SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities or simply SWPS University is a private non-profit university in Poland established in 1996 by three professors of Psychology, Andrzej Eliasz, Zbigniew Pietrasiński and Janusz Reykowski. SWPS University is one of the largest private universities in Poland with a community of over 14,000 students at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels, including over 1,200 international students from more than 60 countries. The university has five campuses, located in major Polish cities, including Warsaw, Wrocław, Sopot, Poznań, and Katowice. The institution was formerly known as the Warsaw School of Social Psychology. It was granted university status under Polish law in 2015.
Administration
In 2008, the position of SWPS University Founder was transferred to the Institute for the Development of Education and its President, Piotr Voelkel, who is a Polish businessman and philanthropist Piotr Voelkel. Before 2018, SWPS University was administered by a privately appointed board of trustees. Trustees served four-year terms and met annually. Chairman of the Board of Trustees was Andrzej Eliasz. Other members included Jan Strelau, Michał Jan Boni, Magdalena Dziewguć, Robert Firmhofer, Aleksander Kutela, Przemysław Schmidt, Ewa Voelkel-Krokowicz. After 2018, in compliance with the new higher education law in Poland, the governing body of SWPS University consists of Rector and Director General.
SWPS University offers 15 undergraduate and graduate programs taught entirely in English and over 30 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral study programs, with over 70 specializations, in Polish. The main study areas are Psychology, Law, Languages, Literature and Culture Studies, Media and Communication, Management, and Design. The University has been ranked by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education as the leading higher education institution offering Social Sciences program in Poland.
Faculties
Seven faculties of SWPS University have the authority to grant doctoral degrees in the following disciplines: cultural studies, literature studies, law, and sociology as well as psychology. The university also has the authority to grant post-doctoral degrees in cultural studies and psychology.
SWPS University is collaborating with various local and national organisations nurturing the idea of social engagement of its faculty and students. SWPS has a Legal Clinic which offers free legal advice for low-income individuals. The University supports also local craftsmen running their small businesses in the Praga District of Warsaw where the University main campus is located. Much of the research output is devoted to social, business and political issues such as neuroscience, behavioral insights for economy and public policy, health and nutrition, ageing, youth adaptation, or facing EU challenges from Horizon Europe. SWPS cooperates with various NGOs and institutions devoted to social causes, are the first European campus with the Ashoka Journey to Changemaking Certificate, and are member of newly-established Engaged Universities Forum, grouping 7 Polish Universities around the UN SDGs.
