CEU Organization: Administrative and Academic Units

CEU's mission is grounded in its pursuit of academic excellence and civic commitment. The university aims at excellence in the mastery of established knowledge, in the creation of new knowledge in the social sciences and the humanities, and in developing the policy implications of both. CEU has built on a combination of American and European, including regional (Central and Eastern European), intellectual and academic traditions and on commitment to social service.

The Budget and Finance Office (BFO) is in charge of providing overall financial assistance to the CEU community.

The Center for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Policy (3CSEP) is an interdisciplinary research and educational center whose mission is to foster solutions to climate change and sustainable energy challenges, while advancing the implementation of development agendas. The center conducts its research at both the global and the regional/local levels, using selected regions and localities as case studies.

The Center for Ethics and Law in Biomedicine (CELAB) was established in 2005. Ethics and law of biotechnology have obtained increasingly global dimensions. Responding to emerging data protection and intellectual property issues in biomedical law and working towards a better international coordination of regulatory policies in these fields have been two most important issues that CELAB has focused its activities on. The idea behind establishing this Center was based on the recognition of a new and increasingly developing interdisciplinary field: the ethical, legal and social implications of biotechnology. The main pillars of the work done by the Center are the ethics and policy oriented research in the academic field of biotechnology and biomedical law. The Center runs an online biolaw-database, organizes and participates in several international research and policy networks. In the academic year of 2009–10 CELAB is involved in five EU founded projects. In various research projects the Center explores social, cultural, ethical and legal aspects of biobank, stem cell research, genetics, human reproduction, nanotechnology, organ transplantation, regenerative medicine.

The Center for Hellenic Traditions (CHT) promotes Hellenic Studies at Central European University (CEU), in Budapest, the region and beyond. The CHT defines “Hellenic” in inclusive terms encouraging interdisciplinary and transcultural approaches to research and teaching. With a focus on the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region, Central Asia, India and North Africa from classical to modern times – placing special emphasis on the Hellenistic empires, the “Byzantine Commonwealth,” and their respective successor cultures and states including the Ottoman empire –, it traces elements of Hellenic culture far beyond a Europe-centric approach.

The Center for Network Science provides an organizational framework to research in a field that evolved to be arguably the most interdisciplinary over the last fifteen years. With origins in anthropology, and deep roots in sociology, network approaches were recently re-invigorated by a massive interest in the natural sciences. This is an area where ideas from physics (such as phase transition dynamics) is applied to social phenomena (such as social movement mobilization).

Following the founding of the Central European University by the Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros, CEU Press was established in 1993. Reflecting the intellectual strengths and values of its parent institution, the press publishes books on the political philosophy and practices of open society, history, legal studies, nationalism, human rights, conflict resolution, open media, gender studies, Jewish studies economics, medieval studies, literature, and international relations.

The CEU Cognitive Development Center (CDC) was established in September 2008 by Gergely Csibra and Gyorgy Gergely (both faculty members in the Department of Philosophy). The mission of CDC is centered around scientific research on the cognitive development of babies and children. The research work of the center addresses questions related to the ontogenesis of human cognitive capacities, especially action interpretation, emotional development, social cognition and basic cultural learning mechanisms. CDC also plays an active role in the PhD program of the Department of Philosophy.

The Curriculum Resource Center (CRC) is Central European University's (CEU) external and internal resource, consultancy, and training unit in curriculum development and related issues with a special emphasis on social science and the humanities. CRC is part of the Special and Extension Programmes (SEP) and is funded by Open Society Institute's Higher Education Support Program (OSI - HESP).

The Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy is a center of excellence for environment -related scholarship and teaching in Europe, offering a comprehensive curriculum in environmental studies for intellectually advanced and ambitious graduate students. Our programs challenge students' ability to integrate theory and practice for the analysis, understanding, and management of environmental and environment-related problems.

The History Department is part of the newly established CEU School of Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, which brings together related teaching units (Medieval Studies Department, the Nationalism Studies Program), research centers (Open Society Archives, Pasts, Inc.) and the Religious Studies Program to strengthen CEU’s commitment to interdisciplinarity and the link between teaching and research. Through our CEU-HESP Comparative History Project we are at the core of dynamic academic and professional networks promoting a special blend of tradition and innovation in historical studies and related fields.

