Semmelweis University

Semmelweis University
	Latin: Universitas Budapestinensis de Semmelweis nominata
Motto	Servamus Vitam Atque Servimus
Motto in English	Protecting And Serving Life
Type	Public
Established	1769
Rector	Ágoston Szél
Students	about 10,300 (in 2014)
Location	Budapest, Hungary
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	NCFMEA, EUA , WHO
Website	semmelweis.hu

Founded in 1769, Semmelweis University (Template:Lang-hu) is the oldest medical school in Hungary. The faculty became an independent medical school after the Second World War and developed into a university teaching medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, health sciences, and health management, as well as physical education and sport sciences. The university is named after Ignác Semmelweis (1818-1865), the obstetrician who discovered the cause of puerperal fever in the 1840s.

The university has around 10,000 students from 60 nations over five continents. Its five faculties offer courses from undergraduate to doctorate level in Hungarian, English, and German. Foreign students account for about 18% of the total community.^[1]

Semmelweis University is the largest health care institution in Hungary, with over 9,000 employees covering about 6% of the health care needs of the country’s population.^{[citation needed]}

With a quarter of a million of books, Semmelweis University has one of the biggest and best-furnished medical-biological collections in Hungary, and among the Hungarian universities, Semmelweis produces the greatest number of publications. The university is deeply involved in the patient care of the Great-Budapest region. Of its 3000 clinical beds, 75% take part in the regional medical care and some special outpatients' departments also supply the teaching hospitals with patients needed for the training.

The portrait of Maria Theresa in the Assembly Hall of the University still commemorates the founding of the Medical Faculty by the Empress of Austria-Hungary more than 230 years ago, forging a continuous link in the education and training of medical students.

The name of the University honors Ignác Semmelweis, a former professor of the Medical Faculty between 1855 and 1865, who discovered the cause and prevention of puerperal fever. Semmelweis was the first Hungarian university, which started to offer international courses at the Faculty of Medicine in German in 1983. The English programs started four years later, in 1987. Nowadays, the university enrolls more than 200 new international students each year. Still, students from Germany form the majority of the international student body, although numbers from Israel, Scandinavia, Ireland and Cyprus show consistent growth in recent years.

The General Medicine program is listed by the WHO and it is recognized without any licensing examinations in all European Union countries, applies to the nationals of the member states. Semmelweis University is listed in the IMED / FAIMER directory and it is also recognised by the Medical Board of California, considered the gold standard for recognition in the USA.^[2] In 2015, it was ranked in the 101-150 Medical Category in QS World University Rankings. The Semmelweis medical education is considered the best in Hungary and one of the best in Europe, Semmelweis is noted for its pioneering research and innovation among the medical community around the globe.^[3]

The program leading to the Doctor of Medicine degree consists of six years: two years of general medical studies, three years of clinical studies, and one year of a rotating internship. International students enrolled in the English program are mostly from the EU, Norway, Ireland, Israel, Cyprus, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, Canada, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, Germany, Spain and the USA.

The Semmelweis University seeks motivated candidates for the program with a solid background in biology and chemistry. In addition to these subjects, students must pass an entrance exam in English. The application deadline is in April and the course starts in September. Entrance exams are arranged at several locations in Europe, Israel, North America, Asia, and Africa.

Since 1 September 2014, the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences has been separated from Semmelweis University and continues to operate as an independent institution under the name University of Physical Education.

Life at the University

The first two years are pre-clinical and the last four years are based in the Semmelweis Clinics. The curriculum of the pre-clinical years consists of the main core subjects like Anatomy, Histology & Embryology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Medical Chemistry and Biophysics. Other elective subjects include an introduction to clinical medicine and medical profession with practicals in Semmelweis Hospitals.

The first two years are notoriously regarded as the most difficult, but highly rewarding. Exams are organised in most subjects with 'Midterms', two in each subject, each semester. From mid December to the end of January and again from mid May to the start of July, this is a period called 'Exam Period' in which to complete Semi-Finals and Finals; One is at liberty to choose exam dates and schedules.

The university adheres to high levels of integrity; a traditional policy of mutual respect.

Many nationalities have their own student organisations and associations, such as British and Irish Students Association, the Norwegian SA and the North American SA. Budapest is voted as one of the best cities in Central Europe to live in, with relatively low living costs and an excellent social and nightlife scene. The vast majority of foreign students live in apartments on the 'Pest' side of the city, with easy connections to the four Metro Lines and close to amenities. Students in the first and second year take part in Hungarian language classes, making many students proficient in basic colloquial conversation by the end of the first semester. Hungarians are noted for there hospitality, politeness and friendliness.

