History of the Faculty

The predecessor of the Faculty of National Economy in Bratislava (the NHF EU) was established in the academic year 1953/54 under the name of the Faculty of General Economy. At the same time, the Faculty also established a general field, which was divided from the next academic year into two courses, namely: political economy and economic planning. The reorganization of the High school of economy which came into effect  since the beginning of the academic year 1959/90  the name of the Faculty of General Economy was changed to the Faculty of Political Economics. The Faculty of Internal Trade and Finance were replaced by open courses of finance and credit and accounting records.

After this academic year, several changes in teaching were carried out at the High school of economy and the Faculty. Partial modifications of the study programs resulted in a new reform of the curricula in 1964, in which the leading departments played decisive tasks, as well as their requirements for setting up special courses. In 1996, the Act on higher education was amended and the study rules were changed. However, in a short period of time, the preference of specialization has gone beyond its optimal limits to the detriment of the broader theoretical basis of economic study.

At the end of the 60ies, further organizational changes were made at the High school of economics. In 1968, the Faculty of political economics was changed to the Faculty of National Economy (FNE). At the end of the 60ies and early 70ies, new concepts of the school and education system began to be processed. That resulted in a transition from a five-year study to four-year study since the academic year 1974/75. The reduction of the higher economic study was justified by the rationalization and modernization of the study, while the distribution of tasks was projected to a broader degree on theory based higher education and a newly-built system of specialized postgraduate and cyclical study.

The evaluation of the experience of this rebuilding of the study at the turn of the 70ies and 80ies led only to partial modifications of the study programs. The Higher Education Act of 1980 included the results achieved in the development of universities and, among other things, the name of the Faculty was also adapted to the current version of the Faculty of National Economy.

Since the academic year 1986/87, the Faculty began the education of students to be carried out according to an innovative pedagogical documentation, in which the profiling of the graduates of various courses of study was clarified. The mission of education for economic-oriented economists has been carried out by the Faculty of National Economy in two parts of the four-year study. In the first, roughly two-year part, in addition to the subjects common to all faculties, subjects which were specific for the FNE were also taught. Study in higher levels was covered mostly with subjects of specialization according to approved study disciplines.

In the context of substantial changes in society and the new needs of economic practice, in particular with the transition to the market economy and the disestablishment of the economy, after 1989 there have been substantial changes in the system and content of the study forming the profile of the FNE graduate. As early as February 1990, we started to prepare a new concept and structure of the High school of economy, as well as the Faculty of National Economy of the University of Economics.

By the Act No. 292/1992 the name of the High school of economy was changed to the University of economics in Bratislava, which also demonstrated new changes in focus, content of study and organizational structures of the University and its faculties, and a certain compatibility with training of economists in developed countries.

In 1990, by using the experience of many foreign universities, the academic Senate of the Faculty approved a new concept of study at the Faculty of National Economy complying to the requirements for economic education in terms of market economy. Accordingly, in the academic year 1990/91 teaching in the first year of study was started. The curricula of the next years have been adapted to that concept on the maximal level. A weekly number of lessons have been reduced, which gave students more room for individual work,  Faculty teachers have developed a new curriculum of individual subjects and new courses have been included in the curriculum to educate economists in the conditions of the market economy. For these conditions  the contents of various subjects taught by the Faculty was adapted.

In 1990, the Faculty of National Economy launched organizational changes in terms of the structures at various departments and their staff. These changes continued in the years 1991 and 1992.

The academic year 1994/95 ended the phase of the restructure of the study at the Faculty of National Economy of the University of Economics, which was carried out after 1990. In June 1995, according to this concept, the first graduates of the five-year Master studies completed their study. The new Faculty management by an active contribution of  various departments evaluated the previous conversion of the study and worked out another concept of the Faculty development so that its whole activity meets the requirements for economic education in market economy. Preparations for opening up new courses and specializations and for the introduction of a credit system for studies at the Faculty were launched.

This system of study at the FNE began to be applied from the academic year 1995/96, when students of the Faculty started studying from the first year on the basis of new curricula for newly approved courses and specializations. The purpose of the credit form of the university study was to make conditions for improving the study, to acquire more and more knowledge and the co-decision of students on their further profiling, and thus internationalizing the study. The new study system was also supposed to harmonize the content of the study with the needs of the market. At the same time, it enabled the students a higher mobility within universities from Slovakia and abroad. The academic year 1995/96 meant the completion of the process in the profiling of the Faculty in terms of courses and specializations. The new concept of study at the Faculty was largely supported by qualitative changes in scientific research and in the field of foreign relations of the Faculty.

In the academic year 1997/98, the academic Senate and the Scientific Committee of the Faculty approved the concept of development of the FNE along with the second stage of the reconstructions of the study. The concept was designed to fully match the demands of economic education in terms of market economy, with the goal to prepare such economists – national economists who will be able to address complex challenges of the transforming economy and also, to become respected partners of their colleagues in developed countries. In this academic year, a certain stage of organizational formation of the Faculty structure was completed in terms of study disciplines and study specializations. The profile and focus of teaching at the Faculty covered four courses and seven study specializations. In the academic year 1999/2000, the second stage of study rebuilding was completed at the Faculty, the study was completed by the first faculty graduates in the new study disciplines and specializations according to the credit system of the study, the academic senate elected new academic representatives of the Faculty. At the same time, the concept of further development of the Faculty began to be implemented. Its starting point was to maintain the continuity of the quality of pedagogical and scientific research activities, the existing profile of the Faculty, individual courses and specializations, as well as existing personnel and technical equipment of the Faculty .

The last accreditation of the Faculty took place in 2015, when the Faculty acquired the rights to provide training in seven study programs on the 1st level of study (bachelor's degree), in nine study programs on the 2nd level (Master study) and in five study programs on the 3rd level (doctoral studies).

Deans of the Faculty of National Economy since its foundation until now.