Committed staff, ambitious students, innovative teaching – how the best study programmes in Poland are developed

As many as seven degree programmes offered by the University of Opole were ranked among the best in Poland in the Perspektywy Study Programme Ranking 2025.

The Perspektywy University Ranking has been prepared for the 26th time by the Perspektywy Educational Foundation. It covers all HEIs (public and non-public) authorised to award doctoral degrees and educating at least 300 full-time students, and have had at least two years of graduates. It is one of the most prestigious and reliable educational rankings in Poland.

An important part of this is the Study Programme Ranking. This year, a few study programmes offered by the University of Opole took the top spots.

The Faculty of Political Science and Social Communication achieved a great success. Political Science ranked fourth and Journalism tenth among social study programmes.

‘The high ranking of our study programmes is the result of the high evaluation of the quality of education, which is primarily due to the intensive work of our teaching staff. The employees of the Institute of Political Science and Admistration are primarily researchers who publish in highly ranked journals and international publishing houses, and carry out research projects on a European and national scale, which is reflected in the quality of their work with students. Conducting research is directly related to teaching’, says the dean of the faculty, Prof. Robert Geisler.

He also emphasises that the Institute of Political Science and Administration is one of the leading political science centres in the country, particularly in the fields of regional studies and borderland research, European studies, national and ethnic minorities, and political theory. ‘In the last two years alone, the Institute has organised the First Congress of Researchers of Borders and Borderlands, a convention of Chairs and Departments of Political Theory and Political Systems, and, in September this year, a Congress of National and Ethnic Minorities. Our employees are recognised in the socio-economic milieu for their expertise and cooperation with various institutions, such as the European Commission, the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, and the Voivodeship Office,’ says Prof. Geisler.

‘The level of knowledge and competence transferred by the teaching staff during the educational process is also confirmed by a look at the careers of our graduates, who are now managers in the region – in voivodeship, county and municipal institutions.

We can also add the introduction of innovative teaching methods, such as problem-based learning, podcasts, game development and participation in science camps – all this means that students at our faculty have plenty of space to develop their competences and will certainly not get bored,’ assures Prof. Geisler.

Two degree programmes offered by the University of Opole ranked sixth. Cosmetology (Faculty of Health Sciences) was ranked among the best medical and health study programmes, while Theology (Faculty of Theology) was listed among the best theological study programmes.

‘The high standing of Cosmetology is the result of the joint efforts of the entire faculty community. It confirms the effectiveness of the actions taken to develop teaching and practical preparation of students for their professional careers, as well as the high quality of education offered by our faculty,’ comments Dr Marta Sobera, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. ‘This success is due to, among other things, the modern equipment in the cosmetology laboratories, which enables students to acquire practical skills, as well as innovative teaching methods, student engagement and the use of modern teaching tools. The active participation and ambition of students, who are fully committed to the learning process, also remain important factors,’ she adds.

‘This year’s Perspektywy ranking shows that Theology in Opole is performing well and has maintained a strong position among theological centres in Poland for many years,’ analyses the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Prof. Mateusz Potoczny. ‘It is undoubtedly thanks to our highly competent and accomplished teaching staff, but also to our students, who are our best ambassadors. I trust that after this year’s enrolment, there will be even more of them, so that we can climb a few places in the next ranking and, who knows, maybe even make it to the podium,’ comments Prof. Potoczny.

Two study programmes offered by the Faculty of Philology were also ranked among the best in the country. Polish Philology took eighth place, while Foreign Philologies (excluding English Philology) and Linguistics took tenth place among the humanities programmes.

‘I am very happy that our programmes were ranked so highly. It is particularly encouraging that many philology programmes, both Polish and foreign language programmes, contributed to this result,’ emphasises the Dean of the Faculty of Philology, Prof. Elżbieta Szymańska-Czaplak. She adds, ‘Committed staff, who have achieved category A in both of our leading disciplines (linguistics and literature), and students who are curious about the world and have contributed to the high level of internalisation at the faculty have all made our earlier vision of the Faculty of Philology as a highly regarded institution offering study programmes that are recognised both in Poland and abroad a reality.’

Another study programme that ranked among the best in the country is Computer Science run by the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. It took ninth place in its category.

‘I am speaking, naturally, on behalf of all employees of the Institute of Computer Science. The high position of Computer Science in the Perspektywy ranking is satisfying, but we are even more pleased with the dynamics of our position: we have systematically moved up seven places since 2021. This is a sign that our efforts to improve the study programme are heading in the right direction and are objectively noticeable. The high ranking was achieved in particular thanks to the scores for such components as scientific publications with foreign cooperation, evaluation of scientific activity, participation of foreign students and career prospects of our graduates,’ emphasises Dr Piotr Urbaniec, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science.

‘Like any other ranking, the Perspektywy ranking only takes into account some of the actions we undertake to ensure the continuous development of our study programme. There is a lot to say about them, but I think that at this point it is worth addressing our message primarily to prospective students. I would like to tell you that what distinguishes our study programme on a national scale is definitely the individual approach to the needs of each student. Our educational offer includes courses sought after by students, such as artificial intelligence, computer graphics, information security, data analysis, and computer game design. We offer classes in English for those who are interested. A lot of the theses are practical, which makes it easier to get a job after graduation. I should add that even second-year students have no problem finding work, and we help them balance their studies and jobs. The close contacts between the Institute of Computer Science and entrepreneurs allow us to tailor our teaching offer to market needs. Students can go on training and internship trips as part of many initiatives, in particular within the Forthem project. If they wish, they can actively participate in research projects conducted at the Institute of Computer Science. The dynamically developing job market in the field of computer science provides a wide range of job opportunities for graduates,’ explains Dr Urbaniec.

In the Perspektywy University Ranking 2025, the University of Opole maintains its leading position among Polish universities. The University of Opole ranked ninth among full universities and 29th among HEIs in Poland.

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UO in top ten universities in Poland