Our Department has had a double mission since its establishment: to contribute to the development of a positive environmental attitude of the students at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and to actively participate in the education of environmental experts (environmental engineers and managers) with up-to-date, scientifically based knowledge. We follow an interdisciplinary approach during our educational and research activities, what is necessary, considering the nature of environmental problems, their impact mechanisms and efficient solution options. We believe that the knowledge we provide is essential, since engineers, environmental managers and economists, dealing with environmental problems, can apply the methods and techniques of regional economics and development as well as environmental management successfully to tackle problems in many fields and jobs.
In the beginning of the 2000s – as a result of our internal motivation for continuous scientific development as well as seeing the growing complexity of environmental challenges as an external motivator – we expanded our profile. We extended our research and educational activity from environmental economics and management to spatial development and regional economics. We think that sustainability research and the realisation of sustainable development requires the close cooperation of these two fields. Based on this approach, we participated in the establishment and launching process of the “Regional and Environmental Economics” Master program. In order to develop our curriculum and to keep our methodological background up-to-date, we are an active member of the Hungarian scientific community of the field and we have participated in several national and international research projects.
Similarly to other modern educational institutes, talent management is especially important for us. We actively and successfully participate in the management of the scientific competitions organised annually for undergraduate and graduate students (“tudományos diákkör” - TDK) and the Economics and Management Sciences PhD program of our Faculty. The efficiency of our talent management activity is demonstrated by the outstanding results of our students and the high number of successful PhD processes.
Our continuously expanding alumni program is an important basis of our professional network and it is a potential useful source of feedback on the efficiency of our educational activity in the future.