The Department of Legal Studies provides a high level of advanced legal education. Its programs are among the finest in Europe, enabling students to obtain a firm grounding in fundamental legal concepts before branching out into specific fields (such as the law of the European Union, intellectual property, international dispute settlement, international business transactions, fundamental rights protection vis-à-vis the state, and international and European human rights).

The Department of Medieval Studies offers multidisciplinary courses on both the Master’s and the doctoral levels to medievalists from diverse backgrounds (history, art history, archaeology, philology, philosophy and theology). The program focuses on late antique and medieval civilization in Europe (c. 300-1550 AD), dealing with different methods of communication, migration of peoples, mobility of objects, texts, and ideas in the larger medieval oikumene, including Asia and North Africa. Students are provided with a broad grounding in these areas as well as training in advanced research methodology with special reference to interdisciplinary, comparative and supranational issues.

The Department of Political Science invites students wishing to develop the analytical skills necessary to achieve excellence in their areas of study. With original scholarship, basic and applied research, and creative instructors constituting an essential core upon which to draw, graduate work at the department attracts an outstanding selection of uniquely qualified students from throughout the region and the world.

The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology offers an integrated program aiming to go beyond the disciplinary boundaries between sociology and anthropology, asking new questions about social analysis, regionalizations, and of sociology and anthropology as disciplines.

The Doctoral School offers and administers the Doctoral (PhD) Program in Political Science.
The PhD program in Political Science is primarily oriented towards academia, preparing graduate students for a career in research and/or university-level teaching.
The Doctoral School is an academic community home to more than 50 permanent faculty members and over 70 doctoral students. The Doctoral Program in Political Science has been established by the Departments of Political Science, International Relations and European Studies, and Public Policy with the aim of contributing to a spirit of cooperation between faculty and students and foster the consolidation of a common academic community across the three departments.
The PhD program aims to provide the theoretical and methodological groundings necessary to facilitate a broader comparative perspective which will mediate and engage scholarship and practices from both European and non-European contexts.
The structure of the PhD program in Political Science is based on a system of ‘tracks’ (areas of specialization, or ‘majors’). The tracks represent academic fields/sub-fields or research areas that reflect the major strengths and interests of our faculty.

The Human Resources Office (HRO) of Central European University works in partnership with management and CEU's academic and administrative units to attract and retain quality staff for the university.

The Library's main responsibility is to serve the CEU community, but its library services are also offered to the academic public worldwide. The convenient location, the airy and elegant atmosphere of the Library, its state-of-the-art electronic equipment and data retrieval tools, as well as its lengthy opening hours (84 hours per week!), and user-friendly, high-quality services attract patrons from both the CEU community and many other academic institutions

The Medical Center at CEU is open to all students, faculty and staff. Access to the Medical Center requires valid student ID and medical insurance cards. There are two qualified English-speaking doctors (male and female) who hold regular consultation hours. Students, faculty and staff may also visit the Medical Center by appointment at two given time slots

The Operations Office ensures the effective and efficient operation of the university in all areas of non-academic affairs.

The Open Century Project aims to influence political debate through its fellowship program and to lead - together with Remarque Institute at New York University and the Center for Contemporary Studies at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore - a research initiative to critically re-think the conceptual framework in which society and its elected politicians think about the world today.

Pasts, Inc. Center for Historical Studies was established in 2002 as a core of a transnational, interdisciplinary, intercultural network of scholars. Its mission has been to contribute to the training and career development of emerging scholars, in connection with specific research projects. Thus, the Center initiates, supports, and hosts a variety of research, educational, and training activities, as well as publications.

The Central European University now offers a unique academic program, the Specialization in Religious Studies. The Specialization is offered to MA students in History or Medieval Studies, providing the opportunity to receive a certificate of attendance, together with the degree in either History or Medieval Studies.

SEP/SPO is part of Central European University (CEU) which is an internationally recognized institution.

The Student Life Office provides support and day-to-day assistance during your time at CEU, whenever you need it.

The Student Recruitment Office coordinates student recruitment efforts, develops and implements a comprehensive recruitment strategy as well as conducts research on recruitment-related topics.