Natural Environment Monitoring 2012, No 13, 105-122
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION STUDIES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE
OF TWO DECADES (1992–2012)
Ewelina Kantowicz, Elżbieta Lonc
Summary
Environmental protection studies as a new interdisciplinary field of study was registrated in the year 1991 but only in w 2011 year “environmental science” was recognized as separate domain in the biological, chemical and agricultural sciences. The first environmental science studies known in Poland as Ochrona Środowiska were formed at the university natural science faculties as 5 years courses. According to the Bologna Declaration they were next changed for 3+2 system at the universities as well as in the remaining no academic schools (colleges) public (PWSZ) and no public ones. In the second decade of XXI century this field of study provided by more than 60 higher education institutions in Poland is faced to new challenges connected with the reform of higher education system, the lack of formal ministry list of field of studies and adaptation to the National Qualification Framework (KRK) based on the nationally agreed standards of knowledge, skill and competence, i.e. what student is expected to know, understand and be able to do following successful completion of a process of learning in two profiles (academic and application ones). In history retrospective the most important events were characterized since the beginning of 90. of XX century when the diverse higher education institutions and staff was accompanied with different study programs showing the great spectra of research problems with regard to the environmental science. In the article the thematic programs of twenty national annual meetings named “environmental studies at the university nature faculties” was analyzed. Those conferences were organized by the Polish universities, ie.: Uniwersytet Wrocławski (1993, 2003), Uniwersytet Jagielloński (1994) together with PWSZ in Tarnów (2004); Uniwersytet Opolski (1995, 2007); Uniwersytet Warszawski (1996, 2006); Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza (1997 and Collegium Polonicum in Słubice, 2005);
Uniwersytet Gdański (1998); Uniwersytet Marii CurieSkłodowskiej (1999); Uniwersytet im. Mikołaja Kopernika in Toruniu (2000); Uniwersytet Łódzki (2001); Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski (2002); Uniwersytet in Białystok (2008); Uniwersytet Zielonogórski (2009); Uniwersytet Śląski in Katowice (2010); Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie (2001); Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego in Kielce (2012).
Conference proceedings concerned with the organization, management and learning concepts of environmental protection studies, their quality assurances and accredidation (UKA, PKA, international cooperation, mostly within such programs as the ESSENCE, AUDES, TEMPUS i ERASMUS-LLP, were discussed
in the context of conclusions for future. They are connected with the questions of interdisciplinarity of environmental science learning changing from the diversified programs via minimal programs and tough standards towards qualification framework as well as with the research. Presence of “environmental science” as the distinct domain should enhance the third level of study. There is a urgent need the shaping of doctorate programs to the requirements of KRK as it was done in the case of graduate and undergraduate studies of environmental protection.
