STUDY REGULATIONS FOR STUDENTS OF THE INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH STUDIES AT THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2014/15 PART 1: ENROLLMENT IN COURSES 1 1.1. Students are automatically registered for certain courses of the study plan by the Students Office. For other courses students are obliged to register on their own. 1.2. Information about courses for which students register on their own can be found on the Wirtualna Uczelnia website (wu.swps.pl). 2 2.1. Registration for courses and modules performed by the Students Office is undertaken before the period when students can register themselves. No change in registration for those classes is possible. 2.2. Students register for classes of their choice using the Wirtualna Uczelnia (website) and Zapisy (webpage). Students must choose from the selection of courses available to them on the website. 2.3. Students can register for a class only if that class is not scheduled in the same time slot as a class that they have already been registered for by the Students Office or have registered for on their own. 2.4. Students who wish to attend a course outside the study plan must obtain an appropriate written permission from the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director and then be registered for that course by the Students Office.
3 3.1. Participants of classes are students who have been officially registered for these classes, regardless of whether they registered themselves or were enrolled by the Students Office. Students have an obligation and responsibility to take part in all classes for which they have been registered and obtain a passing grade for the course. 4 4.1. Individual registration by students takes place in two stages. The dates that students can register for courses (Zapisy Główne Principal Registration) are determined by students prior grade average, based on their module credits and examination results from the previous academic year, that is the average for courses in both the winter and summer semesters. Detailed information for particular groups of students and grade averages are published in Wirtualna Uczelnia no later than two days before the beginning of Principal Registration. Additionally, the dates when students can begin registration are published for each student on the personalised webpage of Wirtualna Uczelnia / Zapisy. 4.2. When calculating averages, the University takes into consideration grades filed up to two weeks before Principal Registration (that is up to around 15th August). 4.3. In the event of a student repeating a year of study or beginning studies after a period of leave, the average permitting a student to register is calculated based on the last complete year of study. 4.4. Students beginning studies after a leave of absence are allowed to register once they have been formally reinstated. 4.5. Students who have transferred from another university and have been allowed to study based on the results obtained at another university are allowed to register for courses once they have been officially admitted and have completed all the required formalities. If a student transfers from another university and is accepted at SWPS during the academic year, he/she will be registered for courses by the Students Office. 4.6. As part of their study plan, candidates for second-cycle (master s) degree programmes who do not possess a first-cycle (bachelor s) philology degree are obliged to take two modules, instead of extra-curricular classes, assigned to them by the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director to supplement their knowledge in the area of philology. Registration for these modules is performed by the Students Office.
4.7. Information about registration periods is provided in Wirtualna Uczelnia. Students are obliged to check the relevant messages appearing on this website. 4.8. Students who fail to register in the time period provided to them by the University must do so via the Students Office. 4.9. Students grade averages are calculated based on the rules given in the General Regulations of Studies for Students of SWPS. 5 5.1. Students can resign from a course for which they have themselves registered no later than one day before the beginning of the course. There are no limits in Principal Registration (Zapisy Główne) regarding resigning from courses on one s own. At other times during the year, resigning from courses that have already started can only be undertaken with permission from the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director (requests for being exempt from attending classes should be submitted via the request system in Wirtualna Uczelnia; reasons why one cannot attend the classes must be provided). 5.2. Should a student not resign from a course or be refused permission to resign and then fail the course, he/she will be obliged to re-take the course and pay the fee in accordance with the Tuition Fee Agreement. 6 6.1. Students are automatically unenrolled from cancelled courses. If so, students have to register for alternative courses on offer. PART 2: RULES FOR QUALIFYING FOR A SUCCESSIVE YEAR OF STUDY 7 7.1. Students qualify for the successive year of study when the number of courses that they have not passed (including courses re-taken from previous years and foreign language courses) does not exceed six (not passing a module is tantamount to not passing the number of courses that make up a given module). The exception to this is the first year module Study Skills & Career Management, which is not taken into consideration while calculating the number of courses necessary for the promotion to the successive year of study.
