Studies in Poland

AMU is one of the largest academic centers in Poland. The University currently employs nearly 3,000 teaching staff, including 301 full professors, 373 AMU professors and 897 senior lecturers. A smooth daily functioning of the University rests in the hands of about 2,000 administrative and technical staff members.

The University serves 52,000 students with 14 faculties offering BA, MA and PhD programmes. Students can choose from 190 majors. Among most popular degree courses are psychology, biotechnology, tourism, and political science. The newest programmes include film studies, sound editing, ethnolinguistics, social communication, protection of cultural heritage, and hydrobiology.

Adam Mickiewicz University cooperates with over 100 partner universities abroad.

History

The first institution of higher learning in Poznań, was founded in 1519 by Bishop Jan Lubrański. Another institution of higher learning in Poznań was the Jesuit College, founded in 1573. Its founder and first rector was the reverend Jakub Wujek, author of a well-known Polish translation of the Bible. On October 28th, 1611, King Sigismund III Vasa granted the Jesuit College the status of a university. Unfortunately, the King's decree evoked a sharp protest on the part of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow as a result of which Pope Paul V issued a bulla in which the Cracow Academy's privileges had been reconfirmed. The Jesuit College managed to maintain a high level of academic instruction, it conferred academic degrees and continued extensive publishing activities. In 1772, Russia, Prussia and Austria accomplished the First Partition of Poland. The College was closed in 1773, following the annulment of the Jesuit Order.

Throughout the 123 years of the Prussian Partition, the idea of creating an institution of higher education in the Wielkopolska region had never vanished. Shortly after Poland had regained independence, on May 7th, 1919, the University of Poznań, initially named the Piast University, officially inaugurated its activities. Dr. Heliodor Święcicki, whose portrait opens a gallery of 27 portraits of former Rectors of the Poznań University hanging on the walls of the Rector's Office, was elected the first Rector of the newly-established University. In 1920, the University changed its name to that of the University of Poznań. In the period before the Second World War, the University was organized into five faculties and offered academic education in the following disciplines: law, economy, medicine, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, agriculture and forestry.

During World War II, the Poznań University was closed, however the teachers and researchers did not stop working and organised the Underground University of Western Lands in Warsaw. Owing to their devotion and heroism about 2,000 students graduated from the Underground University. As the war drew to a close in February 1945, and while Poznań was still the scene of heavy fighting, the University was re-opened. In December 1955, it was named after great Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz.

The year 1989, the end of communism and the rapid growth of Poland's economy offered a great chance to Polish HEI. The number of AMU students grew from 13,000 in 1989 to 51,000 in the year 2005.