Department of Behavioural Sciences and Criminal Psychology

The specialised group for Criminal Psychology within the Department of Criminal Investigation was established in 1971. The next few years served as the period of laying the foundations. Dr. Péter Popper, Candidate of psychological sciences, who initially worked as the head of the specialised group for Criminal Psychology, played a significant role in the history of the Department of Psychology. From 1982 to 1998 police colonel Dr Géza Kis was the head of the organisational unit named the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, and later the Department and Laboratory of Psychology. Between 1998 and 2013 the head of this Department was associate professor Dr Ágnes Póth Csernyikné, followed by Dr Judit Hegedűs, the present head of the Department, which, in September 2015, evolved into an institute named the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Methodology.

The very first organisational unit to specialise in teaching criminal psychology was established in 2015 with the name Faculty of Criminal Psychology within the Institute of Behavioural Sciences and Law Enforcement. Educational activities soon commenced with Judit Hegedűs, PhD heading the Institute and Mihály Fogarasi, PhD heading the Faculty as the Acting Head. Dr. József Haller was appointed the Head of the Institute in January 2016, then later in the summer of 2016, he was also appointed as the Head of the Faculty.

The Institute ceased its activites in 2019, and the Department of Criminal Psychology started to operate as an independent teaching unit, which merged again with the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Criminal Psychology in August 2024, under the leadership of Dr. Judit Hegedűs. 

The aim of the Department is to conduct research into and manage the methodology of fields related to police science such as psychology, folk psychology, crowd psychology, pedagogy, education and ethics. From another aspect, our objective is to establish a nationally and internationally acknowledged centre at the Faculty of Law Enforcement of the Ludovika University of Public Service to be a hub for behavioural education and research related to law enforcement work to provide a sense of security in society. In 2019 the Department undertook the task of measuring and developing the students’ competences. We deliver subjects such as General Psychology, Law Enforcement Ethics, Pedagogy and Communication and our teachers also conduct research in these fields.

Head of Department of Behavioural Sciences and Criminal Psychology 

Dr. Judit Hegedűs, the head of the Department, after studying history and pedagogy at the Eötvös Loránd University, worked as a teacher at its Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology from 2001 to 2008 and became the head of the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Law Enforcement at the Faculty of Law Enforcement, NUPS in 2013. Her fields of research are prison pedagogy, criminal pedagogy, law enforcement higher education pedagogy, competence development and child protection.

Contact Information

Department of Behavioural Sciences and Criminal Psychology

Postal address: 1441 Bp. Pf. 60. (P.O. Box)

Office: 1083 Budapest, Üllői út 82., Ludovika University of Public Service Educational Centre, Room Nr. 220.

E-mail: rtk.rmkpt@uni-nke.hu

Telephone: 00 36 1 432 9070

Head of Department: Dr. Judit Hegedűs

Secretariat: Ms. Dorottya Győry