What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland?

You have been weighed, you have been measured and you have been found wanting!

How could you be so sneaky Times? Rest in peace!

If you're over forty then they're better than a first from the University of Spunkbridge.

Hey, that's my alma mater you're talking about!


40+VAT.
I'd really like to see a recently marked and graded A level paper. Is it possible?

I think Edexcel make past papers available, but I wouldn't think the marking scheme is available. They're probably ashamed.

Merged: Is HND qualification equivalent to Polish "Licencjat"?

Hi everyone,

I've done a lot of research about HND however I did not really find the answer.

I am in a situation where I have to decide whether go back to Poland after I finish my HND (which will be this year) or stay for another year and do a Batchlor's Degree.

I am studying IT and working in the same environment for 2 years. How employers are looking at this qualification? Is HND equivalent to Polish "Licencjat"? Is it going to be harder for me to find a job in IT environment?

Thanks,
PH.

are you really doing a 'Batchlors' degree at a UK university? I find that shocking, with your level of English. To be honest.

No an English HND is not equivalent to a Polish degree. A Licencjat is the equivalent of a Bachelor of Arts degree in the UK. You're studying IT so that degree would be Bachelors of Science which is equivalent to the Polish Inżynier. Your diploma is not equivalent to Inżynier and will not count for much in Poland. To be honest employers even have some difficulty in understanding equivalence between a degree from an English university with Polish ones, let alone a diploma. It's worth doing the extra year or two for the degree.

The system of equivalence of degrees is worked out using the European Credit Transfer (ECT) system which is now recognised in Poland. Most of the major universities in Poland are now signed up to it, though many employers haven't heard of it.

You know that there's a difference in the UK between an ordinary/foundation degree and an honours one don't you? Ordinary Bachelors of Science requires 3 years full time study, Hons BSc requires four years but it's the more impressive qualification to have on your CV.

ECT points are awarded based on the number of hours of study required. Bachelor's degrees (also known as first cycle studies) are worth 180 - 240 ECTS (3 to 4 years full time, longer part time obviously). If you have the 240 points it's sometimes possible to get your BSc Hons degree recognised as equivalent to a Polish Magister. (Don't confuse the ECT points with the course points. A degree contains several courses that make up the content and each course is worth a certain number of points usually around 120 points a year, which will work out as 60ECTs).

Your HND is worth 120 ECTs. To have a Polish Inżynier you must have at least 180 ECTs.

I'd say that if you can possibly manage it carry on with your studies and go for the Hons degree. Your industry experience will certainly count in your favour but if your long term plan is to come back to Poland you should do so with the best qualification you can get. Poland is still a bit old fashioned and 'dokumenty' and the right kind of paperwork are still valued very highly. Good luck!


I think you're being a bit harsh Roz. The standard of spelling amongst English native speaking students is pretty abysmal these days. I'm sure the OP is no worse than many of them. Apart from one spelling error on a commonly misspelled word I think his/her English is perfectly ok. Afterall he's studying a technicaI subject. Good basic communicative English is perfectly adequate. I think one has to allow a bit of leeway for people for whom English is a foreign language and who have often picked up their English along the way with very little formal tuition. To be honest even if the OP had learned English in school in Poland, that might well prove more of a hindrance than a help!

that is pretty basic Atch tho' isn't it?

That is indeed what Polish universities like to claim. The reality is rather different. Having actually taught all of them, I'd say that a magister is the equivalent of a BA Hons and the first two years of a Licencjat are little more than A levels.

I totally agree Harry. The Hons Bachelors can be regarded as a Magister as long as it's worth 240 ECTs. There are many Hons BA or BSc degrees in the UK which are only worth 180 points and are still way in advance of a Polish Licencjat or Inżynier degree.

I think that the better Polish universities are now trying to raise their standards to come up to UK levels of course content. In the meantime, it's hard on Poles who've graduated from UK universities and then have their qualifications regarded with suspicion by Polish employers who wonder if they're 'good enough'. It's the fault - as usual- of successive Polish goverments who do nothing to educate employers about these matters. You've had a steady stream of Polish people leaving Poland over the last twelve years (and quite a few before that too), getting qualifications in the UK or Ireland and yet Polish employers are still largely ingnorant of the quality and level of those qualifications.


Question forms, present continuous, articles................. a constant source of confusion! But in fairness Roz, one can understand what the guy is saying. It's incorrect grammar, but look at the grammar of many native speakers.

Here's something for us all to enjoy, produced by Dr Bernard Lamb at Imperial College London, one of the top universities not only in the UK, but in the world, so the cream of the crop of students to choose from. He kept a diary of Errors in the English of Highly Selected Undergraduates.

s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/plcdev/app/public/system/files/25/original/CowsInseminatedBySeamen.pdf

The interesting thing is that whilst it contains examples from foreign and international students, the worst were from UK raised, of British ancestry and obtained Firsts and Upper Seconds.