7.2. Students who are accepted to SWPS during enrolment between semesters qualify for the successive year of study if the number of courses not passed in the summer semester of the academic year to which they have been accepted does not exceed three. 7.3. In individual cases, a student who has failed more than six courses may obtain promotion to the successive year of study. The decision is taken by the Dean, on the basis of the student s application and a recommendation from the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director. PART 3: PASSING COURSES 8 8.1. Modules are passed only when a positive grade is obtained for the entire module. This grade is given by the module coordinator on the basis of all the component grades given to him/her by lecturers teaching the courses that make up the whole module. 8.2. Students who have not passed the module will be informed by the module coordinator which components need to be re-taken. Passing these components (and thus the whole module) is possible until 10th September. The specific date for re-taking a particular component is set by the lecturer and this information is then passed on to students. 8.3. The re-take of Practical English Examination takes place in September. 9 9.1. A student who qualifies for a successive year of study but has not yet passed all required modules and courses in the programme of study of previous years is obliged to pass all such modules/ courses as soon as it is possible. 9.2. If a module/course which should be passed does not run during the current academic year, the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director, on behalf of the Dean, offers the student an equivalent module/course. of studies. 10 10.1. Students can apply to be enrolled in 25% or 50% of the courses from the successive year
11 11.1. In order to fast-track one s studies or complete studies at a slower pace, a student should make the appropriate request to the Director of the Institute of English Studies, who considers the application on behalf of the Dean. 11.2. Financial matters regarding fast-track or slow-track studying are regulated by the Tuition Fee Agreement. 12 12.1. In the event of a student being accused of plagiarism (understood here as a criminal offence committed by a student who appropriates for him/herself the authorship of a part, fragment or elements of another piece of work which is not his/her own), the academic lecturer automatically gives the student an unsatisfactory (failling) grade for the course. 12.2. If a student commits an act of plagiarism in his/her master s thesis, he/she receives an unsatisfactory (failing) grade for the master s seminar and is obliged to re-take the last year of his/her master s seminar and also write a new master s thesis on a different subject with the same or another thesis supervisor. 12.3. Further proceedings against a student who commits an act of plagiarism are regulated by the Polish Higher Education Act of 27 July 2005 (with amendments) and Regulation No. 18/2010 of the Rector of SWPS. PART 4: REPEATING A YEAR OF STUDY 13 13.1. A student who does not fulfil the necessary conditions to be promoted to a successive year of study or does not fulfil the necessary conditions to complete his/her studies, must repeat the year of study and from that moment complete the study plan and programme for that particular year without, however, the need to supplement for any differences in the study programme for years that have already been completed. 13.2. In exceptional cases, when the undertaken programme of study does not meet the required standards of education, the student who is repeating a year must additionally obtain credit for the course/s recommended. If so, the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy
Director, on behalf of the Dean, specifies the courses/ modules that need to be taken by the student to supplement any study programme differences, within a month of a student s registration to the winter semester. 14 14.1. After the third year of the first-cycle (bachelor s) programme and the second year of the second-cycle (master s) programme, students who have not fulfilled the necessary conditions to complete their studies should submit a request for extending their study programme. 14.2. A request to extend one s study should be submitted by 30th September. 15 15.1. The Dean, in accordance with the Regulations of Studies at SWPS, has the right to remove a student from the student record if he/she is found to be not making any academic progress. This is defined as not passing over 50% of courses of a year of study which is being re-taken (this includes both those courses required by the study plan and those chosen by the student). PART 5: TRANSFERRING GRADES WHEN MOVING FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSITY OR COMPLETING PARALLEL STUDIES 16 16.1. The decision to transfer grades when a student has moved to SWPS from another university or when completing parallel studies is taken by the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director, on behalf of the Dean. 16.2. The transferral of grades takes place according to the Regulations of Studies at SWPS. 16.3. Grades cannot be transferred if a course is graded at SWPS and ungraded (only pass/fail) at another academic institution. However, courses that are ungraded (pass/fail) at SWPS can be transferred to SWPS if they are graded at the other institution.
