The institution was established in 2000, with state accreditation by the name of Budapest College of Communication and Business (BKF). It has been providing higher educational, adult educational and advanced vocational training courses of a high international and European Union standard in the field of applied communication and business sciences but its activities encompass now from economic, management sciences to visual art productions, hence its name was changed on 1 January 2016 to Budapest Metropolitan University (METU). In 2003, it became an accredited institution of adult education, and is entitled to operate as an ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) training and exam Centre. In addition to this, the Languages Department (functioning also as an official exam Centre for the TOEIC language exams) organizes specialized and general language courses. The University has established the Career Centre, in order to help students make a smooth transition to the labour market. The number of students studying at Metropolitan University increased to above 7,000.

The number of international partnerships on 3 continents exceeded 50. By expanding its international relations, the main objective of Budapest Metropolitan University is to raise the standard of education, broaden its educational spectrum and deepen academic and professional co-operation. We focus on three key areas: education, mobility of students and staff, and scientific cooperation. Furthermore, since METU was granted the Erasmus University Charter in spring 2005, an immense area of potential cooperation within the European Union has opened up for our University.

In 2009, Heller Farkas College of Economics and Tourism merged into Budapest College of Communication, Business and Arts. With this merger BKF became the largest private college in Hungary. In the next year, it became part of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network of Culture, Tourism and Development.

The new multifunctional building was the first investment of nearly 1 billion HUF, co-financed by the EU in higher education where students learn in a pleasant, modern environment consisting of recently renovated buildings and a newly built structure in a beautiful park in a surrounding residential atmosphere.

In Budapest there are four campuses and two undergraduate programmes (Commerce and Marketing, Tourism and Catering) are launched at the METU Regional Knowledge Centre in Hódmezővásárhely, in the south of Hungary.

See: http://www.metropolitan.hu/sajto/1007/kepek.html

School of Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality

Its mission

The mission of our institute is to transfer cutting edge knowledge and a human-centred view of tourism through our teaching and educating activities in order to ensure that our students make their way and prosper in their future personal lives and professional careers.

Its objectives

Our institute organizes and co-ordinates the activities related to the bachelor’s course in Tourism and Hospitality and the master’s course in Tourism Management. Tourism ranks among the largest industries in the world, producing dynamic growth with the highest turnover rate. Our home, Hungary is located in the heart of Europe, right in the middle of the greatest tourism market. Therefore, it is imperative to take this unparalleled chance since through the tourism industry we can draw large amounts of disposable income to our country which has been produced elsewhere. However, we can only benefit from this growing market trend if we strengthen our competitiveness in the international tourism market. On the other hand, our objective is to also facilitate the leisure-oriented travel of the Hungarian population and to help them enjoy the benefits of their leisure time in a way that improves the quality of their lives.

Its educational programmes

Since we target the sustainable development of tourism, our educational programme is characterized by a systems-based approach which fosters a comprehensive understanding of this complex field.

Having completed the theoretical grounding courses, our undergraduate students are offered a selection of choice to specialize in particular areas. The contents and structure of these specializations were developed by considering the findings of a thorough survey on national demands. The specializations offered include tourism destination management (TDM), health tourism, congress and event organization, leisure time, recreation and animation. 

By launching our Tourism Management master’s course offering a specialization in TDM (tourism destination management), we have become the first higher education institution to offer a university degree in the field of tourism in Hungary.

Our Master of Tourism Management programme also provides outstanding benefits within the framework of the Health and Wellness Tourism Management specialization at a Master level. In addition, as a member of the UNESCO UNITWIN programme METU is the only institution in Central and Eastern Europe offering a World Heritage Management specialization. World Heritage Tourism is one of the most important branch of the industry, therefore, we are proud to be a member of the network that is specialized in the assessment and advancement of tourism with the aim of contributing to the protection and utilization of World Heritage Sites.