Established in 1940, the University of Economics in Bratislava (EUBA) is the 3rd oldest university in Slovakia and the leading public research university, internationally recognized in the field of Economics, Business and Management. It offers wide range of study programs on all levels of study. Quality driven education is closely connected to businesses and highly internationalized through extensive partners’ network. Based on external evaluation, graduates of the EUBA belong to the most wanted on job market with nearly 100% employment rate.
Since its establishment, the University of Economics in Bratislava has gone through various changes, concerning name, focus, content of study, as well as organizational structure.
The beginnings of the university date back to October 1940, when chambers of commerce and industry in the towns of Bratislava, Banská Bystrica and Prešov established a private College of Commerce in Bratislava (VOŠ) which was given a status of a public school by the government.
The fact that in 1939 Czech colleges – among them The Commercial College in Prague as well, at which, besides other, also Slovak students had been obtaining economic education – were closed, contributed to the necessity of establishing a school with an economic focus in Slovakia. The College of Commerce in Bratislava used its name until the end of the academic year 1944/45. The school was nationalized and renamed to the Slovak College of Commerce by the Decree of the Slovak National Council Nr. 34/1945. Since 1949, it was called the College of Economic Sciences. Decree of the government Nr. 40/1952 modified the name to the College of Economics (VŠE). Pursuant to the Act of the Slovak National Council Nr. 292/1992 of the April 28, 1992 the name was changed to the University of Economics in Bratislava.
The beginnings of the school have been connected with names of significant personalities, such as prof. Dr. Jur Hronec, prof. Július Pázman, prof. Vladimír Králiček, prof. Dr. Ladislav Cicvárek and others. Thanks to exactly these enthusiasts, foundations of the Slovak economic education were laid in 1940.
The College of Commerce began the activity without its own premises. The pedagogical process took place in rented premises in different parts of Bratislava. With the assistance of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bratislava, it was possible to buy two buildings in Palisády street for The College of Commerce.
Substantial improvements regarding premises came in 1960 when the College of Economics moved to a new building owned by the Comenius University in Bratislava in Odbojárov street. However, some workplaces stayed in the former college premises in Palisády and Konventná street. The question of premises had remained the principal problem, therefore the college was forced to make multiple changes in the placement of its workplaces or build new premises within the campus in Odbojárov street.
The inconvenient situation was supposed to be solved by building a new campus for the College of Economics in Bratislava-Petržalka in Dolnozemská cesta that would meet all demands placed on teaching, science and research, accommodation and catering within a single complex. The construction began in 1983. The Faculty of National Economy and the Faculty of Commerce moved to the first building, called Výučba 1 (Teaching 1), after it was finished in 1991. The Faculty of Economic Informatics, The Faculty of Business Management and other college workplaces moved to the other building, Výučba 2 (Teaching 2) in 1996. Construction of the new college campus in Petržalka provided the University of Economics in Bratislava a respectable seat which it as an institution of Slovak importance rightly deserves.
Since its establishment, the University of Economics in Bratislava has educated more than 100 thousand graduates for the sake of economic science, business praxis and public administration development. They work in all fields of national economy at all levels of economic management, many of them representing our country holding different work positions abroad.
Over 7 thousand students have currently been studying at seven Faculties of the UE in Bratislava in various types of study. Many of them have gained foreign scholarships, what proves good level of their preparation at the University of Economics in Bratislava. A graduate of the university is an economist who commands general economic theories, masters the knowledge of the policy of national economy, business administration, management, marketing, finances, quantitative methods in economy, informatics, law and other disciplines used in economic praxis and is able to communicate in at least two world languages. A graduate of the university is a person who, after joining the labour market, is a flexible and constant learner continuing to acquire necessary working habits, as well as new theoretical knowledge of the subject of work in the first place.
The basic document determining the functioning and legal status of the University of Economics since 1990 has been the Statute of the University of Economics in Bratislava. It was updated after adopting the amendment of the Higher Education Act in 1996. According to the Statute, the mission of the University of Economics is to provide university education and develop knowledge on basis of creative scientific research in the field of economics, humanities and social sciences. The university's highest self-governing body is the Academic Senate. The Academic Senate comprises elected members who account to the academic community of the EUBA which they represent. The academic community of the EUBA, consisting of teachers, scientific and research workers, specialists with a university degree and students, elects the academic senate. The academic body headed by the rector as the chairman is called the Scientific Board. The mission and competences of the Scientific Board are determined by the Statute of the University of Economics in Bratislava. The highest representative of the university and its statutory deputy is the rector. The collegium of the rector and the management of the EUBA are advisory bodies of the rector.