Short historical overview about the faculty and the training of food engineers:
The history of the university begins in 1853, when Dr. Ferenc Entz, a medical doctor, established the School for Practical Gardening. The school came to its present location in 1876. In 1894, it was raised to the rank of Royal School of Horticulture, with three years of training.
From that time on, the level of training at the Institution has been continuously developing and changing, along with its structure and name, as follows:
1939: the Institution became the Hungarian Royal Academy of Horticulture.
1943: reorganised to Hungarian Royal College of Horticulture and Viticulture.
1945: operated as the Faculty of Horticulture and Viticulture of the centralised University of Agricultural Sciences.
1953: became independent again, as the College of Horticulture and Viticulture.
1968: Institution raised to the level of University of Horticulture.
1969: the Food Industry Section was established and the training of food engineers started in this year within the University of Horticulture. From the beginning it has offered two levels of education (BSc and MSc).
1972: The founding of the Faculty of Food Preservation (the predecessor of the Faculty of Food Science) in 1972 provided a comprehensive curriculum for training food engineers. (Organisation of two separate faculties in Budapest: the Faculty of Horticulture and the Faculty of Food Preservation).
1986: the Institution changed again to the University of Horticulture and Food Industry, comprising training and education for the entire food industry; the Higher School of Food Industry in the town of Szeged (Southern Hungary) was attached as the College Faculty of Food Industry. Since the reorganisation of the university as the University of Horticulture and Food Industry, the Facult y of Food Industry has been the only institution in Hungary offering engineer training for almost all fields in the food industry.
January 1, 2000: The Faculty of Food Industry became the Faculty of Food Science of Szent István University.The Faculty of Horticultural Science, the Faculty of Food Science and Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Protection and Development form the Buda Campusof the Szent István University.
2003: The Faculty of Food Science was operating under this organisation until 31 August, 2003. From 1 September it belongs to the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration with the other two Faculties (Faculty of Horticultural Science and Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Protection and Development).
1 September, 2004: The university name was changed to Corvinus University of Budapest.
Since the beginning of training food engineers more than 4000 students have got diploma at BSc and MSc level, who are working mainly in large and medium-size food companies, but now more and more can find job in small enterprises, too. Hungarian and foreign students having obtained MSc degree in food science and technology or related subjects, can participate in different postgraduate courses and PhD training of the Faculty.
As the consequence of rapid and large scale development of food science and technology, new areas have been opened for food engineers to deal with, which was followed by elaborating or improving the curricula of new specializations by the Faculty, e.g. assurance of food quality and safety, food biotechnology, food process engineering and management, food economy and marketing. Since the agricultural production, food processing, manufacturing and marketing play a considerable role in Hungary, therefore the graduate, postgraduate and continuing educations are to be of principal importance in the future, as well.
The scientific and educational work is based on the activity of 12 departments and a Pilot Plant Unit. The Language Centre is also belongs to the faculty.
National Collection of Agricultural and Industrial Microorganisms is also operating within the faculty.
