7. Colleges (ISCED 5

The education system also includes colleges of social work, which are classified as part of the school education system in the national legislation and as part of tertiary education for international comparisons. There are 4 public colleges with 222 students (2018/2019).

ORGANISATION

Colleges offer 3-year programmes in the area of social work to students usually aged 19 to 21 years who hold a maturity certificate. In academic terms, each college is supervised by an HEI based on an individual agreement. College graduates may enter the labour market as fully qualified social workers. As part of an agreement between a college and a supervising HEI, they may also take the final / diploma exam at the supervising HEI and be awarded a Bachelor’s degree (licencjat). Though part of the school education system, colleges are not affected by the ongoing school education reform.

ADMISSION

A maturity certificate is required for admission to colleges. Applicants should also obtain a positive result in the admission process. Detailed admission procedures are adopted by individual colleges.

STUDENT GROUPING FOR LEARNING

Pursuant to the national legislation, college students are divided into learner groups. The maximum number of students in a group is 20; groups may be combined for lectures.

ORGANISATION OF TIME

The academic year starts on 1 October and ends on 30 September the following year. It is divided into two semesters which end with winter and summer examination periods and are separated by winter and summer breaks.

CURRICULUM

Curricula should be based on the national standards established by the minister responsible for social policy. The standards specify the courses to be included in a programme and the number of hours to be allocated to courses and practical placements, curricular contents, and the knowledge and skills that students should acquire by the end of the training cycle.

ASSESSMENT AND CERTIFICATION

Colleges adopt their own internal regulations for assessment and progression to the subsequent year. They use a marking scale of 2 to 6: 6 – excellent, 5 – very good, 4 – good, 3 – satisfactory, and 2 – unsatisfactory. Marks are given by teachers of individual courses. Students receive marks for coursework and/or examinations taken as part of individual courses. Upon completion of the 3-year cycle, they take the final diploma examination. To take the exam, students are required to have completed all courses and practical placements included in the curriculum, and to submit their diploma thesis which should receive a mark higher than ‘unsatisfactory’. The final exam is conducted by a board appointed by the director of a given college.

Upon passing the final exam, graduates are awarded a diploma which confers the qualifications required for social workers.

As mentioned above, college students may take additional courses and an exam for a Bachelor’s degree (licencjat). It is taken before an examination board established by the rector of the HEI responsible for academic supervision over a given college. A Bachelor’s degree is awarded by the supervising HEI.