Faculties of the University

Semmelweis University Basic Medical Science Centre

The university has five faculties:^[4]

Faculty of Dentistry
Faculty of Health and Public Service
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Pharmacy

There is also a School of Ph.D. Studies.

Location of the University

Semmelweis University does not have a campus: although some of its hospitals are clustered, most of its buildings are scattered over Budapest, mostly on the Pest side along line 3 of the Budapest metro:

Buildings close to Corvin-negyed metro station:

Üllői út 26: Inner Clinical Block with the following university hospitals (departments):

Main Building with Rector's Office and Deans' offices
1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research
2nd Department of Internal Medicine
Department of Dermatology, Venereal diseases and Cutaneous Oncology
Department of Ophthalmology (between 1908–1946: 1st Department of Ophthalmology; between 1946–2004: 2nd Department of Ophthalmology)
1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Transplantology and Surgery
Department of Pharmacognosy

Szentkirályi utca 47: Dental Clinics Center of the Faculty of Dentistry

Department of Orthodontics
Department of Paradontology
Department of Conservational Dentistry
Department of Restorative Dentistry
Department of Oral Diagnostics

Mária utca 52: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Stomatology
Hőgyes Endre utca 7–9: Faculty of Pharmacy departments

Department of Pharmaceutical Administration
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology
Department of Organic Chemistry

Üllői őt 22: Selye János Dormitory

Buildings close to Klinikák (Clinics) metro station:

Budapest, Tűzoltó utca 37–47: Basic Medical Science Center

Department of Biophysics
1st Department of Physiology (Department of Physiology)
2nd Department of Physiology (Institute of Human Physiology and Clinical Experimental Research)
1st Department of Medical Chemistry (Department of Medical Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Pathobiochemistry)
2nd Department of Medical Chemistry (Department of Medical Biochemistry)

Üllői út 93 (Tűzoltó utca 58): anatomy departments

1st Department of Anatomy
2nd Department of Anatomy
Department of Forensic Medicine

Budapest, Úllői út 78: Outer Clinical Block with the following university hospitals (departments):

1st Department of Surgery
1st Department of Internal Medicine
2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Urology
Department of Psychiatry
Department of Neurology
Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
former 1st Department of Ophthalmology

Tömő utca 39–41: Balassa János Dormitory

Buildings close to Nagyvárad tér metro station:

Nagyvárad tér 4: Nagyvárad tér Theoretical Block
Rezső tér 16: Markusovszky Lajos Dormitory

Dormitories of the University

The Semmelweis University has ample room for accommodation in its dormitories. The Faculty of Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Health and Public Service have four dormitories. The Faculty of Health Sciences – which joined the University in 2000 – has its own two dormitories. The dormitories provide comfortable accommodation for students in rooms with 2 or 3 beds at a very reasonable price (30 to 50 €/month^[5]) and they are also close to the University departments.

Balassa János Dormitory

This is the biggest dormitory of the University, a 9 storey building in the Tömő utca close 500 meters away from the Klinikák metro station, which can accommodate around 500 students in its mostly 3-bed-rooms. All rooms are equipped with a fridge and a sink. Each story has a shared use kitchen, toilets, showers, and learning rooms. The dormitory also has a library, a laundry and a gym. In spring the traditional Balassa-days are organized.

Markusovszky Lajos Dormitory

This dormitory is on the Rezső square, just a few hundred meters away from the NET (Theoretical Sciences Block) building of the University and it has 3 stories where it accommodates around 400 students in 3-bed-rooms, which are equipped with frigdes. Each story has a common use toilet and shower block as well as kitchens. The dormitory also has several learning rooms, a library, a gym, and a music studio.

Selye János Dormitory

This smaller dormitory is on the Üllői street close to the mean building of the University which accommodates about 60 students in 2- or 3-bed-rooms equipped with fridges.

Korányi Frigyes Professional Dormitory

This special dormitory in the Hársfa street provides accommodation for the best students of the University. The dormitory is one of several professional dormitories of Hungarian universities for outstanding students. Special entrance exam needs to be passed to get accepted; a minimum average grade of 4.0 (see Academic grading in Hungary for details) is required from students in each semester and to take part in the undergraduate scientific program (TDK) from the third academic year. Rooms have two beds and two rooms share a kitchen and a bathroom. First year students get lots of help from senior students in the form of organized consultations.