Description of the University
University of Lower Silesia (ULS) was established by the local department of the Association for the Advancement of Education (TWP) in Wrocław. Janina Taurogińska-Kopera, (M.A., the Director of the local department of TWP) and prof. Robert Kwaśnica (the then Chairman of the local department of TWP) came with the initiative to establish ULS.
ULS has been established on the grounds of the decision of the Department of Education on June 16 th 1997 . It was registered as a non-state university under the number 118 in the register of non-state schools. In its beginnings the school had a name 'Popular Knowledge Society's Lower Silesian University College of Education'. Nowadays our university is named ' University of Lower Silesia'.
ULS is a non-state university and it functions on the same rights and rules as state universities (on the grounds of the September 12 th 1990 education bill on universities).
There were two fields of study at first: educational science and special education with five specialization. There were also established postgraduate studies. In October 1998, 375 students began their studies in ULS. In the following years the number of students increased gradually (nowadays there are over 7000 students in ULS). There are also more and more specializations to choose from. In 1999-2000 the university obtained the right to organize the education on two new fields of study: Iinternational Rrelations and Journalism and Social Communication.
At present there are 8 fields of study and 34 specializations.
Established in 1999 Institute of Continuing Education for Teachers and Educational Studies offers a wide variety of postgraduate studies (now there are 39 of them).
ULS is the owner of two buildings placed in Wagonowa Street 6 and Wagonowa Street 9. Apart form those it leases a building in Strzegomska Street 47. Presently there are 4 computer rooms and the collection of the library is rising gradually (40 000 volumes).
The University also has a hi tech TV studio.
In December 2002 the State Accreditation Commission evaluated the quality of education in ULS in the fields of educational science and special education. Both fields of study obtained the positive opinion and since February 2003 they have become accredited fields of study.
Already in the first year of the university the scientific research projects developed and there is a magazine entitled 'The Present-Man-Education'('Teraźniejszość-Człowiek-Edukacja') published quarterly.
The university frequently organizes scientific seminars and gives grants for various research projects. 23 scientific monographs have already been published by the university's Press.
At present there are two basic organisational units of ULS: the Faculty of Education, which consists of 4 departments:
- Department of Education
- Department of Special Education
- Institute of Continuing Training and Educational Studies
- International Institute for the Study of Culture and Education (IISCE)
and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Media Studies, witch 5 departments:
- Department of International Relations
- Department of Journalism and Communication
- Department of Philosophy
- Department of Cultural Studies
- Department of Cultural Anthropology
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