZTE, is preparing to launch a new Chinese Specialization in September 2025. To support this initiative, the delegation held high-level meetings at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), where they explored opportunities for academic cooperation and finalized details for the forthcoming specialization.
Recently, Dr. Béla Kempf, Senior Assistant Professor at the Department of Altaic Studies at SZTE’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, delivered a presentation on the university’s newly established Chinese program. In his talk, Dr. Kempf – whose research interests include comparative and historical Altaic linguistics, the history of the Mongolic languages, and Turkic–Mongolic linguistic relations – highlighted the growing global importance of the Chinese language in the 21st century. He also pointed to a steady increase in the number of Chinese-language learners in Hungary, reflecting wider international trends in language education and cultural exchange.
It is the Department of Altaic Studies that is taking the lead in expanding Chinese programs at the University of Szeged. The new specialization, set to launch in September 2025, will allow students admitted to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences to begin focused Chinese studies from their second year onward.
At the outset, the specialization will span two years (four semesters) and include 50 credits, covering courses in language practice, grammar, speaking, and writing. According to Dr. Kempf, a member of the Societas Uralo-Altaica scholarly society, the program is intended to pave the way for the introduction of additional programs at the university in the future.
“We are launching a Chinese-language specialization in September 2025,” said Prof. Dr. Péter Zakar, Vice-Rector for International and Public Relations at the University of Szeged. “This two-year program will be open to all undergraduate students at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, beginning in their second year of study. The training will primarily provide a foundation in the Chinese language, supplemented by two lecture courses: Introduction to Sinology and Cultural History of China. However, this is only the first step in a broader, long-term initiative. If all goes according to plan, we intend to launch a full undergraduate degree program (BA) in Chinese Language and Culture in September 2026, offering students the opportunity to acquire more comprehensive knowledge in the field of Sinology.”
Source: SZTEinfo