PART 6: SPECIALISATION 17 17.1. Full-time students are able to attend two specialisations (the second specialisation, however, requires a fee). 17.2. The list of specialisations (and detailed descriptions) planned for a successive academic year is made available to students by 15th March. 17.3. Students select their specialisation (and an additional specialisation) via Wirtualna Uczelnia by 30th March. Failing to do so is tantamount to letting the Director of the Institute of English Studies make this decision for them. 17.4. Being accepted for another specialisation is dependent on the number of free places. 17.5. Only specialisations with the required number of students are made available. The decision to launch a specialisation is made by the Dean. PART 7: FIRST-CYCLE STUDIES (BACHELOR S) SEMINAR AND EXAMINATION 18 18.1. Final year first-cycle (bachelor s) students are obliged to pass a two-semester bachelor s seminar. 18.2. Extramural (weekend) teaching specialization students should participate in a seminar related to their chosen specialisation. All other students are allowed to take a bachelor s seminar from any specialisation. 19 19.1. The bachelor s seminar ends with a bachelor s thesis which should comprise 25-30 pages (Times New Roman 12, spacing 1.5) of academic text in English. After the consultation with the supervisor, the bachelor s thesis can take the form of two longer essays on related topics amounting, together, to 25-30 pages.
20 20.1. Every semester of the bachelor s seminar ends with a specific grade given to the student. 20.2. A student who failed the first semester of the seminar is registered for the second semester and, simultaneously, for the repetition of the first semester. The latter is completed in the form of individual work with the supervisor; for retaking the first semester of the seminar the student is obliged to pay the fee in accordance with the regulations on fees. 20.3. The condition for passing the final semester of the bachelor s seminar is having one s completed bachelor s thesis accepted by the supervisor. The supervisor confirms this by writing accepted as a bachelor s thesis and the date on the title page of the thesis. 20.4. The grade obtained during the final semester of the bachelor s seminar does not have to correspond with the grade obtained for the thesis during the bachelor s examination. 21 21.1. In order to change the supervisor during the first semester of the bachelor s seminar, the student is obliged to obtain the agreement of the new thesis supervisor with whom he/she would like to work on his/her bachelor s thesis. 21.2. After starting his/her second semester of the seminar, a student can only change his/her bachelor s seminar if he/she obtains permission from his/her current and future thesis supervisor. 21.3. The supervisor(s) agreements should be submitted to the Students Office in writing as an attachment to the application for permission to change the seminar; a student can also ask his/her supervisor to submit the permission in the electronic form. 21.4. All decisions regarding changes in bachelor s seminars are taken by the Dean. 22 22.1. The deadline for submitting one s bachelor s thesis is 30th June, with the possibility of three month extension, until 30th September. For students re-taking their final semester of the bachelor s seminar in the winter semester, the submission date is the final day of February. 22.2. A bachelor s thesis can be submitted by an authorised person on behalf of a student. 22.3. A bachelor s thesis should be submitted as hard copy in triplicate as well as one electronic copy which is identical to the hard copy containing the full text of the thesis. A student should submit a CD with the electronic copy of the thesis and a soft-bound, double-sided printed copy
of his/her thesis to the Students Office. The other hard copies are given to the supervisor and reviewer. 22.4. Detailed information about the format of the bachelor s thesis will be presented to students during the seminar. 23 23.1. In order to be permitted to take the bachelor s examination, a student must first pass all subjects included in his/her study programme, complete the BHP (Health & Safety) course and the required students internship, submit his/her bachelor s thesis as well as fulfilling all required formalities in the Students Office (details can be found on Wirtualna Uczelnia/Egzamin dyplomowy (Diploma Examination). 24 24.1. The bachelor s examination is taken before the Examination Board of the Institute, whose members include a chairperson, supervisor and reviewer. 24.2. The bachelor s examination is an oral exam. It consists of a discussion around three main questions. Two of them (one from the supervisor and the other from the reviewer) are generally related to the subjects and problems addressed in the student s bachelor s thesis. The third question is randomly selected by the student during the examination. It concerns one of the following fields: British culture and history; British literature; American culture and history; American literature; linguistics with foreign language teaching methodology; linguistics with translation studies. The final grade the student receives from the examination will also be influenced by the student s performance (including language competence). 