Doctoral studies last 4 years and are tuition-free. The Doctoral School offers programs conducted in English in the following disciplines:

• Economics and Finance
• Management and Quality Sciences

Applicants make their selection at the stage of completing their application in the IRK recruitment system. 

Below you will find the admission rules for the Doctoral School for the 2027/2028 academic year.
The detailed admission schedule will be determined by the Admissions Committee and published by the end of February 2027. The admission process is expected to commence in late March or early April 2027.

Admission process step by step

STEP 1. Registration in the IRK Online Recruitment System

1. Create an account in the IRK online recruitment system.

Complete the required information:

• personal details and photograph (in accordance with the requirements specified in the system);
• information about your educational background (details of your Master's degree).

Next, create an application by selecting the doctoral programme and the relevant academic discipline.

2. Prepare and upload your research project proposal.

The research project proposal must be uploaded to the IRK system before the deadline specified in the admission schedule. It must meet the requirements set out in the "Required Documents" section.

Important: Do not wait for your research project proposal to be approved before submitting your documents. Its verification and approval in the system take place at the document submission stage.

3. Pay the application fee.

Participation in the admission process is subject to a one-time, non-refundable application fee. The amount of the fee and the payment procedure will be specified in a Rector's Order.

The fee must be paid to the individual bank account number generated in the IRK system, sufficiently in advance and no later than on the last day of the registration period.

STEP 2. Submission of Documents

4. Submit the required documents to the Admissions Office.

The original required documents must be submitted to the Admissions Office within the deadline specified in the admission announcement:

Admissions Office

ul. Bogucicka 5, CNTI Building, Room 2/18

Katowice, Poland

A correctly submitted application for admission to the Doctoral School constitutes the basis for conducting the admission procedure.

Important: Once the document submission deadline has passed, it will no longer be possible to supplement your application. Documents submitted after the deadline will not be considered in the admission process.

Until the documents are submitted, no messages or status changes will appear in the recruitment system. 

Upon individual request, you may obtain permission to submit scanned documents through the IRK system (please refer to the section “Submitting documents electronically via the online candidate registration system” below). Such a request must be submitted within the deadline specified in the admission schedule. Please refer to the detailed admission schedule to ensure that you meet all applicable deadlines.

STEP 3. Verification of Submitted Documents

5. The Admissions Committee will leave an application unprocessed if:

1. it was submitted after the deadline;
2. it is missing at least one of the required documents;
3. the required application fee was not paid by the last day of registration in the IRK system.

STEP 4. Admission Procedure – Stage I

6. The admission procedure consists of two stages.

In the first stage of the qualification procedure, a candidate may earn a maximum of 55 points, including points  for the assessment of:

1. compatibility of the education with the scientific disciplines in which the study program is implemented at the Doctoral School – max. 10 points;
2. academic achievements – max. 10 points;
3. outline of the research project – max. 30 points;
4. recommendation letter – 5 points.

Check your IRK account regularly.

Information on the number of points awarded and whether you have qualified for Stage II of the admission procedure (the interview) will be published in your IRK account. You will also find information about the date, time and location of the interview.

Candidates who do not qualify for Stage II will receive a decision refusing admission to the Doctoral School.

STEP 5. Admission Procedure – Stage II (Interview)

7. Stage II is open to candidates who have obtained at least 50% of the maximum number of points available in Stage I, provided that the number of candidates admitted to Stage II does not exceed the number of places specified in the resolution on the number of places available in the first year of doctoral training by more than 50%.

In the case of the assessment of the interview, a candidate may obtain a maximum of 45 points, including points for:

1. motivation and qualifications for pursuing a scientific career – max. 25 points;
2. knowledge of research topics specific to the discipline indicated by the candidate – max. 20 points.

STEP 6. Announcement of Admission Results

The results of the admission procedure and information on admission to the Doctoral School will be published in the IRK system.

Required documents:

1. application for admission to the Doctoral School in the form of a printout from the online recruitment system  (IRK) [Enrollment applications -> Documents and further steps];

2. scientific CV prepared according to the template. Important! Do not submit your professional CVs. The only CV that should be attached to the documentation is the one prepared according to the template provided on the website. All listed academic achievements must be numbered. Supporting documents confirming individual achievements must be labelled with numbers corresponding to those assigned to the respective items in the CV, so that each document can be clearly matched to the relevant entry. Any information concerning research activity that is not supported by the documentation submitted as part of the admission procedure will not be taken into account by the Admissions Committee when assessing the candidate.

3. application letter containing a description of predispositions and motivation to undertake scientific work;

4. original Master's degree diploma with a supplement or other document specifying the curriculum, or a certificate of passing the master's examination (until the diploma is delivered) along with a document specifying the curriculum (check below for additional requirements for foreign diplomas); Note! A candidate may take part in the recruitment process before he formally completes his studies and obtains a master's degree, provided that he submits a declaration during the recruitment process that the diploma of completion of master's studies or a certificate of completion of second-cycle or long-cycle master's studies will be delivered by July 16, 2027. The candidate will not be officially admitted to the Doctoral School until he/she presents to the Admissions Office a document confirming obtaining the appropriate title within the prescribed deadline. The declaration template is attached as Appendix No. 2 to the recruitment resolution. 

5. outline of the research project, including the topic, clearly identified research gap, research area, research problem and objective, research methods, and literature list. The outline should include a preliminary plan, the expected benefits of the research, and a work timetable for the dissertation. The outline should not include a separate title page and shall not exceed 10 pages, Arial typeface, font size 11 pt, single spacing, margins 2 CM!; The printed version of the outline should be submitted with the other required documents, and the electronic version should be attached in the IRK system; Candidates are asked to prepare the outline independently and in accordance with the principles of academic integrity.

6. documents confirming the knowledge of a modern foreign language at a language proficiency level of at least B2:

- higher education diploma or

- an internationally recognized certificate.

In the case of candidates for the program in English, these documents must certify the knowledge of the English language at a minimum level of B2. These documents are not required from a candidate who is a native speaker of English or a citizen of a country in which English is the official language, as well as persons who have completed a degree program taught in English.

Candidates applying for admission to a programme conducted in English must submit the documents listed in points 1-3 and 5 in English.

In addition, a candidate for the Doctoral School may present:

1. list of publications and other scientific and research achievements from 2021 along with documents confirming these achievements (in the case of publications: photocopy of pages confirming the title of the journal / monograph / textbook, name of the author, reviewers, publishing committee, table of contents and the entire article / chapter; in the case of participation in the scientific conference: certificate of participation in a scientific conference issued by the organizer, including the form of participation, date, place of the conference and the title of the presentation;  Information on scientific activity not supported by the documentation submitted in the application process is not considered by the admissions committee when evaluating  a candidate. 

2. documents confirming additional qualifications relevant to the planned doctoral dissertation;

3. letter of recommendation from a research or research-and-teaching employee holding at least a doctoral degree, with experience in scientific and research cooperation with the candidate, indicating the nature and form of this cooperation.

The candidate is obliged to submit a set of original documents (in physical form) for admission to the Doctoral School by the deadline specified in the recruitment announcement. Documents submitted after this date will not be considered. In the case of documents sent by post, the date of submission of the documents is the date of receipt of the documents by the university.

A correctly submitted application for admission to the Doctoral School constitutes the grounds for the admissions process. 

NOTES: Documents should be submitted in a plastic sleeve, and the outline without the separate title page.