The University of Public Service (UPS; ) is a higher educational institution in Budapest, Hungary. Established in 2012, it is one of the youngest universities in Central and Eastern Europe; however, its faculties as former independent colleges look back much earlier.
The university was officially founded on 1 January 2012 through the merger of the Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University (becoming the Faculty of Military Sciences and Officer Training), the Police College (becoming the Faculty of Law Enforcement) and the Faculty of Public Administration of Corvinus University of Budapest (becoming the Faculty of Public Administration at UPS). In addition to these faculties, UPS includes institutions that function as educational organs and think tanks and is initiating its fourth faculty of European and international studies.
The university's primary goal is to educate future public administration officials, military and law enforcement officers (through BA and MA programmes) and to develop the skills and know-how of current members of public service (through further training programmes). Moreover, UPS also functions as a think tank for public service (through PhD programmes, joint conferences, and individual research activities of lecturers).
History
While modern Hungarian higher education has always included programmes focusing on the education and training of people primarily preparing for public service, Ludovika - UPS is the first university in the country exclusively dealing with the formation of future public servants.
The University of Public Service was officially established on 1 January 2012 through the merger of three separate higher educational institutions: the Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University, the Police College and the Faculty of Public Administration of Corvinus University of Budapest. In 2017, the water and environmental institutes of the József Eötvös College merged into the university.
Accordingly, these institutions became the Faculty of Military Sciences and Officer Training, the Faculty of Law Enforcement, the Faculty of Public Governance and International Studies and the Faculty of Water Sciences respectively.
Principles of establishment
The merger of the three higher educational institutions, focusing on military officer, law enforcement officer and public administration official training respectively, was directed by the aim of establishing a university where all main branches of public service training are present. This reflects a comprehensive approach which enables the efficient and effective cooperation of future servicemen in these respective branches. In addition to the students' understanding of each other's field of expertise and service, the concept includes the opportunity for mobility (cross-career paths) in civil, military, and law enforcement services.
Predecessors and heritage
Although UPS was officially established on 1 January 2012, through their merger the Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University, the Police College and the Faculty of Public Administration of Corvinus University of Budapest became the legal predecessors of UPS.
The Zrínyi Miklós National Defence University was officially established in 1996, but it had several predecessors dating back to the early nineteenth century. The most notable is the Royal Hungarian Ludovika Academy which was established on 8 November 1808. The academy was not only the first Hungarian military higher educational institution but was acknowledged to be on an equal level as the Theresian Military Academy in Austria in 1897 making the Ludovika Academy an internationally renowned centre for military sciences and officer training.
Regarding the training of law enforcement officers and public administration officials, the predecessors of Ludovika - UPS have been present in Hungarian higher education for 40 years with the Police College being founded in 1970 and the College of Public Administration established in 1977 (and functioning as the Faculty of Public Administration at the Corvinus University of Budapest after 2005).
The efforts of UPS in building on this legacy include the university's return to the Ludovika Campus that used to give home to the Royal Hungarian Ludovika Academy.
The Ludovika Project
Since Ludovika - UPS was established through the merger of three separate higher educational institutions, the university has started its operation on three different campuses at once. The integration of the faculties includes their inclusion in one single campus.