Education in Poland  

Compulsory and Secondary Education

Education in Poland is free and compulsory for eight years between the ages of seven and 14 years.  Before the age of seven, children may attend preschools (zlobki) and kindergartens (przedszkola).  In 1990, 46% of children between of three and six attended kindergarten and 905 of six year olds attended pre-school educational establishments.  Traditional schooling begins at seven years of age with the eight-year school (szkola podstawowa).  Curricula are uniform throughout Poland.  There are also a small number of private schools, governed by state supervision.  In 1989 the Roman Catholic Church was granted the right to operate its own schools. 

  Secondary education is provided free of charge to candidates who successfully complete the entrance examination.  In 1990 about 75% of students attended vocational and technical schools (technika zawodowe), or basic vocational schools (zasadnicze szkoly). Vocational technical schools provide five-year courses of general education together with vocational training.  This type of schooling can lead to qualifying for entering post-secondary higher educational institutions.

  Children who continue with their education after the compulsory eight years enter general secondary schools (liceum ogolnoksztalcace), where four-year course completion leads to college or university entrance. In the 1990-1991 academic year there were 96 higher educational establishments in Poland, that included 11 universities and 18 technical institutions. Expenditure from the government budget on education for 1990 was 14.6% of the total budgetary-expenditure (28,249,900m.zlotys).

The structure of higher education in Poland

One hundred and ten institutions offer post secondary education for 495,000 Polish people and three quarters of them are full-time students. Women constitute half of the student population. Teacher training colleges, agricultural and medical schools are less popular than universities and technical schools.   

  Universities in Poland constitute a separate group among the units of higher education. They deal with the humanities, social sciences, and "hard" sciences. Disciplines such as medicine, the arts, trade, agriculture, and technology are developed in separate establishments of higher education. In Poland there are more than ninety institutes of higher education including eleven universities. Except for few, all of the schools are state run institutions. 

Undergraduate and graduate studies

  The academic year lasts from the October 1st, until the end of May.  Vacations include one week at Christmas, a holiday at Easter, and a two week semester break in the first half of February.  Secondary school graduates are candidates for higher education and must take a competitive admission examination in July.  Education is free and studies last five years after which graduates earn a Master's degree. Students are obliged to attend lectures and classes according to their program of study and there are comprehensive exams at the conclusion of obligatory courses. Students are promoted to the subsequent year on the basis of their attendance and successful completion of examinations. At the beginning of their university studies students select a department in which to focus their efforts.  On completion of the third year students select a specialization area within their major field of study. Following which they attend M.A. or M.Sc. seminars, and with the guidance of their faculty advisors prepare their theses. Upon completion of their studies and the  acceptance of the M.A. or M.Sc. thesis, students are rewarded the title of Master of Arts or Master of Science. Foreign students may attend the University as part of an exchange program between Warsaw University and other universities.  Each year approximately seven thousand people participate in this form of study especially in the fields of law and administration, economics, and history.

Post-graduate and Doctoral Studies

  There are two levels of higher education beyond the Master's degree in Poland. Doctoral studies last at least three years during which time the candidates, who are free from teaching responsibilities, are expected to write their doctoral theses. They receive monies from monthly grants during the entire period of their studies. Candidates are required to take a competitive entrance exam. Post-graduate studies last 1 and 1/2 years and their purposes are to further the education of university graduates. Education is free but the participants do not receive any financial aid from the University.

Faculty advancement

  Graduates who are interested in research or university level teaching who are accepted by a University become members of the faculty.  Their teaching load is 7 hours a week and they must conduct scholarly research. They are expected to complete their doctoral dissertations within a period of 8 years. Contracts are not renewed for those who fail to fulfill this condition. Further, if they earn their Doctorate, they are expected to submit another thesis ("habilitacja"), in the next three years while continuing their teaching activities. The degree of "doktor habilitowany" entitles them to a permanent position at the university. In another few years, they may receive a professional title, following a recommendation of their Faculty Council and approval by the University Senate and the Government Commission.  Polish academic titles are:

magister (mgr)                     = M.A. or M.Sc.

doktor (dr)                             = Ph.D. (Assistant Professor)

docent (doc.)                         = Associate Professor

profesor nadzwyczajny         = Professor

professor zwyczajny              = University Professor

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