FAQ

Failing a course may or may not result in failing the entire semester. If you fail any PNJA course or any three courses in total you automatically fail the semester. Otherwise, you continue with your studies (but see question 3 below).

If you fail the first semester of the programme, then you fail the entire programme and have to go through the full recruitment process again. That means that you basically have to start from scratch and retake everything even if you managed to pass some courses.

If you fail any other semester, however, you only have to repeat that semester. There's no need to retake all the courses - only the ones that you failed. But this also means that you join the students who started their studies a year after you did, and if their curriculum is different, you may need to take some additional subjects. The procedure is this: if you fail the semester, please contact the Dean's office as soon as possible. They will tell you what you need to do to retake the semester and whom to email to find out if there are any differences between your original programme and the new one. They can also provide you with a transcript of records (PL: karta przebiegu studiów) that you need to submit to the person that will calculate your programme differences.

You retake that course the following year (winter subjects in the winter, summer subjects in the summer). If it's a first-year BA or MA course, you retake it in the second year, and if it's a second-year BA course - in the third year. Obviously things get more complicated in you fail a third-year BA course or a second-year MA course, because you need to retake it a year later, and that means that you can only complete the programme a year after you originally planned to.

Yes, but this is not automatic and you need to notify the Dean’s office that you plan to do so. Consult the office to find out what you need to do to make this work. Please note, however, that this is limited to some PNJA or PNJA-related courses only - see the list below:

If you fail the second semester (BA), you can take PNJA: Wypowiedź ustna 3 & 4, PNJA: Pisanie i argumentacja 1 & 2, PNJA: Gramatyka praktyczna 3 & 4 (you can take the summer editions of these courses only if you pass them in the winter semester).

If you fail the third semester (BA), you can take PNJA Wypowiedź ustna 4, PNJA: Pisanie i argumentacja 2, PNJA: Gramatyka praktyczna 4 (but only if you passed these courses in the winter semester).

If you fail the fourth semester (BA), you can take Gramatyka kontrastywna and Second Foreign Language 3.

If you fail the fifth semester (BA), you can take Second Foreign Language 4.

If you fail the second semester (MA), you can take PNJA: Prezentacja

If you fail the third semester (MA), you can take all the courses except your MA seminar.

This is possible only in some cases. For more information consult the specific procedures you need to follow - there's a link in the timetable.

Each exam only comes with one retake, and a board exam is not a second retake. It is only granted when there was a problem with how the exam was organized and if the problem may have affected your performance. For example, imagine a listening exam with sounds of drilling in the walls - if that happens and you fail the exam, you are likely to succeed with your application for a board exam, as the circumstances may clearly have affected the results. By contrast, the exam starting a few minutes later than planned, or your subjective feeling of being distracted by the exam invigilators passing you by as you write your exam are not valid reasons for a board exam, as exams seldom start exactly on time (since there may be questions or other technical matters to attend to), and invigilating the exams by a group of teachers who move across the room is a normal procedure.

Generally you are are allowed two absences that you don't need to explain in any way. That's how it works for most classes held once a week (there may be different rules if your class is held twice a week). It's best to ask your teacher what their policy is. If you are absent more than twice, you need to show a doctor's certificate and it's standard practice to ask the teacher if there's anything extra you need to do to make up for your absence.

BA level - please contact the PNJA coordinator (dr Anna Parr-Modrzejewska) directly.

MA level - this is generally not possible, but you can ask your teachers if they’re willing to give you some leeway in attending the course (based on a C2 certificate only).

Yes, but while on the MA level you can avoid Polish altogether, there are some classes in the BA programme that require a passive knowledge of Polish (such as Polish/English contrastive grammar). If you're an international student and your knowledge of Polish is insufficient, then you need to choose the academic specialization in the BA programme and the culture/media specialization in the MA programme. All other specializations require students to know Polish (teaching - level B2, translation - level C2).

There are three questions. One is related to your thesis, one covers the material discussed in the seminar, and one is drawn from a list. The list is available on the Institute's website - you draw two questions and choose one. Please note that if your seminar is literature or culture-oriented, the linguistics questions don't concern you - and the other way round.

Sure, look at the Institute website, there's quite a few. If you wish to join, email the supervisor or the society's board and feel free to join any meeting you like.

Try to change the time of your PE classes. If that is impossible, see if changing the group for some classes can help, and check the instructions for switching groups by following the link in the timetable.

