The higher education system is administered by the Ministry of National Education co-ordinating in this respect the activities of the higher schools and supervising the higher schools subordinated to it. The powers of the Minister of National Education in the field of his supervision is vested in other competent ministers as regards the schools supervised by them (Ministry: of Health and Social Welfare (for Medical Academies), of Culture and Art (for Music, Fine Arts, and Theatre, Film and TV Academies), of Transport and Maritime Economy (for Merchant Marine Academies), of the Chairman of the Office of Physical Education and Tourism (for Physical Culture Academies), of National Defence (Military Academies), Internal Affairs and Administration (Fire-fighting School and Higher Police School).
The Central Council of Higher Education, the elected representative body of all higher schools, with wide constitutional and advisory rights, co-operates with the Minister of National Education and upon his request or on its own initiative can determine: minimum programme requirements for particular fields of studies, conditions which the school must fulfil to be able to award professional titles (according to the Act of 12 September 1990 on Schools of Higher Education – Art.42). The basic legal Acts under which higher schools operate are: The Act on Higher Education, Act on the System of Education, Act on Academic Title and Academic Degrees and Act on Schools of Higher Vocational Education. Higher studies are almost exclusively covered by university-level institutions. The State schools of higher education are founded, transformed and dissolved by Act of Parliament. They are founded and operated on the principle of freedom of scientific research, freedom of artistic activity and freedom of education.
There are fourteen main types of higher education institutions in Poland:
1. Uniwersytety/ universities
2. Politechniki/Technical Universities
3. Akademie Medyczne/Medical Academies
4. Akademie Rolnicze/Agricultural Academies
5. Akademie Ekonomiczne/Economical Academies
6. Wyzsze Szkoly Pedagogiczne/Higher Teacher Education Schools
7. Akademie Muzyczne, Sztuk Pieknych, Teatralne i Filmowe/Academies of Music, Fine Arts, Theatre, and Cinematography
8. Akademie Wychowania Fizycznego/Academies of Physical Education
9. Akademie Teologiczne/Theological Academies
10.Uczelnie Papieskie/Pontifical Universities
11. Szkoly Morskie/Merchant Marine Academies
12. Wyzsze Szkoly Policji/Higher Police Schools
13. Szkoly Pozarnicze/Fire-fighting Schools
14.Akademie Wojskowe/Military Academies
There are 104 state and 135 non-state higher education institutions in Poland. All state institutions are financed by various ministries, although the Ministry of National Education maintains most institutions. Non-state institutions mostly cover their costs by charging tuition fees.
The state sector comprises:
12 universities
9 higher teacher education schools
5 economical academies
18 technical universities
9 agricultural academies
2 theological academies
6 academies of physical education
10 medical academies
6 academies of fine arts
8 academies of music
3 higher schools of theatre and film studies
2 marine academies
7 military academies
1 higher police school
1 school of fire fighting
5 pontifical universities
First six institutions come under the supervision of the Ministry of National Education (except for Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski which is supervised by Catholic church authorities), 10 medical academies fall under the supervision of the Health Ministry. One medical academy, the Collegium Medicum, is integrated into Jegiellonian University in Cracow and is not included in these 10. The Ministry of Culture and Art supervise 6 academies of fine arts, 8 academies of music, 2 of drama and 1 of film and TV, Office of physical Education and Tourism – 6 academies of sport and physical education. Various other ministries supervise other higher education institutions.
State higher education institutions offer full-time study courses held during the day time plus extramural or evening courses. The former are free of charge, whilst tuition fees are charged for the extramural and evening courses.
Courses offered by private institutions are also held during the day time, in extramural courses and in the evening, but all courses are subject to tuition fees.
The arrangement of courses varies, form the rather formal, rigid school-like teaching system trough to more flexible, credit-based systems where students are free to choose a certain number of disciplines and even their teachers.
The course level offered can generally be described as follows:
State institutions offer:
Programmes leading to licencjat or inzynier degrees. State universities will in most cases offer a general profile licencjat. In some cases, the universities also offer Magister degree courses build on these licencjat degrees.
Most state universities offer courses leading to various magister degrees: magister inzynier (engineering science), magister inzynier architekt (architecture), lekarz (medicine), lekarz stomatolog (stomatology) lekarz weterynarii (veterinary science), magister sztuki (fine arts), magister edukacji (education). More details on these degrees are contained in the Glossary. In order to gain magister degree, students must prepare and defence a magister thesis.
State universities also offer doctoral studies, which last three to four years. Candidates must hold a Magister degree. The traditional alternative to a course-based doctorate is also possible. Candidates then work towards a doctorate through an assistantship for about 8 years. Doctoral students are expected to pass doctoral examination, produce and defend doctoral dissertation. Doctorates are awarded by the Faculty Council of higher education institution (Rada Wydzialu).
The second academic degree, the “Doktor habilitowany”, is awarded by the Faculty Council. Candidates must publish a thesis (monograph) and pass a special habilitation colloquium.
The state universities also offer a number of specialist short-term postgraduate or so-called post-diploma courses. These vary in length from three months to two years. However, they are not always available, rather being arranged in accordance with demand.
Private institutions. These institutions usually offer licencjat qualifications which include a specific professional orientation and which can count as a professional qualification.
Several private institutions have also been authorised to award successful students the Magister degree.
University level studies
Stage 1: Licencjat or Inzynier - The professional diploma of Licencjat is granted after 3 or 3.5 years and Inzynier after 3.5 or 4 years of successful study.
Stage 2: Magister – First university degree - higher education, depending on type and discipline, lasts, on the average, from 4.5 to 6 years. Graduation demands not only required credits and examinations, but also the preparation and successful defence of a short thesis. Magister diplomas, apart from the professional title, indicate various specialisations. Some studies differ; in the case of medical studies for example, courses last six years and lead to a cycle of final examinations (a thesis is then not required).
Magister – Second university degree – for holders of licencjat or inzynier, lasts about 2 years
Stage 3: Doktor degree. This qualification is obtained after submitting and defending publicly a thesis and passing the required examinations. The doctoral thesis can be prepared while carrying on with various forms of post-graduate studies, i.e. medical studies, post-graduate scientific practice in higher schools and institutes, practice at higher schools of Fine Arts and other arts institutions, specialised training for physicians, dentists and pharmacists in hospitals, clinics of medical academies and research institutes.
The equivalent of “doktor degree” in the artistic disciplines is “Kwalifikacja I Stopnia” – First Qualification Degree.
Stage 4: “Doktor Habilitatowany” degree. The degree of “Doktor Habilitatowany” is awarded to candidates already holding Doctor degree, on the successful presentation of the habilitation dissertation and colloquium. The habilitation dissertation should represent the candidate's major contribution to development in a given field or branch of learning and should be published in full or in its major parts.
The equivalent of “doktor habilitowany” degree in the artistic disciplines is “Kwalifikacja II Stopnia” – Second Qualification Degree.
Teacher education. Training is conducted in teacher training colleges and at universities. Graduates have to follow an additional 300-hour pedagogical course before or after obtaining a Magister. Teachers of foreign languages are trained in 3-year foreign languages teacher training colleges.
Academic year
The academic year in Poland usually starts on 1 October and ends on 30 September of the following year. The year is divided in two semesters: a winter semester - from October to late January - and a summer semester – from March to late May. Each semester is followed by examination period. Students who fail to pass the semester examination are required to study and retake the exam during the winter or summer vacations . Students studying engineering or agricultural disciplines may be required to complete some practical training during the summer vacations.
ABOUT ENIC HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM SYSTEM OF NATIONAL EDUCATION ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK CREDENTIAL EVALUATION
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