People with work experience will get a master’s degree more easily

A project of a new formula of studies was created. Working people will have an easier path to graduation.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education wants to encourage people over 25 to study. A person who has gained professional experience outside the university, e.g. working as an IT specialist or in marketing, could obtain confirmation of his qualifications at a university and be exempt from some classes. The bill was submitted to public consultations. The regulations are to enter into force on January 1, 2014.

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The right to obtain a diploma in the new mode would have secondary school graduates with five years of professional experience in the field they want to study. A bachelor and engineer would need three years of work in the profession. A master’s degree, who after graduation has been associated with another field, will also be able to take up new studies. Two years of work in a given industry are then enough. The studies are designed for working people and will be paid.

In this way, the Ministry wants to provide an opportunity to complete the qualifications. – Before a given student is dismissed from some classes, the university will check his / her actual skills and competences. The submitted documents, e.g. certificates, testimonials or certificates of volunteering will be of lesser importance – the Ministry reserves.

The universities will test the employee’s knowledge

In practice, it will look like this that a person admitted to studies in the new formula will have to confirm the knowledge acquired at work at the beginning. The form of this verification will be decided by the university senate. After such a test, a candidate for studies with professional experience will be able to obtain up to 50% of the pool of ECTS points, which are awarded for each subject at the university (in order to complete the academic year, the student must collect 60 points).

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The remaining classes in the new formula will be held as normal. There are no extracurricular exams or individual study paths. The number of such working students will not be able to exceed 20 percent. people in a given field of study. The programs with specific education standards will be excluded from the system: doctor, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, veterinarian, architect. The ministry estimated that 4,000 may benefit from such a solution from October 1, 2014. people. It was based on the experience of France. Public universities can earn over PLN 3 million per year on this.

An opportunity for enterprising

Students see this study formula as a chance for a better balance between work and study. – Before I started my studies, I was running a company that organized concerts, says Piotr Koszarek, a fourth-year student of journalism at the University of Wrocław. – I had to suspend its activity due to the number of classes at university. The ministry’s proposal will work for people who have loose working hours and do not want to spend their weekends from morning to evening in extramural studies – he adds.

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Experts note that Poland is starting to catch up with the standards of more developed countries. – The amendment to the act results from global trends – explains prof. Ireneusz Białecki, director of the Center for Research on Science Policy and Higher Education at the University of Warsaw. – Solutions are being sought that will meaningfully combine studying with activity outside the university. Universities are to teach throughout life and open to new needs. The “new student” will gain practical skills and the university will train him – he adds.

Employers’ organizations believe that the planned changes will increase the effectiveness of higher education. At the same time, they warn: – In a small company with limited human resources, it will be a big challenge to organize work in such a way as to ensure its proper course when a key employee attends a university – says Monika Zaręba, an expert of Employers of the Republic of Poland. – Taking into account that 99.8% of all enterprises in Poland belong to the small and medium-sized sector, universities will have to adapt their programs to the needs of working people.

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