In cooperation with the University of Pécs Faculty of Pharmacy, the University of Pécs Faculty of Business and Economics also provides the English programme students with a nationally unique training programme in order to equip future pharmacists with necessary economic, financial and marketing skills. Students have been able to attend these courses held in English since the first semester of the 2024/2025 academic year.
The „Business studies for pharmacy students” programme was initiated in 2019, the purpose of the part-time training is to provide pharmacy students with essential business knowledge and skills in addition to their studies, for example managing a pharmacy, so they would be able prepare for their work life. Moreover, credits earned, and the completion of the training mean significant help to students who consider obtaining a master's degree in economics after graduation.
The joint training between the University of Pécs Faculty of Pharmacy and the University of Pécs Faculty of Business and Economics responds to the changing needs. In addition to the profound expert knowledge in pharmacy, young pharmacists, who would like to start their own businesses, must also have knowledge in business, management, finance and marketing. More than a hundred pharmacy students at the University of Pécs have successfully completed the market-based courses enabling them to have a competitive advantage in the economic sphere. Some students only complete one or two courses of the whole training, especially the subject of Fundamentals of Business and Economics, but there are also many enthusiastic students who have successfully passed their exams in four or five courses. These include, for instance accounting, corporate finance and financial planning and financing decisions.
Dr Kornélia Réka Kacz was the first student at the University of Pécs Faculty of Pharmacy who completed the entire course, earning the 30 credits, which is a prerequisite for admission to business MSc programmes. The pharmacist, who graduated in 2024, continued her studies at the University of Pécs Faculty of Business and Economics.
Courses are also available to the English programme students
It was obvious from the beginning that the training had its own significance, so after its initiation and based on previous experiences, planning began in order to expand the training to the pharmacy students attending the English programme. Business knowledge is crucial in all areas of pharmacy in everyday practice. The training and these courses help to develop a useful perspective and competences not only for pharmacists working in pharmacies, but also in hospitals, clinics and pharmaceutical fields, so graduates from the University of Pécs starting their careers can receive a more competitive degree in the domestic and international labour market.
The courses held in English comply with the courses held in Hungarian. The proposed length of time to complete the courses is seven semesters, one course must be taken in each semester, the courses are optional with a high credit value. The whole training can be completed in a shorter period, if students take more courses in one semester since they are not linked to each other, so there is no need to worry about not being able to complete the pharmacy studies.
According to the recommendation, the training can be completed during the 3–9th semesters in parallel with the 10-semester-long pharmacy studies. 6-credit-courses are offered by the Faculty of Business and Economics during the 3–7th semesters, and in the 8–9th semesters compulsory and also optional courses can be taken as part of the studies at the Faculty of Pharmacy. After the successful completion of the courses, students receive certificates regarding the courses and the credits added to their studies. Besides, if students request, acceptance of the courses and the credits can lead to the fulfilment of the entry requirements for various business master's programmes of Faculty of Business and Economics.
Photos:
Dávid VERÉBI