24.3. The field from which the student must be prepared to answer the third question is chosen by the student in consultation with the supervisor. 24.4. The list of questions in each of the fields is announced to students at the end of the first month of the final year of first-level (bachelor s) studies. 25 25.1. According to the Regulations of Studies at SWPS, the final grade for bachelor s studies is the sum total of the following parts: - for programmes begun before 2014/2015:
a) the average for all grades obtained during studies (worth 60%), b) the grade obtained for the bachelor s thesis (worth 30%), c) the grade obtained for the bachelor s examination (worth 10%). - for programmes begun in 2014/2015 and the following academic years: a) the average for all grades obtained during studies (worth 50%), b) the grade obtained for the bachelor s thesis (worth 30%), c) the grade obtained for the bachelor s examination (worth 20%). 26 26.1. A student who fails to submit a bachelor s thesis after the final year of his/her study programme can extend the bachelor s seminar with the same supervisor by maximum two semesters. For each of these additional semesters the student pays the required fee according to the regulations on fees. 26.2. A request to re-take the final semester of the bachelor s seminar should be submitted by 30th September; for a student re-taking this final semester in the winter semester, the request should be submitted by the last day of February. 26.3. Ultimately, the Dean takes decisions on allowing a student to re-take the final semester of a bachelor s seminar. 26.4 A student who is repeating his/her final semester of first-cycle (bachelor s) studies and is only re-taking his/her bachelor s seminar is not obliged to supplement for any differences in the study programme. 27 27.1. A student who fails to submit a bachelor s thesis after these two additional semesters, who, nonetheless, wants to complete his/her first-cycle studies, must sign up (through Wirtualna Uczelnia/ Zapisy) for another bachelor s seminar with another supervisor and write another bachelor s thesis. The student must pay the fee for the two semesters of the new bachelor s seminar; the requirements and rules concerning the new seminar are the same as during the study programme. 27.2. A student who repeats his/her final year of first-cycle studies by re-taking the entire bachelor s seminar may be additionally obliged to supplement for any differences in the study programme. On behalf of the Dean, the decision about the additional courses the student must complete is taken by the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director.
28 28.1. If a student obtains an unsatisfactory (failing) grade for the diploma examination or does not attend the examination on a specified date (without justification), the Dean will appoint another (final) date for the examination. According to the Regulations of Studies at SWPS, the re-take examination shall not take place earlier than one month after the first examination and no later than three months of that date. 28.2. If a student does not pass the bachelor s examination at the second attempt or fails to take part in the examination (without justification), the Dean removes the student from the student record. 28.3. Students who in the 2013/14 academic year failed to complete both semesters of their bachelor s seminar, are obliged to register for the new, two-semester long seminar and write a bachelor s thesis. 28.4. Students who in the 2013/14 academic year failed to complete one semester of the bachelor s seminar have the possibility to re-take one-semester seminar and take the bachelor s examination according to the previous procedures. 28.5. From 2015/16, the bachelor s examination will be organised solely according to the rules specified in 24. This means that students currently retaking their third year of first-cycle studies, who will not complete their study programme until the end of the 2014/15 academic year, will be obliged to take a two-semester bachelor s seminar and write a bachelor s thesis. PART 8: MASTER S SEMINARS, THESES AND EXAMINATIONS 29 29.1. The master s seminar for second-cycle (master s) studies lasts three semesters. 29.2. Before taking the master s seminar, students of the first year take a semester-long master s pro-seminar during which they are introduced to, amongst others, requirements concerning the master s thesis and the master s seminars on offer. 29.3. After completing the pro-seminar and becoming acquainted with all the seminars on offer in detail, including example thesis subjects and titles, which will give the student a better idea of the profile and way a seminar is conducted, the student chooses his/her master s seminar.
