Catalogue

Abstract

The article presents the organizational and curriculum reform in the Main School of Commerce in Warsaw. The aim of the reform is setting up of a modern institution of higher economic education which trains the manpower for the needs of the market economy. The major change consists in the abolition of faculties and transmission of all teaching matters to the Senate. Students no longer belong formally to departments. There is a basic course with a uniform curriculum for all students who, however, have the right to choose teachers of all subjects.  The diploma semesters that follow are based on individual course of study. Students assisted by consultants or tutors design their own curricula. There are curricular minima for each direction of study which consist of obligatory subjects, subjects of a limited choice and subjects of a free choice. The complete didactic offer is given in the School Catalogue. The graduates of the School can leave with a licenciate’s or a master’s degree. Obtaining a diploma of one study direction is independent of another diploma, the order of receiving them is optional; it is also possible to obtain licenciate’s and master’s degrees of different directions of studies. An individual course of studies, a free choice of subjects and a free setting up of one’s educational path are accompanied by a rank list of students. Those with the best results take the first places on the list and have the right to choose the most attractive classes of the diploma course, which means that they have the opportunity to acquire the most attractive diplomas. As the School is a very large institution, it was necessary to divide it into colleges-corporations of academic teachers which carry out research and promote academic workers. The author presents not only the assumptions, principles and solutions adopted but also the way which led to them and the stages of the work of teams developing the School Catalogue. It is specially interesting for academic teachers who work on organizational and curricular transformations in their own institutions.