10 - Poland - Branches of Study, Specialisation

College programmes

Teacher training colleges and foreign language teacher training colleges provide programmes in the fields of study (“speciality fields”) corresponding to subjects or types of classes taught in pre-schools, schools and other educational establishments. Where a foreign language is the speciality field offered, all courses are taught in this language. Colleges of social work provide programmes in the field of social work.

The duration of all programmes offered in teacher training colleges, foreign language teacher training colleges and colleges of social work is 3 years.

Degree programmes

All three types of degree programmes, including first-cycle (Bachelor’s degree), second-cycle (Master’s degree) and long-cycle (Master’s degree) programmes, are offered by HEIs in officially recognised fields of study (for requirements to be fulfilled by HEIs in order to provide programmes. Fields of study are the same for university-type and non-university HEIs. All 118 currently existing fields are listed in the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 13 June 2006 on the names of fields of study (see: the list below). At present, degree programmes in most fields of study may be offered as first-cycle programmes, second-cycle programmes and/or long-cycle programmes; the exceptions are medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, law and psychology where only long-cycle are offered. However, in line with the Bologna Process, all HEIs are required by the above-mentioned 2006 Regulation to introduce two-cycle programmes (first-cycle programmes followed by second-cycle programmes) and replace any long-cycle programmes still in place in 101 of all 118 existing fields of study. Programmes in four of the remaining 17 fields, i.e. cosmetology, dentistry techniques, medical rescue and social work, will be provided only as first-cycle programmes. Programmes in 11 fields, including acting, art conservation and restoration, canon law, dentistry, law, medical analysis, medicine, moving image production and photography, pharmacy, psychology and veterinary medicine, will be provided only as long-cycle programmes. Programmes in the fields of theology and directing will be provided either as two-cycle programmes or as long-cycle degree programmes. These arrangements are applicable to degree programmes commencing in the academic year 2007/08.

The following fields of study are listed in the 2006 Regulation:

1) Acting
2) Administration
3) Agricultural and forestry engineering
4) Agriculture
5) Animal husbandry
6) Archaeology
7) Architecture and urban planning
8) Art conservation and restoration
9) Astronomy
10) Automation and robotics
11) Aviation and astronautics
12) Biology
13) Biomedical engineering
14) Biotechnology
15) Canon law
16) Chemical and process engineering
17) Chemical technology
18) Chemistry
19) Civil engineering
20) Commodity science
21) Composition and music theory
22) Computer science
23) Computer science and econometrics
24) Conducting
25) Cosmetology
26) Cultural heritage protection
27) Cultural studies
28) Dance
29) Dentistry
30) Dentistry techniques
31) Design
32) Dietetics
33) Directing
34) Economics
35) Electrical engineering
36) Electronic engineering and telecommunications
37) Environmental engineering
38) Environmental protection
39) Ethnology
40) European studies
41) Family studies
42) Film and television production management
43) Finance and accountancy
44) Fine arts education
45) Fisheries Science
46) Food technology and human nutrition
47) Forestry
48) Geodesy and cartography
49) Geography
50) Geology
51) Graphic arts
52) History
53) History of art
54) Horticulture
55) Instrumental studies
56) Interior design
57) Internal security
58) International relations
59) Jazz and stage music
60) Journalism and social communication
61) Landscape architecture
62) Law
63) Logistics
64) Management
65) Maritime (ocean) engineering
66) Materials engineering
67) Mathematics
68) Mechanical engineering
69) Mechatronics
70) Medical analysis
71) Medical rescue
72) Medicine
73) Metallurgy
74) Midwifery
75) Mining and geology
76) Moving image production and photography
77) Music education
78) Musicology
79) National security
80) Navigation
81) Nursing
82) Oceanography
83) Painting
84) Papermaking and printing
85) Pedagogy
86) Pharmacy
87) Philology
88) Philosophy
89) Physical education
90) Physics
91) Physiotherapy
92) Polish philology
93) Political science
94) Power engineering
95) Production management and engineering
96) Psychology
97) Public health
98) Scenography
99) Scientific information and library science
100) Sculpture
101) Security engineering
102) Social policy
103) Social work
104) Sociology
105) Sound engineering
106) Spatial management
107) Special pedagogy
108) Sport
109) Technical and computer education
110) Technical physics
111) Textile engineering
112) Theatre studies
113) Theology
114) Tourism and leisure studies
115) Transport
116) Veterinary medicine
117) Vocal studies
118) Wood technology

