Main rules for medical students

1. Main rules for medical students studying in credit system

2. Minimum credit points You have to collect • 360 credits (General Medicine major) or • 300 credits (Dentistry major) to get the degree 80% of the credits come from obligatory subjects 15% you have to collect from elective subjects 5% you have to collect from optional subjects

3. Obligatories What you surely have to complete • All your obligatory subjects • All the criterion requirements (4 semesters in Physical Education, summer practices: Hospital Care (1st year), Medical Communication (1st year), Internal Medicine (3rd year), Surgery (4th year), and a final exam in Hungarian Language • 34 (GM) / 25 (Dent) credits from elective subjects + you’ll have to defense your thesis (20 points as an elective subject) • 18 (GM) / 15 (Dent) credits from optional subjects

4. Credit points You can collect credit points by getting a grade in subjects. After every 14 hours of class hours 1 credit point is allocated to the subjects (14 hours = 1 credit, 18 hours = 1 credit, 24 hours = 1 credit but 28 hours = 2 credits) All credit points allocated to that subject will be given if at least a satisfactory grade is given (this is a qualitative pointer – how much work did it take).

5. Criterion requirements Though criterion requirements are obligatoryto complete, since in their cases no grade is given and no exam is taken, they go with 0 credits.

6. Suggested curriculum Suggested curriculum contains the obligatory subjects and criterion requirements that you have to complete - in the suggested schedule – if you follow it, you’ll be able to finish your studies in 6 years. According to it you are suggested to complete 30±3 credit points / semester.

7. Electives and optionals The list of elective and optional subjects can be found in a separate booklet every year. Electives are more closely related to the medical field, optionals can be anything – from arts to technical character subjects, to serve your wide range of interest. By the end of the 5th year (GM: before you start rotational year) you must complete 54/45 points in electives (remember: thesis worth 20 credits), and 18/15 points in optionals.

8. Choosing a course Which course should I choose from the list offered by the ETR? • Do I need to complete it? (obligatory) or is it interesting enough? (you can read about courses in the program booklets) • Have I completed it’s prerequisite subjects? • Will it fit to my schedule? • Are there any available spots for me? • Do I need that type of credit (especially in case of elective / optional subjects)?

9. Code of subjects What shows if it is an obligatory subject or an elective or an optional one? Check the 3rd character in the course code: A / P / K = it is an obligatory subject E = it is elective F = it is optional R = it is a criterion requirement

10. Booking period The semesters start with a booking period. • step: make your semester active in ETR • step: choose the subjects that you want to study in that semester – beware of the deadlines! • step: doublecheck your list before the deadline! Booking or cancelling a course after the deadline can be done only by using the law of equity (and loosing your dean’s exam chance).

11. Subject or course? A subject is a part of the curriculum. It has to be completed by getting a grade (or a signature in case of crit. req. subjects). A subject is always connected to 1 major (this connection is shown in the code of the subject). E.g. Hungarian Language 1 is a subject. A course is the class you can attend (it has schedule, a place, and spots). A course is held upon the basis of subjects. Courses can be available for more majors. By attending the course you can complete a subject. E.g. Hungarian Language 1 on every Tuesdays and Thursdays at 14.00 is a course which GM and Dent students can attend, and there are 20 places (spots) available. Hungarian Language 2 on every Mondays and Fridays is an other course. It is also suitable for completing Hungarian langauge 1 subject. Since you can get credits only for once for the same subject, you have to choose one of the courses based on the same subject. In the ETR actually you book the course, and by this you express your decision that you want to complete that subject.

12. Take up a subject max. 3 times At UP MS subjects can be completed once. That means if you were given a passing grade for a subject, you cannot take it up again in an other semester to make a better grade in it – you were already given the credit points allocated for that subject. (For one achievement you can get credits once.) A bettering grade can be only received in the same exam period.

13. Subject lists After the booking period the RO gives you a list with your subjects you booked. By signing this list you admit that the list is correct, and you cannot attend, nor take exam in or get credit points for any other courses in this semester. Students are asked then to copy the list into their gradebooks. The Registrar closes the list by signing and sealing the page of the last item on the list.

14. Tuition fee Usually 1-2 weeks before the instruction period starts the RO sends an information e-mail to each students: how much do they have to pay, to which bank account they have to pay, what is the deadline, what delay fees can there be, etc. Usually the deadline for paying the tuition fee is the end of the first week of the instruction period and for bringing in a proof of the payment is the end of the second week. Delay fee for delay in payment: 0.3% of tuition fee / week, delay fee for delay in bringing in the receipt: 3450 HUF / week. Students can have a discount from the tuition fee: • Upon educational scholarship: if the average of averages in the first and second semesters of the last year is 4.01 – 4.50 10% reduction 4.51 – 4.99 20% reduction 5.00 40% reduction • Reduction • if signed up for only1 obligatory subject (30%), • if signed up for only 2 obligatory subjects (15%), • if signed up for only elective and optional subjects – 1500 USD. These two types of discounts are automatic.

15. During the instruction period During the instruction period you’ll have to • attend classes – at practices and seminars a catalog is taken. Number of absences accepted is always issued in the program booklets or should be released at the beginning of the instruction period. If you were absent in 15-30% of the classes – usually practices and seminars – the course director can deny giving you the signature. Beyond 30% your gradebook cannot be signed. • There will be mid-semester tests and oral interviews, tasks to complete.

