Learn about the recruitment process at Polish universities, the difference between first-cycle courses and Master’s degree courses, what is the Bologna Process, and what does the ordinary student gain from it?
Poland participates in the Bologna Process, and therefore, the organization of studying presents as follows:
- First cycle studies – professional courses that prepare you for working in a specific profession. They last from 6 (Bachelor courses) to 7 semesters (Engineer courses) and end with obtaining a Bachelor’s ovr Engineer’s degree. To take up first-cycle studies, you must first graduate from high school and pass the finals.
- Second cycle studies – vocational studies that end in obtaining a Master’s degree, a Master’s degree in engineering or an equivalent. Second-cycle courses last from 3 to 4 semesters. You have to complete the first cycle studies in order to star your Master’s degree course.
- Uniform MA courses – lasting from 9 to 12 semesters and ending with obtaining a Master’s degree or an equivalent. Recruitment requirements are the same as in the case of first-cycle studies. Majors included in the uniform Master’s degree system: pharmacy, law, psychology, medicine, etc.
Once you have dealt with first and second cycle courses, you’ll have two additional opportunities to broaden your knowledge:
- Third-cycle studies – doctoral studies, allowing to acquire specialist knowledge from a specific scientific major. These courses end with obtaining the first academic degree – doctor or PhD. However, it is necessary to prepare and defend a doctoral dissertation in advance.
- Post-graduate courses- allow you to acquire specialist knowledge and broaden your skills in a specific field of study. The duration depends on the chosen program – usually from 2 to 4 semesters.
Important note: completing post-graduate studies doesn’t involve obtaining any degree, graduates receive only a certificate of completion of post-graduate courses.
Since you already know the type of degrees in higher education, it is probably the high time to make a responsible decision and choose the field of study. In fact, it is a difficult task often accompanied by the influence of the environment, the expectations of your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. However, you must be guided solely by your predispositions, interests and expectations of the labour market.
Recruitment Process at Polish Universities:
Firstly, a piece of useful information: universities do not conduct entrance examinations for the candidates (artistic majors are the exception). The recruitment process itself can be summarized as below:
- the schedule is always available on the university’s website,
- you have to fill your registration form online via a particular registration system for candidates (each university has a separate policy),
- the Ministry of Science and Higher Education regulates registration fees annually,
- after receiving the results of the high school final exam, you need to complete your profile in the registration system (in case of first-cycle and Master’s degree courses),
- wait patiently for the preliminary recruitment results.
After the admittance, it is necessary to personally go to the university recruitment office to sign the contract and physically provide all the missing documents.
People who do not succeed in the first stage of recruitment should not give up. Many candidates submit applications for more than one major or university and then, as soon as they find out where they are about to be enrolled, they resign from other options. Thus, universities with available places announce supplementary recruitment.
