KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

A meeting was organized with freshmen of the Faculty of History and Law to familiarize them with international programmes offered by the University and opportunities to participate in them.

Bálint Halmi and Christian Sabo, both students of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPCU), who are studying the first semester at the Faculty of History and Law of ASPU, also participated in the meeting.

The guests spoke about the activity of the Chair of Armenian Studies established at PPCU as a result of cooperation with ASPU, the history of Budapest and centuries-old ties between Armenia and Hungary. Speaking about the programmes implemented by their university, they advised Armenian students to study at PPCU within the framework of exchange programmes and to increase the educational achievements of the two universities.

They have come to study at the Pedagogical University considering the positive feedback of Hungarian students who visited Armenia within the framework of Summer School projects. By the way the students will get 30 credits for studying one semester at the partner university under the cooperation agreement signed between Armenian State Pedagogical University and Pázmány Péter Catholic University.

Edgar Hovhannisyan, Dean of the Faculty of History and Law, said one of the difficulties of the teaching process is the creation of the corresponding language environment. They have also included in the group senior students who will help them solve the problem. Addressing the students, the dean stressed that students participate in international and exchange programmes for free and the selection is based solely on the applicants' abilities and knowledge.

The Dean assured everyone that exchange and other programmes are of great importance in the process of internationalization of the university and they will continue to work in that direction.

Raisa Avetyan, a representative of the ASPU International Cooperation Unit, presented the programmes offered by the University, especially the Faculty of History and Law. She stressed that the Faculty is one of the most internationalized faculties at the University. She particularly focused on the "Summer School" international project and Erasmus+ programme and the opportunities they offer. She emphasized the knowledge of foreign language, academic progress, and volunteerism as necessary criteria for applying.

In the previous years, ten students of the Faculty of History and Law studied at PPCU within the framework of Erasmus+ programme. During the meeting, some of them presented their impressions and achievements, advantages and opportunities afforded by the programme. They advised the freshmen to be aware of international programmes and use the opportunities of studying at European universities.

Five students of the Faculty spoke about the time spent at Pázmány Péter Catholic University within the framework of the Summer School 2018. They stressed that such programmes enable them to gain not only knowledge and skills but also give them an opportunity to travel, make new friends and return with numerous memories.