Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, Matej Bel University

The Faculty of Political Science and International Relations at Matej Bel University (commonly referred as FPVMV), (Slovak: Fakulta politických vied a medzinárodných vzťahov Univerzity Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici) is the international relations and public policy school of Matej Bel University. FPVMV offers bachelor's degrees in political science and international relations, master's degrees in International relations, Security studies, and Political science and also grants doctoral degrees in International relations, and Political science. It conducts research in subjects relating to international affairs, politics and government.

Faculty of Political Science and International Relations UMB
Motto
Veritate et Legibus
TypePublic
Established1995
Parent institution
Matej Bel University
DeanBranislav Kováčik
Academic staff
43
Students642 (Fall 2019)
Undergraduates384 (Fall 2019)
Postgraduates258 (Fall 2018)
Location
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
ColorsOrange and Black[1]
   
Websitefpvmv.umb.sk

The faculty is widely recognized as one of the leading international relations teaching and research institutes in Central Europe.[2]

Along with its Slovak taught programs the faculty also offers French dual degree programs in co-operation with the Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University, and English taught Master's and PhD. programs.[3]

Since 2009 the faculty headquarters the National Center of Excellence for International Security Studies[4] funded through the RD Program of the EU.

FPVMV alumni and faculty have included multiple ambassadors, diplomats, politicians, and public figures.

Campus

The faculty campus is located in the historical city downtown of Banská Bystrica, bordering the branch office of the National Bank of Slovakia and the Matej Bel University Rector´s department. The campus consists of two buildings, which are set in a 4-acre urban park overlooking the river Hron. The main building is an early 17th-century chateau, which was completely reconstructed in 1995 and 2010. The second building is an early 17th-century servant's house, which served for many years as a headquarters for the faculty's various student organizations. Partially reconstructed by the Euro-Atlantic Center, it had been the headquarters for Globsec, until 2011 when the newly established Slovak-French university institute moved into this object.

Academics

The faculty has had a distinctive international reputation since it was founded in 1995. The faculty's graduates have, on average, one of the largest salaries in the country.[5]

Academic departments

The faculty consists of the following departments:

  • Department of International Relations and Diplomacy

The Department of International Relations and Diplomacy deals with teaching activities related to the following subjects: Diplomacy, Diplomatic and Consular Law, European Studies, Geopolitics of the Slovak Republic, Humanitarian Law, Integration Processes and Basic Principles of European Law, Canadian Studies, etc. The department also offers a doctoral degree program in international relations and diplomacy.

Conference with HE Jean-Marie BRUNO - ambassador of France to Slovakia and HE Axel Hartmann - ambassador of Germany to Slovakia
  • Department of Politics

The Department of Politics provides full-time bachelor's and master’s programs in "International Relations" and "Political Science" as well as a full-time doctoral program in "Theory of politics".

  • Department of Security Studies

The Department of Security Studies focuses on applied political issues for example, globalization and regional problems, socioeconomic geography of regions in the world, geography of the Slovak republic and political geography.

Center of excellence

FPVMV headquarters the National Center of Excellence for International Security Studies.[4] The Center is funded by the Operational Program for Science and Research of the European Regional Development Fund. Its main goals are to

  • Produce cutting-edge academic research by encouraging integrated, multidisciplinary approaches to traditional and emerging challenges to security
  • Develop the next generation of academics and practitioners by providing high quality postgraduate education in international security
  • Broaden and deepen public understanding of the nexus between interstate conflict, transnational forces and human insecurity
  • Produces original and impartial research of (key) modern security issues, and makes this analysis available to policymakers, scholars, journalists, and the public.[6]

The Center of Excellence also houses the UMB Data & Society Lab (UMB DSL), founded in 2018 with financial support from IBM. UMB DSL is the first institute in Slovakia to focus on education, research and policy in the realm of internet and society. The lab is a member institution of the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers.

