Uniwersytet Kardynala Stefana Wyszynskiego (UKSW)

The Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University (UKSW) in Warsaw is one of the youngest universities in Poland, but it continues long standing academic traditions, finding its roots at the University of Warsaw.

The faculties of theology were separated from the University of Warsaw and from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków in 1954. These two faculties were then merged into one, so establishing the Academy of Catholic Theology.

In 1960, with the consent of the Holy See, Primate Stefan Wyszyński, the archbishop of Warsaw, officially recognized the Academy and was appointed its Great Chancellor. The Academy of Catholic Theology received complete ecclesiastical powers in 1989 (by a decree of the Vatican Congregation) and since then it had been both a state-owned and an ecclesiastical institution.

In 1954 the Academy of Catholic Theology was a small school, with 60 academic teachers and 415 students. Since the beginning of its existence it had had three faculties: the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Canon Law and the Faculty of Christian Philosophy. The communist state was not interested in developing the Academy and only a very small number of students were allowed to be admitted there (“numerus clausus”). It was as late as the 1980’s that the number of students increased. In 1987 the Faculty of Ecclesiastical Historical and Social Sciences was created from a part of the Faculty of Theology. After the political transformation of 1989 the further development of the school took place and the restrictions imposed by the Ministry regarding the number of students who could be admitted were lifted. The number of teachers increased and new areas of study were opened. In the last year of the existence of the Academy it had four faculties and one institute with the powers of a faculty, nine areas of study (theology, canon law, law, philosophy, psychology, history, history of arts, political science, family science), 295 academic teachers and 8787 students.

The rapid development of the Academy of Catholic Theology in the 1990’s rekindled the hopes of transforming it into a university. This process was not easy and it lasted several years. On 1st October 1999 the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw began its existence as a state-owned university, currently consisting of four ecclesiastical faculties: 1. Theology; 2. Canon Law; 3. Christian Philosophy; 4. Family Studies. All faculties are subject to the supervision and control not only of the Minister of Higher Education, but also of the Great Chancellor of the University, a role fulfilled by each subsequent archbishop of Warsaw. Every academic teacher who is to be employed at one of these three faculties has to receive consent to teach (“missio canonica”) from the Great Chancellor. This applies to all three of the ecclesiastical faculties.

The Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University (UKSW) is developing rapidly. It now has 10 faculties and 32 areas of study. In each area of study it is possible to obtain both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree. The University also has the right to confer doctoral degrees in twelve disciplines (theology, canon law, law, philosophy, psychology, history, sociology, political sciences, literary studies, pedagogy, physics, mathematics). There is also a possibility of obtaining a post-doctoral degree in six disciplines (theology, canon law, philosophy, psychology, history, sociology).

The University educates over 16 000 students. The studies are conducted as full-time studies (without the payment of tuition fees) and part-time studies, both in the mode of long-cycle studies, first-cycle studies and second-cycle studies.

Source: UKSW Website