We urge everyone to take these classes in the first year, as it may be difficult to find time for them later. But if you fail to take or pass the PE course in year one, please contact the Dean's office and explain your situation. It won't stop you from passing the semester, but the Dean's office must be aware of this.

Yes, one or two, as long as they're not PNJA courses. Failing any PNJA course or anythree courses in total means failing the semester, and failing the first semester means failing the entire programme.

No, because the PNJA exam (all components) is formally attached to the PNJA course, which helps you practise all language skills. The other PNJA courses are supposed to help you with your level of English and your end-of-year exam, and they usually give you the chance to practise whatever is required for the PNJA exam, but they do not end with an exam themselves.

Yes - you can choose between German, French, Spanish and Italian - the registration is held in the second semester, and the course begins in the second year. If we have at least 10 international students who would like to choose Polish for foreigners, we can also organize that for you.

You can have a look at "programy studiów" / "programme specifications" on the Institute's website - you'll find there the complete list of all courses.

The registration for specializations is held in the second semester, after a meeting which explains everything in detail. In short, there are three options - teaching, translation, and the academic specializations. The first two are quite self-explanatory, and the academic specialization simply gives you more classes in literature and linguistics. You can choose two specializations for a small fee (students often decide to combine the academic one with one of the other two).

It's usually not a problem as long as you do it before these courses begin. The sooner you let us know, the better.

Yes, but we cannot refund the fee that you’ve paid for the second specialization.

Please write to the Deputy Dean responsible for English Philology, outlining the reasons for your request. You need to realize, however, that if you choose a different specialization you need to complete the whole of it, and in some cases this may mean that you will study one year longer than you originally intended to. Mentioning that you are aware of this and that you accept this possibility will make it more likely for the Deputy Dean to agree to your request.

The registration is usually held in April.

No, they are completely independent. Nobody will stop you from choosing the translation specialization and writing about teaching English as a foreign language if that's your wish.

If both supervisors agree, then this is possible.

If you pass the first semester of the seminar then you should ask the supervisor if they are willing to work with you (individually, if necessary) the following year. If they agree, then you don't need to change the supervisor. If they don't, you need to look for a new one.

There are usually three rounds of recruitment for the MA programme. As long as your final exam is held no later than in September, you should be fine.

Ask your supervisor. Most supervisors will agree, but you need to realize that the supervisors have holidays too, so don't be surprised if they can only check your thesis in September, and if numerous corrections are necessary, there may not be enough time for you to implement them.

Failing to write the thesis means failing the seminar and the semester, and it results in repeating the second semester of the seminar the following year.

Yes, one or two, as long as they're not PNJA courses. Failing any PNJA course or any three courses in total means failing the semester, and failing the first semester means failing the entire programme.

There are three specializations: translation, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and Culture/Media/Communication. The first two require students to know Polish, so if you don't know the language, you need to choose the third one. The registration is held in early December and the specializations start in the second semester, but students who wish to sign up for TEFL and did not choose this specialization on the BA level need to start this specialization earlier, from the first semester. If you're interested in TEFL and did not complete the BA edition of this specialization, please contact dr Weronika Szubko-Sitarek as soon as possible (preferably no later than in the first week of October).

No problem if you do it before the specialization classes begin. Changing your mind after the first week of classes shouldn't be a problem either. The sooner you let us know, the better. Things get more complicated if you change your mind after the second semester. If that is the situation, please write to the Deputy Dean responsible for English Philology, outlining the reasons for your request. You need to realize, however, that if you choose a different specialization, you need to complete the whole of it, and in some cases this may mean that you will study one year longer than you originally intended to. Mentioning that you are aware of this and that you accept this possibility will make it more likely for the Deputy Dean to agree to your request.

No, we don't offer any courses in languages other than English in the MA programme.

The registration is held in December, and you choose one of your three proseminar teachers.

No, they are completely independent. Nobody will stop you from choosing the TEFL specialization and writing about translation in your thesis if that's your wish.

If you pass the first semester of the seminar, then you should ask the supervisor if they are willing to work with you (individually, if necessary) after a year's break. If they agree, then you don't need to change the supervisor. If they don't, you need to look for a new one.

If you pass the second semester of the seminar then you should ask the supervisor if they are willing to work with you (individually, if necessary) after a year's break. If they agree, then you don't need to change the supervisor. If they don't, you need to look for a new one.

Failing to write the thesis means failing the seminar and the semester, and it results in having to repeat the final semester of the seminar the following year.