In the academic year 1999/2000 the Faculty of Chemistry began the realization of a new curriculum called "Flexible System of Three-Stage Studies" which is a result of our long-standing experience in the field of chemical and chemical technology education. It is also a result of the participation of Warsaw University of Technology in international didactic programs concerning the transformation of studies at universities of technology in Poland, coordinated by the Commission for Education and Training of the European Commission.
A student starting studies at the Faculty of Chemistry may complete them after 4 years with a Bachelor (inżynier) Degree (I^st stage of studies), after 5 years with a Master (magister inżynier) Degree (II^nd stage of studies), and after additional 4 years with a PhD (Doctor of Chemical Sciences or Doctor of Technological Sciences) Degree (III^rd stage of studies).
For the first six semesters all students undertake a common core curriculum course. The new system provides a possibility of an individual choice of courses depending on the interests and preferences of students and adapting the progress of studies to one owns abilities and financial possibilities. In planning and selection of a studying route the student is assisted by a tutor, and after completion of the sixth semester he selects the type of course - bachelor or master. Within a selected course a student chooses a specialization and a didactic unit in which he would like to perform his diploma work.
The III^rd stage of studies is a continuation of the II^nd stage and their principles are described by the "Rules and Regulations of Doctoral Studies".
Credits corresponding to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) are a measure of the progress of studies of a student during the I^st and II^nd stage of studies, besides the traditional marks. The credits are obtained by crediting consecutive courses. The number of credits achieved is decisive of the semester and year for which the student is enrolled. A student having an appropriate number of credits may be enrolled for a higher semester than it results from the suggested curriculum. The most gifted students have a possibility to earlier complete their master course ("skipping" of a semester or year) and thus earlier starting of the doctoral studies.
One of the most important points of the new curriculum is the division of the conducted courses into basic (B) and elective (E) ones. Six specialization courses have been distinguished from among the basic courses, which besides the compulsory basic version are also conducted as supplementary advanced (A) ones. These are inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, investigations of chemical compounds structure, chemical technology.The crediting of all the compulsory B courses and a certain number of supplementary A as well as elective E courses is a condition for transferring from the basic stage (ending after the sixths semester) to the master course. The selection of the A and E courses, conditioned, however, with some rules, is really of free choice. Taking into account that the number of E courses offered in the academic year 2001/2002 is 101 it is evident that a student can decide on the kind and range of knowledge achieved, both during the basic stage as well as the specialization then selected.
In order to be enrolled for the bachelor course a student must credit all the compulsory B courses, a certain number of E courses and in hours nearly half less A courses than for the master course. The curriculum of the sevenths and eighths semesters of the bachelor course comprises more courses of an economic character concerning the organization of production and market economy. The regulations of studies enable the transfer from the bachelor to the master course after additional crediting of A courses and achieving an appropriate number of credits.