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Polish qualifications, what are they worth ? [137]
From what they were saying it is pretty much standard to do a thesis for an honours degree at Canadian universities and the requirements are a lot stiffer than those for a licencjat.
For what it's worth, I have no direct experience with the actual formal divisions of higher education in Poland. I left before licencjat was one of the degrees, so all I can do is compare the equivalent years of study - the first 3 years in Poland and the first 3 years in Canada, as well as the senior year in Poland and Canada.
However, unlike the many visitors to Poland who have little actual experience with the educational system (I don't consider TEFL in a Polish university to be sufficient to form a reliable opinion), I have direct and personal experience on both sides of the ocean.
I did not do any junior years in the English dept where I studied in Canada (and in the US before that). I found senior years studies in the English department here pretty much a walk in the park. Some of those were extramural studies while I worked full time. I would have not been able to do the same in Poland, the sheer workload was simply too much for a lot of extracurricular activities. In some cases, I found the level of students' preparation for the university studies embarrassingly low in comparison to their Polish counterparts. Some of the student performance was so low it was breathtaking.
In a science department the story was a little different. I started in a junior year (with gobs of credits recognized from my other degrees) and the studies were harder (a completely new territory for me) but very much doable. I'm not sure I would stand a chance to even be admitted to the equivalent department in Poland. I saw the curricula in Polish IT departments and all I can say if holly sh*t, that's ambitious!!! For me perhaps it was the change in circumstances, or motivation on my part. After all, math in Poland doesn't appear to be any easier or any harder than it is in Canada.
I think I have reasons to not believe in the alleged superiority of educational systems in Canada, US, or UK over that of Poland. I met idiots in academic circles in all those countries, and I also met exceptionally great minds. A lot of this recognition of diplomas has nothing to do with the actual level of education in various countries but is rather of purely administrative nature.
As an example, there is a 4 year curriculum in Canadian colleges (something between a high school and a university, and no degrees). It is actually easier to get a job with a 4 year college diploma than with the equivalent university degree.
I have direct knowledge of Poles whose academic credentials were recognized without any issues. A Polish fella with Masters from Poland is a well respected associate prof. as is another Pole, but that one with a PhD from Poland. But I also know of Poles with Master's degrees who were considered to be below Canadian grade 12. Strangely enough, more reputable organizations and schools were are usually more open to foreign academic credentials than mom and pop shops.
As some know, I do woodworking as a hobby, so a couple years ago I wanted to enroll in a woodworking thingie in the local college. They asked me for a grade 12 diploma and a recent TOEFL! They did not care that I hold an honors degree in English Lit. from a Canadian University and that I spoke with them extensively. They still needed a proof that I spoke English.
As for the thesis as a standard requirement towards an honors degree, that's not what I observed. It is quite a bit different than it used ot be in Poland. The "thesis" here is just another full credit (two semester) course where students have some freedom in selecting a topic of their interest. This is by no means a compulsory course and many opt to select other courses of equal weight.
