05 - Poland - Types of Institution

Teacher training colleges, foreign language teacher training colleges and colleges of social work

Teacher training colleges, foreign language teacher training colleges and colleges of social work are classified as tertiary education institutions (ISCED 5B) for international comparisons, but are not recognised as HEIs in the national legislation. They operate on the basis of the legislation concerning school education and form part of the school education system. Teacher training colleges and foreign language teacher training colleges have existed since 1990, whereas first colleges of social work were established in 2005. In the academic year 2007/08, there are 17 public teacher training colleges, 46 public foreign language teacher training colleges and 11 public colleges of social work.

All three types of colleges provide 3-year programmes leading to a diploma. Teacher training colleges and foreign language teacher training colleges specialise in teacher training, and thus are also referred to in the legislation as “initial teacher training institutions”. Colleges of social work specialise in the training of social workers.

Public teacher training and foreign language teacher training colleges are established and administered by local government units. Public colleges of social work are established and administered by the local government body at the voivodship (province) level. The establishment of a public college requires a favourable opinion to be given by the minister responsible for school education in the case of teacher training and foreign language teacher training colleges or the minister responsible for social security in the case of colleges of social work.

Each teacher training college, foreign language teacher training college and college of social work is supervised academically by a HEI which offers Master’s degree programmes in the field of study corresponding to the specialisation field in a given college. Detailed arrangements concerning such academic supervision are laid down in an agreement obligatorily concluded between the body administering a given college and a given HEI. Moreover, pedagogical supervision is exercised by the minister responsible for school education in the case of teacher training and foreign language teacher training colleges, and by the educational superintendent (head of the regional educational authorities) in a given voivodship (province) in the case of colleges of social work.

Higher education institutions

Until recently, HEIs were divided into “higher education schools” and “schools of higher vocational education” (or “higher vocational education schools”). Higher education schools and higher vocational education schools were established and operated on the basis of separate legislation (1990 Higher Education Act, and 1997 Act on Schools of Higher Vocational Education respectively). The 2005 Law on Higher Education, which repealed the legislation previously in force, distinguishes university-type HEIs and non-university HEIs.

University-type HEIsare HEIs in which at least one organisational unit (e.g. faculty) is authorised to award the academic degree of doktor. University-type HEIs may provide degree programmes (ISCED 5A), including first-cycle programmes leading to a Bachelor’s degree ( licencjat or inżynier )and/or second-cycle or long-cycle programmes leading to a Master’s degree ( magister or an equivalent degree), and doctoral programmes (ISCED 6). Non-university HEIsare HEIs which provide the same types of degree programmes as university-type HEIs, i.e. first-cycle, second-cycle and/or long-cycle programmes, but are not authorised to award the academic degree of doktor or provide doctoral programmes. Non-university HEIs include HEIs referred to as “higher vocational education schools” which are authorised to provide only Bachelor’s degree programmes.

In order to be authorised to provide degree programmes(ISCED 5A), university-type and non-university HEIs are required to comply with the same requirements. They are laid down in the Regulation of the Minister of Higher Education and Science of 27 July 2006 on the requirements to be fulfilled by organisational units of HEIs in order to provide degree programmes in a given field and at a given level of study. First-cycle programmesmay be provided by organisational units of university-type and non-university HEIswhich:

• have designed a degree programme in a given field (aims of the programme, profile of the graduate, and curricula complying with the programme requirements for a given field of study as laid down in the relevant legislation);
• comply with the requirements concerning the minimum number of academic staff holding the academic title of profesor or doktor habilitowany and those with the academic degree of doktor (“minimum staff resources”), and the requirements concerning the ratio of the minimum staff resources to students;
• have adequate infrastructure (lecture halls, laboratories, etc.);
• provide access to a library with literature recommended for students of a given field of study;
• organise student practical placements provided for in the programme requirements for a given field or define conditions for practical placements to be organised independently by students.