specialisation. 29.4. A student is permitted to take a master s seminar from other than his/her own 30 30.1. In the study programmes which began before 2014/15, the first two semesters of the master s seminar are not graded (only pass/fail given), the last semester of the master s seminar ends with a detailed grade given to the student. 30.2. Beginning with 2014/15, each of the three semesters of the master s seminar ends with a specific grade given to the student. A student who failed the first or the second semester of the seminar is registered for the next semester but is simultaneously signed up for the repetition of the semester that he/she has failed. The retaken semester is completed in the form of the individual work with the supervisor; the student is obliged to pay for the repeated semester of the seminar in accordance with the regulations on fees. 30.3. The condition for passing the final semester of the master s seminar is having one s completed master s thesis accepted by the supervisor. The supervisor confirms this by writing accepted as a master s thesis and the date on the title page of the thesis. 30.4. The grade obtained during the final semester of the master s seminar does not have to correspond with the grade obtained during the master s examination. 31 31.1. In order to change the supervisor during the first semester of the master s seminar, the student is obliged to obtain the agreement of the new thesis supervisor with whom he/she would like to work on his/her master s thesis. 31.2. After starting his/her second year of study, a student can only change his/her master s seminar if he/she obtains permission from both his/her current and future thesis supervisor. 31.3. The supervisor(s) agreements should be submitted to the Students Office in writing as an attachment to the application for permission to change the seminar; however, a student can ask his/her supervisor to submit the permission in the electronic form. 31.4. All decisions regarding changes in master s seminars are taken by the Dean.
32 32.1. The deadline for submitting one s master s thesis is 30th June, with the possibility to extend this by three months, to 30th September. For students re-taking their final semester of the master s seminar in the winter semester, the submission date is the final day of February. 32.2. A master s thesis can be submitted by an authorised person on behalf of the student. 32.3. A master s thesis should be submitted as hard copy in triplicate as well as one electronic copy which is identical to the hard copy containing the full text of the thesis. A student should submit a CD with the electronic copy of the thesis and a soft-bound, double-sided printed copy of his/her thesis to the Students Office. The other hard copies are given to the supervisor and reviewer. 32.3. Students are informed about the formatting and style of the master s thesis during the pro-seminar and during their master s seminar. All information regarding the submission of diploma theses and other documentation can be found in Wirtualna Uczelnia under Informacje ogólne, Egzamin dyplomowy (General Information, Diploma Examination). 33 33.1. In order to be permitted to take the master s examination, a student must first pass all subjects included in his/her study programme, submit his/her master s thesis and fulfil all required formalities in the Students Office (details can be found on Wirtualna Uczelnia/Egzamin dyplomowy (Diploma Examination). 34 34.1. The master s examination is taken before the Examination Board of the Institute, whose members include a chairperson, supervisor and reviewer. The members of the Examination Board are approved by the Dean. 34.2. The master s examination is an oral examination. A student receives two main questions from the supervisor and one question from the reviewer. The chairperson also reserves the right to ask questions. 35 35.1. According to the Regulations of Studies at SWPS, the final grade for master s studies is the sum total of the following parts: - for programmes begun before 2014/2015:
a) the average for all grades obtained during studies (worth 60%), b) the grade obtained for the master s thesis (worth 30%), c) the grade obtained for the master s examination (worth 10%). - for programmes begun in 2014/2015 and the following academic years: a) the average for all grades obtained during studies (worth 50%), b) the grade obtained for the master s thesis (worth 30%), c) the grade obtained for the master s examination (worth 20%). 36 36.1. A student who fails to submit a master s thesis by the end of the second year of his/her study programme, can extend the master s seminar with the same supervisor by maximum three semesters. For each of these additional semesters the student pays the required fee according to the Tuition Fee Agreement. 36.2. A student who extended his/her master s seminar in (or/and before) 2013/14, can extend the seminar he/she is presently attending by maximum two more semesters, until the end of the academic year 2014/15. 36.3. A request to re-take the final semester of the master s seminar should be submitted by 30th September; for a student re-taking this final semester in the winter semester, the request should be submitted by the last day of February. 36.3. Ultimately, the Dean takes decisions on allowing a student to re-take the final semester of a master s seminar. 36.4. A student who is repeating his/her final semester of second-level studies and is only retaking his/her master s seminar is not obliged to supplement for any differences in the study programme. 37 37.1. A student who fails to submit the master s thesis after these additional semesters, who, nonetheless, wants to complete his/her second-cycle studies, must sign up (through Wirtualna Uczelnia/ Zapisy) for another master s seminar with another supervisor and write another master s thesis. The student must pay the fee for the three semesters of the new master s seminar; the requirements and rules concerning the new seminar are the same as during the study programme.
