From September, the teaching period will be longer and the examination period shorter at Corvinus

From the academic year 2021-2022, the number of weeks of education will increase to 13 and the examination period will be one week shorter. We spoke to the Dean of Master’s Programmes at Corvinus Dr Helga Habis about the underlying reason for this change.

 
From the next academic year, the teaching period at Corvinus will be one week longer, and the reason for this is related to the renewal of the degree programmes: the new curricula will focus on continuous learning, preparation and competence development, with more mid-year exams and offered credit opportunities.

The methodological change will require more active work from both students and lecturers during the study period, while reducing the burden of the examination period. In addition to the Deans, lawyers and representatives of Student Services were involved in the drafting of the new Study and Examination Regulations: According to Helga Habis, they always kept in mind that the minimum three attempts stipulated by the Higher Education Act should be maintained, therefore the examination period could not be shortened.

The intensive week will be moved to the beginning of the autumn semester, to registration week zero. The 14-week study period will consist of the intensive week and the 13 teaching weeks, while the examination period will be 4+2 weeks: students not taking final exams will be able to take exams for 5 weeks, while those taking final exams will be able to take exams in the last two weeks of the six-week period. The dates of the autumn break will remain the same and the examination period will continue to start in December, so that international and rural students can take their exams before they return home for Christmas.
For the spring semester, the study period will be 13+1 weeks, but the intensive week will remain the same as before, adjacent to spring break. The reason for this is that the university offers several project-based courses that require a theoretical foundation, therefore these courses will be included in the spring intensive week.

For the renewed Master’s in Economic Analysis, the semester will be different, with quarterly blocks and a one-week examination period at the end of each quarter. This exam week coincides with the autumn and spring break and is for students who would like to improve the grade offered.

According to Helga Habis, although the decision has been received with mixed feelings by lecturers, everyone is happy that the reduction in the number of weeks of teaching has stopped. Due to the reducing tendency in recent years, certain topics have been dropped from the syllabus, which can now be reintroduced, and there will be more time for insight, elaboration and practice.

The Student Union was also involved in the planning of the revision. During the planning process, the cancellation of the autumn break was also discussed, as the Higher Education Act stipulates that an academic year can consist of 20 weeks, therefore a choice had to be made between the examination period and the break. The Student Union voted in favour of shortening the examination period, so that the break could remain unchanged.

Author: Judit Szabó
The original article is available on the Közgazdász online (Economist Online) student blog.