WENR

Bologna Country Update: Poland

Legislative Framework

Poland’s current system of higher education management is based on article 70 of the Constitution and four principle acts: 1990 Act on Higher Education, 1990 Act on Titles and Degrees, 1991 Act on Establishing the Committee for Scientific Research and 1997 Act on Higher Vocational Schools, which established higher vocational schools of which there are currently 25. A new Act on Academic Titles and Degrees was passed in 2003 and defines academic degrees and titles in the arena of fine arts. Work has begun on new legislation designed to replace the 1990 Higher Education Act and its amendments. It is expected to include: integration of the various acts that concern higher education issues, including elements resulting from the Bologna process; simplification and update of the law; and a simplification of the rules covering student fees.

Since the collapse of communism in 1989, the Polish system of higher education has been in a state of uncertainty arising from changes in social environments and new legislative proposals. The academic community was given far-reaching autonomy through the higher education law of 1990. At a time of rapid growth in enrollments and in the number of private providers, the system has suffered from decreasing budgets and numerous government proposals for reform. Reform has started at the primary and secondary levels, but has been slow in coming at the higher education level, which is still operating on the basis of the old 1990 law. There are currently a growing number of private higher education institutions that currently enroll almost 30 percent of the Polish student body, which has grown fourfold over the last ten years while the number of faculty has remained level. The increased level of autonomy at the institutional level has meant that structural reform along Bologna lines tends to differ greatly from institution to institution.

1. Easily Readable and Comparable Degrees

2. Degree Structure

Stage I: Licencjat (Licentiate) and Tytul Inzynier (Title of Engineer) degrees are awarded by universities and other higher education institutions after three or four years of full-time study (3.5 to 4 in engineering). Graduates of Specialized Foreign Language Teacher Training Colleges functioning within the academic structure are awarded the licencjat degree after three years of study. The Dyplom Ukonczenia (certificate of completion of a given post-secondary teacher-training college) is awarded after three years of study in primary education. Three-year university-level licencjat degrees from teacher training colleges (Kolegium Nauczycielskie) are also available in primary education. The entrance requirement for all three qualifications is the Swiadectwo Dojrzalosci (high school maturity certificate).

Stage I & II: Tytul Magister (Title of Master) is awarded after 4-5 years of study, which includes the defense of a thesis and a final examination. For professional qualifications, the title of the subject is included: Tytul Magister Inzynier (Title of Master in Engineering — 5 years of study), Tytul Magister Lekarz (physician – six years of study), Tytul Lekarza Stomatologa (Dental Physician – 5 years of study) and the Tytul Lekarza Weterynarii (Veterinary Physician – 5 to 5.5 years of study). Master’s studies (Uzupelniajace Studia Magisterskie) of 1.5 to 2.5 years are available to holders of licencjat or inzynier degrees, and lead to the award of the Tytul Magister. Integration into the European Higher Education Area seems to have increased the availability and popularity of this second-tier qualification (see below).

Stage III: There are two levels of doctoral degree. The lower degree of Doktor includes three to four years of postgraduate study, the submission and successful defence of a doctoral dissertation, and doctorate examinations. Candidates for the higher degree, Doktor Habilitowany (Habilitated Doctor), must have remarkable scientific or artistic achievements; submit a habilitation dissertation; receive a favourable assessment of his/her dissertation; pass a habilitation examination and deliver a favourably assessed habilitation lecture.

Current Trends

3. Credit Transfer/Accumulation

Polish Higher Education Grading Scale
Grading Scale Used in the Faculty ECTS Grading Scale Definition Adopted in the EU Programs
5.0 bardzo dobry (very good) A – excellent Remarkable achievements — only secondary mistakes permitted
4.5 dobry plus (good plus) B – very good Above average — certain mistakes allowed
4.0 dobry (good) C – good Generally good work with noticeable mistakes
3.5 dostateczny plus (satisfactory plus) D – not good enough Satisfactory, but with significant fundamental shortcomings
3.0 dostateczny (satisfactory) E – poor The results of work fulfil minimum criteria
2.0 niedostateczny (unsatisfactory) F – bad (fail) The results of work do not fulfil the minimum criteria — credits may be granted if the student revises the whole of the material

 

4. Mobility

5. Quality Assurance

6. Promotion of European Dimensions in Higher Education


References