37.2 A student who re-takes the entire three-semester master s seminar may be additionally obliged to supplement for any differences in the study programme. On behalf of the Dean, the decision about the additional courses the student must complete is taken by the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director. 37.3. All students who have already retaken their seminars four (or more) times are additionally obliged to re-take the Academic Reading and Writing course in each semester of 2014/15 by which they wish to extend their seminar (also see point 36.2) 38 38.1. If a student obtains an unsatisfactory (failing) grade for the diploma examination or does not attend the examination on a specified date (without justification), the Dean will appoint another (final) date for the examination. According to the Regulations of Studies at SWPS, the re-take examination shall not take place earlier than one month after the first examination and no later than three months of that date. 38.2. If a student does not pass the master s examination at the second attempt or fails to take part in the examination (without justification), the Dean removes the student from the student record. PART 9: CALCULATION OF ECTS POINTS FOR STUDENTS COMPLETING PART OF THEIR STUDIES AT SWPS PARTNER UNIVERSITIES 39 39.1. Students of SWPS can complete part of their study programme at another Polish or foreign university with which SWPS has a partnership agreement (a so-called partner university). 39.2. Obtaining credit for studying at a partner university is regulated on the basis of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). 39.3. The basis of the transferral of ECTS points is that a student studying full-time in line with the official study plan should receive 30 ECTS points for one semester and 60 ECTS points for a whole academic year. 40 40.1. A student must obtain 30 ECTS points in order to pass a whole semester taken at a partner university.
40.2. A student must obtain 60 ECTS points in order to pass a whole academic year taken at a partner university. 40.3. In exceptional circumstances, a student who is studying at a partner university may be allowed to take courses with fewer or more than the required ECTS points due to the fact that a similar study plan may be difficult to create and follow at a foreign university. 40.4. The decision to allow a student to pass a semester or academic year of study undertaken at a partner university is ultimately taken by the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director, on behalf of the Dean. 41 41.1. Courses taken at a partner university are recognised (and the credits are transferred) according to the education standards that are in force at SWPS for philological studies, taking into consideration the number of hours, method of teaching and contents of the courses in question. 41.2. In the event of course names or course descriptions being ambiguous (with regards to contents and a student s workload), the Director of the Institute of English Studies or Deputy Director, on behalf of the Dean, decides whether such a course is appropriate compared to an equivalent SWPS course after the student has provided the course syllabus and other documents attesting to the work of the student. 42 42.1. The number of ECTS points for the completion of a single course at a partner university is assigned based on the number of ECTS points for the equivalent course at SWPS. 42.2. The ECTS points obtained at a partner university can be added to the sum total of ECTS points given in the diploma supplement. PART 10: CIRCULATION OF DOCUMENTS 43 43.1. In all cases related to studying at the Institute of English Studies, students submit requests in electronic form via Podania elektroniczne (e-requests) in Wirtualna Uczelnia. All replies to e-requests will be found at Podania elektroniczne (e-requests) in Wirtualna Uczelnia.
43.2. If a student submits a request in another form (not via Wirtualna Uczelnia) either to the Students Office or by traditional mail, the student is required to report to the Students Office in order to receive his/her reply. 43.3. The authorities have 30 days from the moment a request is submitted to reply to a request. All (required) attachments/enclosures should be submitted within 14 days of the original submission of the request. 43.4. Authorisations for other persons to collect a student s documents (while picking up a student s diploma or resigning from a study programme) should be undertaken in the presence of a member of the Students Office staff. If not, documents will only be issued with an appropriate notarial deed. 43.5. Authorisations for the collection of certificates concerning (the realisation of) the study programme should be sent via KONTAKT in Wirtualna Uczelnia.