The history of the Faculty of Finance and Accountancy (FFA) can be traced back to the common origin of Hungarian higher economic professional programmes in the Pest Academy of Commerce founded in 1857, and then the Eastern Academy of Commerce. More exactly, however, the establishment of the College of Accountancy, in 1953, can be considered the founding date of the Faculty's legal predecessor. The training then took place in Mester Street, in the building of the current Szent István Vocational High School. Education within the institution was suspended between 1959 and 1962 due to budget constraints and then resumed in 1962, under the name ‘Higher School of Finance and Accountancy’. From the 1970/71 academic year, the legal predecessor of the Faculty was called the College of Finance and Accountancy (CFA). Its registered office then moved to its current location, in the District XIV. (Zugló) on Buzogány street. Institutes of the college were established in Zalaegerszeg in the 1971/72 academic year and in Salgótarján the following academic year. With that, it became the flagship of Hungarian higher education in Finance and Accountancy.
Subsequently, a change took place in the history of the college in 2000, when the Budapest Business School was established by merging with the College of International Management and Business and the College of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism. The institution has been integrated into the BBS as an independent faculty and has remained independent as a university faculty since the college became a university in 2016.
The Faculty currently operates on two campuses in Budapest.
The Buzogány street campus is the central building of the Faculty. Outstanding developments have taken place here in recent years. In 2018, the III. lecture hall was renovated in co-operation with ProcessSolution. The following year, in 2019, thanks to UniCredit funding, the campus was enriched with a new state-of-the-art space named the Fintelligence Financial Education Centre. The greening of the building also began in the same year, with the completion of the first floor ‘green wall’.
In the autumn of 2020, the renovated hall and a number of related departmental offices will be handed over.
As a guarantee of continuous development, the Faculty building in Zugló will be expanded with a new central library, cultural and sports facilities and a multifunctional student centre. To design the new complex, BBS issued a design tender in cooperation with the Hungarian Chamber of Architects. With the implemented investment, the building complex of FFA Buzogány Street will be expanded with an enclosed area of 1,750 m2, a green roof of 650 m2 and community space of 560 m2. It is planned that the initial steps of the investment will take place this year.
The emerging multifunctional centre will be realised according to the needs of the new generation, where in addition to the traditional library, flexible and easily adaptable community spaces, cultural and sports functions will play an important role. The roof gardens and terraces associated with the public spaces of the new building, in addition to providing an excellent opportunity to relax, can reinforce students’ environmental awareness and also express the University’s commitment to sustainability.
The smart campus on Berzsenyi Street, which was handed over ceremonially on 30th August, 2017, is also the business development campus of BBU. The defining figure of the building's centuries-old past is Gyula Jungfer, an ornamental blacksmith who, as one of the progressive entrepreneurs of his time, also won the recognition of Franz Joseph I, the Austrian emperor and Hungarian and Czech king. The ruined building, which had been vacant for years, was renovated by the University from its own resources, using modern and innovative technologies, respecting the history of the building and taking into account sustainability considerations. The Berzsenyi Dániel Street campus is home to the master’s degree Programme in Business Management, the Team Academy training at the Faculty of Finance and Accountancy, the University's priority adult training, and BBU's first centre of excellence, the Budapest LAB Entrepreneurship Centre.
The Bagolyvár Hall of Residence of the faculty is located in the heart of Zugló, in the middle of Bagolyvár street. The institution provides 374 students with a pleasant environment for peaceful relaxation, productive learning and cultural leisure. The dormitory has a total of 136 double and triple rooms, as well as three accessible apartments for students. The basic service provides residents with laundry, cooking and internet access for each student. The hall of residence not only provides modern study and housing conditions but residents are able to participate in numerous events and the dormitory building also provides exercise facilities.
For further information, please visit the FFA page.