UNIVERSITY OF PÉCS

The Institute of Sport Sciences and Physical Education has a long and rich tradition in both teaching and research. The physical educator teacher program was established in 1946 at the Institutes predecessor the Pedagogical College of Pécs. The Institute and its programs is one of the most influential educational organization in the field of sport and physical education. The Institutions mission today is to provide Bachelor and Master programs in sport science related fields. The students can obtain Physical Trainer or Sport Manager Bachelor Degree and Recreation Expert at Masters Degree, and also a PE teacher degree. In our Trainer BSc and Recreation Expert MSc both full and part time (correspondent) trainings are available. Above these programs the Institution is also active as Higher-level vocational training centre. We are offering NTR (National Training Registry) programs in the fields of coaching, pedagogy training and further training, and we also contribute in many doctoral programs aiming for scientific renewal.

The scientific and research activities of the department focus on areas such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, sports aerobics, rhythmic gymnastics and dance, how to instruct elementary and secondary school pupils, as well as how to perform of these in elite sport. The scientific programs are expanding to measure motor skill development and assessment of related courses, including both theoretical and practical training, and laboratory work. The primary objective of the department is educating students to recognize the benefits of individual sports, acquire knowledge of these exercises, training methods used in education on the basis of competitive sport and leisure activities in the theory and also is everyday practice.

Since its formation, the general goal of the department (1997) is to fulfil the challenge derived from the complexity and multiplicity of the differentiated disciplines of sport sciences, and to involve the theoretical results of these disciplines into educational practice, while creating a solid ground to the subsequent, more specialized, practically attainable and applicable, studies and knowledge. The department’s scope of duties also involves the teaching of basic social science and pedagogical courses, which allow cooperative educational and teaching activities with academics, form other Faculties. The most outstanding cooperation is our common work with the Faculty of Business and Economics which results the commonly organised “Sports management” undergraduate (BSc) program. The department’s priority areas of research focus on the social science approach towards sport and sporting activities and its effects on individuals and the society as a whole.

At the foundation of the department the main goal was to introduce a variety of recreational sports in the curricula of PE teachers and to support the organization of different practical aspects of their future activities. Courses like tourism and training camps in e.g. skiing and snowboarding, rowing and horse riding were always attractive and motivating for students. In these camps students learn the theoretical and practical aspects and acquire competence for organizing such activities for pupils and the public as well. Later on the course Theory and Practice of Recreation was introduced in the curricula of PE teaching. Since 2006 the Institute and the Department joined the Faculty of Health Sciences in developing the curricula of Recreation bachelor program. Since then the department have taught important fundamental courses in the bachelor training of recreation. A few years later teaching of recreation and leisure at Master level was accredited to the University by the Institute of Physical Education and Sport Sciences. The different trends in sport, recreation and leisure are introduced to the students taking part in sport science studies. Besides teaching compulsory and non-compulsory courses, members of the department help students in their thesis work, create scientific projects for students, take part in joined scientific projects with other institutes of the University, publish in Hungarian and also in international journals, present their work at different conferences.

The members of the Department hold courses in Basics of Biology, Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Functional Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Sport Physiology, Fitness Research, Motor Control, Improvement of Motoric Skills, Adapted Physical Education, Adapted Swimming and Human Biology. Our members participate in both the education of Undergraduate – in the fields of Physical Education and Coach BSc, Sport Management BSc – and Graduate – Recreation MSc – students and also actively teaches medics, Biology BSc and Doctoral students. The Physiology laboratory related to the Department is used as an educational and research lab. Our current equipment is used during the education of Sport Physiology, Physiological Stress Testing and Fitness/Exercise Physiology research courses.

In the Institute with the academic staff members having high levels of expertise (including coaches of Olympic medal-winning contestants and world champion sportsmen), thus ensuring the high international standards of training. On BSc level students can acquire a degree of Trainer or Sport Manager, and on MSc PE Teacher and Recreation Expert. Besides these, staff members of the Institute are involved in teacher training, postgraduate specialist training, PhD programs, and vocational training in coaching. They deliver courses in foreign languages as part of the ERASMUS program and English program in trainer BSc and recreation MSc.

Practice-oriented training is facilitated by perfect infrastructural conditions comprising sports hall, training halls and gymnasium, swimming pool, and open-air track and field sports grounds. Research is pursued with the inclusion of students, in several disciplines of natural sciences and humanities, in state-of-the-art laboratories. Members of the Institute have established the movement control research group of the Neuroscience Centre, with the aim of harmonizing research into neurological science, and to study immunological and biochemical markers indicating fitness and training levels. Fields of humanities are associated with education science, economy and sociology.