16. Shortly before the exam period Some weeks before exam period the departments agree with student representatives about the exam dates. The RO puts in the dates to the ETR. On the last week of the instruction period the ETR opens for students so they can start registering and changing their exam dates. Also on the last week of the instruction period students who owe nothing towards the UP MS (tuition fee, delay fees, C chance fees, absence fees, confirmation papers, shown their residency permit / visa and address card) can pick up their gradebooks for the exam period. Students have to collect the semester closing signatures from the course directors on the last week, but at least before the exam.

17. Semester closing signature Criterion requirement: only this signature is needed (they are fail/pass type subjects) Subjects ending with a mid-semester grade (all of the elective and optional subjects and some of the obligatories): you can get the mid-semester grade only if this signature is given. Subjects ending with a semester or final exam: you can take the exam only if this signature is given. The course director has the right to deny this signature. If the student was absent at 15-30% of the classes the course director may decide, but if the absence was over 30% he has no right to sign the gradebook. In these cases a „did not attend – nem járt” notice is written in the gradebook.

18. Exam sheets There are two simultaneous ways to register exam results and other achievements. The exam sheets The student has to register himself/herself to an exam spot (date for a course + number of students accepted) through the ETR. This way his/her name appears on an exam sheet containing the names of the students on that exam date in that course. (I said course: spots can be available for more majors in common.) Students can cancel their names from an exam sheet until 2 working days before the exam 9.00 and they can register for an exam sheet until 1 working day before the exam 9.00. After this deadline exam sheets are closed and the departments print them out and they organize the exam date. A student can have only one exam spot in a course at the same time. If your name is not on the exam sheet, you cannot take the exam. At the exam the examiner fills in the exam sheets with the grades given. After the exam the examiner fills in the grades into the ETR.

19. The gradebook The other method of registering exam results and other achievements is the using of the gradebook. The student has to take the gradebook with him/her to the exam. Without the gradebook no one is allowed to sit for the exam. The examiner has to check whether the signature is given in that course. At the end of the exam the examiner writes in the result into the gradebook (and to the exam sheet as well) and signs it. Warning: the gradebook is an authenticate document of proof. Faking it can cause someone being dismissed from the university and being put into jail! (E.g. signing instead of the examiner…) If the result written on the exam sheet is different from the one written into the gradebook, the result written in the gradebook is valid.

20. Results Results can be: In case of criterion requirement subjects (where only a signature is given) = signing the gradebook or „nem teljesítette / did not attend” In case of midsemester grades = 1 (elégtelen / fail), 2 (elégséges / satisfactory), 3 (közepes / average), 4 (jó / good), 5 (jeles / excellent) or if signature is denied: „nem teljesítette / did not attend” In case of exams = 1 (elégtelen / fail), 2 (elégséges / satisfactory), 3 (közepes / average), 4 (jó / good), 5 (jeles / excellent) or if signature is denied: „nem teljesítette / did not attend” or in case of absence as shown below. If the student was absent from the exam without medical reason, the note saying will be entered to the ETR (and to the gradebook after returning it to the RO) = „nem jelent meg /absent”. If there was a medical reason and the student could prove it to the examiner before the next exam chance, the following note will be entered to the gradebook and the exam sheet: „igazoltan nem jelent meg / justified absence”. Being absent without medical reason from an exam means you lose that chance and you have to pay an absence fee (4000 HUF).

21. A, B, C exam chances In every semester you take a subject, you have 3 chances to complete the exam (if it ends with an exam). First chance is called the A chance. Second chance is called the B chance. Third chance is called the C chance (a fee should be paid for C chances: for semester exam = 4000 HUF, for final exams = 8000 HUF). If you retake this subject because you could’t complete it, during this second semester all your chances are considered as C chances. You can sign up for the next exam chance if the result is entered into the ETR.

22. Dean’s exam chance This chance can provide you a fourth exam chance in an exam period. This chance can be granted on the law of equity (that can be used only once during your studies) – if anything else was granted for you on the law of equity, you lost the dean’s exam chance. You have to give in a request on a form, it is judged in one working day and then you can register for the exam spot through the RO.

23. Returning gradebooks 2 working days after your last exam date in the semester you have to return your gradebook to the RO – but not later than the last day of the exam period (delay fee: 2000 HUF in 8 days and 11000 HUF beyond 8 days). The RO compares the entries in the gradebook and the ETR. The RO closes the semester by counting the weighted average of the grades (the credit points are the weights) and the number of credits completed. The Vice-dean of Education signs and seals the results on the right side – just opposite to the signature of the Registrar. The RO copies every entries from the gradebook to the registry book.

24. Credits taken / credits completed What happens if you register for a course but you cannot complete it? If it is the 1st or 2nd time you booked it – nothing harmful. If it is the 3rd time – you’ll be dismissed from the program. The tuition fee is designed to cover the completion of an amount of 360 / 300 + 10% credits (that’s normal). If you booked more than 396 / 330 credits (no matter how much you have completed), there is an extra fee you have to pay: _____ USD/credits.

25. 30 / 60 credit rules There was a rule saying if a student: • By the end of his/her 2nd active semester couldn’t complete 30 credits in obligatories and in electives Or • By the end of his/her 4th active semester couldn’t complete 60 credits in obligatories and in electives He/she has to be dismissed from the program. GOOD NEWS! This rule is cancelled! In fact only modified: scholarship receiving students – at the Hungarian program – will loose their scholarship and can continue their studies on a self-financing basis – but no one can be dismissed upon this reason.

26. Cases of automatic dismissal • Booking a course / subject for the 3rd time and not completing it • Not setting your student’s status for the semester to active or passive in the ETR at the matriculation period for the 2nd time after each other. (You may remember: you can be passive by setting your status to passive or not setting anything).You can be passive for 2 semesters continuously – but you have to set your status to passive. • etc. (see in Code of Studies and Examinations Article 23)