The minimum staff resources are defined for individual fields of study or groups of fields of study. For example: at least 6 academic teachers with research achievements in the area of philology, including at least 2 with the academic title of profesor or the academic degree of doktor habilitowany and at least 4 with the academic degree of doktor for the field of philology; at least 2 academic teachers with the academic title of profesor or the academic degree of doktor habilitowany and at least 3 with the academic degree of doktor and scientific or artistic achievements in relevant areas for the fields of archaeology, ethnology, history of art, culture studies, musicology, cultural heritage protection, and papermaking and printing. The ratios of the minimum staff resources to students are defined for groups of fields of study. At present, the ratios may not be lower than (the ratios to be respected as from October 2007):

• 1:25 for arts;
• 1:180 for economics, business and administration;
• 1:180 for humanities and social sciences, except for philology: 1:50;
• 1:60 for mathematics and natural sciences;
• 1:60 for medical areas, except for medicine and dentistry: 1:40;
• 1:180 for law;
• 1:80 for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine;
• 1:80 for engineering and technology,
• 1:80 for physical education.

Second-cycle and long-cycle programmesmay be provided by organisational units of university-type and non-university HEIswhich comply with the requirements listed above for first-cycle programmes and which conduct research in the discipline or area related to a given field of study. However, the minimum staff resources for second-cycle and long-cycle programmes include a larger number of the academic staff holding the academic title and the relevant academic degree than for first-cycle programmes. The required ratios of the minimum staff resources to students are the same as for first-cycle programmes (see: above).

In order to provide doctoral programmes, organisational units of university-type HEIsmust be authorised to award either the academic degree of doktor habilitowany or the academic degree of doktor in at least two different disciplines of a given area of science. Such authorisations are granted by the State Commission for Academic Degrees on the basis of the quality of research and the number of staff holding the academic title of profesor or the academic degree of doktor habilitowany, after consultation with the General Council for Higher Education. An organisational unit of a university-type HEI is required to have 8 or 12 staff members with the academic title of profesor or the academic degree of doktor habilitowany in order to be authorised to award the academic degree of doktoror the academic degree of doktor habilitowany respectively.

In the academic year 2006/07, Poland had a total number of 448 HEIs, including 130 public institutions. The following types of public HEIs may be currently distinguished:

• universities ( uniwersytety )(18),
• technical universities ( politechniki )(18),
• agricultural universities/academies ( akademie rolnicze) (7),
• universities/academies of economics ( uczelnie ekonomiczne) (5),
• pedagogical universities/academies ( uczelnie pedagogiczne) (6),
• medical universities/academies ( akademie medyczne) (9),
• schools/universities of maritime studies ( uczelnie morskie) (2),
• universities/academies of physical education ( akademie wychowania fizycznego) (6),
• schools/academies of art studies ( uczelnie artystyczne) (18),
• military higher education institutions ( uczelnie wojskowe) (5),
• government service higher education institutions ( uczelnie służb państwowych) (2),
• (ca 70% of them being university-type HEIs which provide Bachelor’s and Master’s degree and doctoral programmes, and ca 30% being non-university HEIs which provide both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes);
• non-university HEIs which are authorised to provide only Bachelor’s degree programmes, until recently referred to as “public higher vocational education schools” (34).

The names of HEIs will be adjusted by 2009 in accordance with the definitions of the terms “university” ( uniwersytet), “technical university” ( uniwersytet techniczny), “polytechnic university” ( politechnika) and “academy” ( akademia) given in the new 2005 Law on Higher Education.

As explained in the previous sections, doctoral programmes may also be provided by units of research institutions other than HEIs (Polish Academy of Sciences and research and development institutions) which are authorised to award the academic degree of doktor habilitowany. Such research institutions are not discussed as a separate type of institutions providing tertiary programmes because they are primarily research rather than educational institutions. Like in the case of HEIs, authorisations to award the academic degree of doktor habilitowany are granted by the State Commission for Academic Degreeson the basis of the quality of research and the number of staff (12) holding the academic title of profesor or the academic degree of doktor habilitowany.


General Council of Higher Education
00-918 Warszawa, Al. Szucha 25
Tel.:+48 (22) 628 04 61
Website: http://www.rgsw.edu.pl

Ministry of Science and Higher Education
ul. Wspólna 1/3 00-529 Warszawa 53
Tel.:+48 (22)-529-27-18
Website: http://www.mnisw.gov.pl

Polish Academy of Sciences
00-901 Warszawa, Plac Defilad 1
Tel.:+48 (22) 656 60 00
Fax:+48 (22) 620 49 10
Website: http://www.pan.pl

State Commission for Academic Degrees
00-901 Warszawa, Plac Defilad 1 Pałac Kultury i Nauki, p. XXIV, pokój 2401
Tel.:+48 (22) 826 82 38
Fax:+48 (22) 620 33 24

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