HISTORY OF THE FACULTY
The Great Plain and, more broadly, the Tisza River Basin are the center of Hungary's agri-food economy. That is why it was a logical decision from our predecessors to have a higher education and research center in the region to support the production and processing of raw materials, which helps to develop and maintain competitive agriculture by continuously providing qualified human workforce and putting scientific results into practice.
In Eastern Hungary, higher agricultural education started in 1868, with the establishment of the National Higher School of Economics in Debrecen. The institution operated under the name of the Royal Hungarian Academy of Economics until 1944. Between 1945 and 1949, our institution operated under the name of the Debrecen Department of the Hungarian University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. In 1953, training resumed at the Debrecen Agricultural Academy. Between 1962 and 1970, specialist training rose to university level at the College of Agricultural Sciences. Between 1970 and 1999, the institution received the “university rank”, the University of Agricultural Sciences in Debrecen had two rural faculties (Szarvas, initially Hódmezővásárhely, later Mezőtúr).
On January 1, 2000, the University of Debrecen was established with five university faculties, three college faculties and three research institutes. The Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development was established in 2002 and by 2006 the number of faculties of the University had increased to 14. The Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management (MÉK) and the Faculty of Economics and Rural Development (GVK), as well as three research institutes, formed the Center for Agricultural and Management Sciences (AGTC) until 2014.
The faculty and researchers of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management carry out their activities as a faculty of the University of Debrecen with the vision of “Research and education of water, energy-saving, environmentally friendly, safe and economical food production”.