Public HEIs offer degree programmes mainly in the following groups of fields of study:

• universities: humanities, social sciences, business and administration, law, journalism and information, science, teacher education;
• technical universities: engineering and technology, architecture and building, transport, environmental protection, business and administration;
• agricultural universities/academies: agriculture, environmental protection, veterinary medicine;
• universities/academies of economics: business and administration
• pedagogical universities/academies: education science, social sciences, humanities
• medical universities/academies: medicine, dental studies, nursing, midwifery, pharmacy
• schools/universities of maritime studies: engineering and technology, navigation, business and administration;
• universities/academies of physical education: physical education, sport, physiotherapy
• schools/academies of art studies: fine arts, music, performing arts
• military higher education institutions: fields relevant to the military service, engineering and technology, navigation
• government service higher education institutions: fields related to the police and fire brigade service, engineering and technology
• (most of the above being university-type HEIs and authorised to provide both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in these areas);
• non-university HEIs authorised to provide only Bachelor’s degree programmes (until recently referred to as “public higher vocational education schools”): business and administration, social sciences.

The duration of degree programmes in both university-type and non-university HEIs is as follows:

• first-cycle programmes leading a Bachelor’s degree ( licencjat or inżynier): 3 to 4 years when leading to licencjat or 3.5 to 4 years when leading to inżynier, depending on the field of study;
• second-cycle programmes leading to a Master’s degree ( magister or an equivalent degree): 1.5 to 2 years, depending on the field of study;
• long-cycle programmes leading to a Master’s degree ( magister or an equivalent degree): 4.5 to 6 years, depending on the field of study.

Doctoral programmes

Doctoral programmes, offered in university-type HEIs and research institutions other than HEIs, prepare for the award of the academic degree of doktor or doktor sztukiin the following areas and disciplines:

• Biological sciences (biochemistry, biophysics, biology, biotechnology, ecology, microbiology)
• Chemical sciences (biotechnology, chemistry, chemical technology)
• Economic science (economics, management, commodity science)
• Pharmaceutical sciences
• Physical sciences (astronomy, biophysics, physics, geophysics)
• Humanities (archaeology, library science, ethnology, philosophy, history, history of art, language studies, cultural studies, literature studies, political science, cognitive and social communication science, art studies, management, education, psychology, religion studies, sociology)
• Forestry sciences (wood science, forestry)
• Mathematical sciences (computer science, mathematics)
• Medical sciences (medical biology, medicine, dentistry)
• Physical culture science
• Earth sciences (geophysics, geography, geology, ocean science)
• Law (administration, law, canon law)
• Agricultural sciences (agronomy, agricultural engineering, environmental management, horticulture, fisheries studies, food and nutrition technology, animal husbandry)
• Engineering and technology (architecture and urban planning, automation and robotics, bio-cybernetics and biomedical engineering, biotechnology, machine building, civil engineering, electronic engineering, electrical engineering, geodesy and cartography, mining and engineering geology, computer science, chemical engineering, materials engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, chemical technology, telecommunications, transport, textile engineering)
• Theological sciences
• Veterinary sciences
• Military sciences
• Film studies
• Music studies (conducting, instrumental studies, composition and music theory, sound engineering, eurhythmics, vocal studies)
• Plastic arts (fine arts, applied arts)
• Theatre studies.

Doctoral programmes in both HEIs and research institutions other than HEIs last between 3 and 4 years, the predominating model being a four-year programme. The exact duration of a doctoral programme is determined in regulations establishing such a programme in a given unit of a HEI or other research institution.

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