PRACTICAL RECRUITMENT GUIDE
In a nutshell
The electronic application system is available here. It consists of several steps:
1) setting up an electronic account,
2) providing basic personal information,
3) selecting the program and discipline,
4) providing higher education details,
5) uploading scans of the required documents.
The system closes on September 3rd, 2021. Please note that an application fee of 150 PLN is required before a candidate’s application can be processed. The fee may also be paid in euros after it is converted from PLN to EUR according to the average exchange rate of the National Bank of Poland on the day (working day) preceding the day of payment. If the fee is paid in EUR, the converted amount should be rounded down to whole units. For example, on June 30, 2021 the PLN to EUR rate was 4.5208, so 150 PLN equalled 33.17 EUR. Thus the fee to be paid = 33 EUR.
In well-justified cases, a candidate may apply for a reduction of or an exemption from the fee (please do not hesitate to contact us individually for details).
The payment can be made to the following bank account:
PL: 12 1240 6292 1111 0011 0674 9819
The Bank’s name is PEKAO S.A. The SWIFT code is: PKOPPLPW. Most banks in the world should be able to make such money transfers easily; another option to conisder (especially if the bank’s fees are high) are services such as the Western Union. It is quite important that you type DOCTORAL SCHOOL in the transfer description.
Selection rules
As you can read in the detailed selection criteria for your research discipline, the selection procedure consists of three stages:
1) evaluation of the written research project (0-15 points),
2) an interview, in person or online (0-20 points)
3) evaluation of prior academic achievements (0-7 points).
In order to qualify for stage two, a minimum of 8 points must be obtained by the candidate in stage one. If that criterion is met, the candidate is invited to an interview that will take place on September 22nd. The final results, in order of the candidates’ final score, will be published the following day. To qualify for admission, a minimum of 22 points in total must be obtained by the candidate.
Please note that being qualified for admission is not the same thing as being admitted to the Doctoral School. Before the final admission can happen, you will need to provide the originals of all the required documents, sign a number of statements and formally enrol. The deadline for enrolling is September 30th.
Sometimes not all of the candidates who qualify for admission decide to enrol. In such cases, candidates with a lower score may be eligible for enrolment, provided they have obtained at least 22 recruitment points.
Registration
Here is the page where you register at the University’s electronic recruitment system (set up an individual account), and then enter your account to complete the required forms and upload files. In case it opens in the Polish version, please look at the top right corner and switch to English. Before registration, you must accept the rules and regulations of the recruitment process.
Should you encounter any technical problem with the online recruitment system, please contact our IT helpdesk: pomoc_rekrutacja AT up.krakow.pl.
Personal questionnaire
After you activate your account, please sign in and provide your basic data. In the first panel, if the dropdown menu doesn’t include your citizenship, select OTHER (you’ll find it between Maltese and Polish).
For the DATE OF BIRTH field a calendar will pop up. The names of the months should appear in the language of your device’s operating system, but in case they appear in Polish, see the English equivalents here.
You can come back to the questionnaire later and correct the information (for example, if your address has changed).
My fields of study / discipline
Please select DOCTORAL SCHOOL. In the next panel, choose the appropriate area and discipline. In the next step please provide the necessary information on your education, degree obtained and diploma.
Please note that the first two degrees in the dropdown menu (BA and BA in Engineering) do not qualify you for the Doctoral School. You need to hold an equivalent of a Polish Master’s degree: MA in Arts, MA, MA in Engineering.
It is possible to apply for more than one discipline, with different research projects. A separate recruitment fee payment is required for each discipline you select.
Please note that if you already hold a PhD degree, you will not be entitled to the monthly scholarship.
EDIT: We have noticed a wrong field label on one of the pages:
The label for the middle field in the image above should read: ‘Series and number of ID document’. We will fix it as soon as possible.
Attachments/Scans
In this panel you must upload four documents:
1) your CV,
2) a list of your academic achievemnets (‘Research or art activities’)
3) your Master’s diploma,
4) your research proposal,
5) a confirmation of your fee payment.
You will also see a field called ‘Additional document’ — PLEASE DON’T USE IT unless you are instructed to do so.
1) Your CV should contain the history of your education, the history of your employment, other qualifications and types of experience, research interests and knowledge of foreign languages.
2) If you have obtained your MA degree, but you do not possess a physical copy of the diploma yet, you can upload a relevant certificate or another official confirmation. Still, it is expected you will provide your diploma by the time you enrol (i.e. by the end of September).
3) The list of your academic achievements (‘Research or art activities’) should include in particular:
– publications
– conference presentations
– scholarships, grants, research stays
– participation in research teams
– activities in student research clubs
– awards and honors
– for Art candidates: individual and collective exhibitions, other forms of public presentation of your work, scholarships and grants
Here you can view a sample academic activity sheet (for Biological Sciences, in this case). You can adapt the sheet as needed, paying attention to the detailed criteria in your selected discipline.
4) We recommend that the research project contain the following elements:
– title
– keywords
– objective(s)
– research (or artistic-research) problem
– main theses
– research methods
– a survey of the current state of research on the problem
– the project’s prospective contribution to the state of research
– other prospective outcomes of the project
– bibliography
Prints / Printouts
You will notice there is one more panel in the system, next to Attachments/Scans, which is called PRINTS. What you will find here are two documents generated automatically by the system and ready for download. Please download and save them for later.
The documents are in Polish and are formally required for enrolment. One is a standardized admission request addressed to the University’s Rector, and the other is a personal data sheet. Both of them, signed on paper, will be necessary for you to enrol in the Doctoral School, once you have been qualified for admission.
Other documents you may be asked for
During the selection process, or before enrolment, you may be asked to submit one or more additional documents.
1) If your diploma has been issued in a language other than English (or Polish), you may be asked to provide a certified translation.
2) Should the Doctoral School be unable to verify the status of your diploma or higher education certificate, you may be requested to submit any of the following documents:
– proof of the diploma’s authenticity (i.e. an apostille)
– proof of the diploma-issuing institution’s legal status (accreditation)
– proof of the equivalence of your higher education qualifications to those obtained in Poland after completing studies at the MA level (e.g. a Transcript of Records)
– proof of your degree’s equivalence to a Polish degree at the MA level (e.g. a nostrification document)
– proof of being legally entitled to enrol in a doctoral education program in the country where the diploma was issued
Should such a need arise, you will be contacted individually with detailed instructions and a deadline for the submission of the requested document(s).
Documents required for enrolment
After you are qualified for admission, you need to enrol by the end of September. To do so, you need to submit:
– an original copy of your MA diploma
– the printouts mentioned above (signed)
– a paper copy of the documents you uploaded during the recruitment process (CV, achievement list, research project)
– a photo for your student ID card
– a certificate from a public health institution if you are a person with disabilities
– original copies of any other documents you may have been asked for (e.g. an apostille)
– a number of statements (concerning, for example, your employment or the use of your personal data by the University administration), which will be provided at the Docoral School office
Since visa procedures may take a long time, the Doctoral School’s Director may agree to extend the deadline for the submission of the original, signed copies of the above documents. Scans will still be required.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us immediately. You will find the contact details here. However, we strongly suggest you take some time to browse through the website first, as many of your questions will probably be answered by the materials we have prepared for you.
PLEASE NOTE
The Pedagogical University of Krakow is committed to the policy of non-discrimination and equal treatment.