Academic Publishing

The faculty publishes the Politické vedy journal[7] which was run from 1998-2000 in cooperation with the Institute of Political Sciences at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, but since 2000 it has been exclusively administrated by the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations.[8]

Partnerships

As a part of its internationally focused education, it encourages students to add an international component to their studies by living in a foreign country. The school believes that the experience is a key part of an education in international affairs because it increases understanding of the world by providing students with a variety of new and unexpected perspectives. The program functions as bilateral partnerships with a number of schools.

Some of these include University of Bologna in Italy, University of Cologne in Germany, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Serbia) - Diplomatic Academy, Complutense University of Madrid in Spain etc. The faculty constantly looks for new partners and schools are added on a yearly basis.

In 2011, the faculty established the Slovak-French University Institute, in partnership with the French Embassy in Slovakia and two French Universities. The institute is headquartered on the school's campus and its main goal is to support scientific cooperation and academic mobility between French and Slovakian universities.[9]

Student life

Student body
Debating club - Video conference with Ioannis Vrailas, deputy head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations

There are about 600 full-time students and 40 part-time students at FPVMV. The Faculty is noted for having a very high number of student run organisations. Various organisations founded by students during their studies at FPVMV went on to become major national and international non-governmental organisations active in the filed of international relations and security studies. A notable example is Globsec, the organiser of the annual GLOBSEC Forum, and now one of the 50 most influential think-tanks in the world, ranked by the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report at the University of Pennsylvania. [10]

Notable student run organisations currently active at FPVMV are e.g. the Euro-Atlantic Center; Central European Security Alliance; Center of Nations Slovakia.

Greek life

The Faculty of Political Science and International Relations of Matej Bel University is home to the Sigma Phi Kappa[11] fraternity. However, there is no "Greek row" on campus, nor is the fraternity formally acknowledged by the faculty. Activities of SPK are wide-ranging and include the organization of sporting events, organizing student parties, participating in fund raising events and more. The Sigma Phi Kappa also publishes a newsletter called PARTA HREJ. SPK's symbol is a platypus, representative colors are yellow and light blue.

Administration

The school is administrated by the Dean's department. The school's scientific and research tasks are however determined by the Scientific Board. The main governing body of the school is the Academic Senate. The faculty's current dean is Associate Professor Branislav Kováčik. The first dean of the faculty was Peter Kulašik, formerly a senior scientist at the Political Science Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

  • Dean doc. PhDr. Branislav Kováčik, PhD., EMBA
  • Vice-Dean for Science, Research and Development: Dr.h.c. prof. Ing. Pavel Nečas, PhD
  • Vice-Dean for Studies: doc. Mgr. Lucia Rýsová, PhD.
  • Vice-Dean for International and Public Relations: doc. Mgr. Jaroslav Ušiak, PhD.
  • Secretary: PhDr. Klaudia Franková

Notable Alumni

References
  1. FPVMV pre médiá. FPVMV. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  2. "Prinášame rebríčky fakúlt vysokých škôl". tvnoviny.sk. Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  3. "IUFS". Iufs.sk. Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  4. "Centrum Excelentnosti Úvod" (in Slovak). Projekty.umb.sk. Archived from the original on 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  5. "Informácie o vysokých školách - Profil". Vs.iedu.sk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  6. UMB BB. "Univerzita Mateja Bela - Projekty štrukturálnych fondov EÚ" (in Slovak). Umb.sk. Archived from the original on 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  7. http://www.politickevedy.fpvmv.umb.sk/en/
  8. "Politické vedy - 1998 - 2000". Upv.sav.sk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  9. "International Day at Matej Bel University | ESN Slovakia". Esn.sk. Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  10. "Global Go To Think Tank Index Report". University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2021-11-01. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  11. "Sigma Phi Kappa". Facebook. 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  12. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/sk/23868/MONIKA_BENOVA/cv
  13. https://kamdomesta.sk/pavel-sibyla-a-peter-tkacenko

[1]

  1. http://fpvmv.webcreators.sk
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