Ready, steady, University! - Guidebook for new students

As is the case with any rules and regulations, some of the essential terminology appears at the very beginning, so we will start with a small glossary that may help you understand all the technicalities better.

Rector's day or hours - day or the selected hours when classes are not held,  announced by the rector (president) of a given university.

kolokwium (test) - a test to check students’ knowledge of a particular section of the course material

lektorat (foreign language class) - foreign language classes chosen by a student

liason - a person working in an organizational unit of the university (in Student Services) responsible for student affairs of a given year and program related to, among other things, filling and submitting documents or applicationss

internships - are compulsory additional classes that a student completes in a chosen company, suitable to their study program and interests, allowing students to gain additional practical knowledge 

Rector - the most important person who manages the University

Vice-Rector - Rector's deputy, responsible for several tasks, such as student affairs

Dean - head of the respective department

supervisor – a university teacher who acts as a mentor during the writing of the dissertation

ECTS points - points awarded for passing the course, also at foreign universities, allow students to continue or begin studies at other European universities.

examination period - period when students pass their course exams, held two times per year - after the winter and the summer semester

specialization - expansion of the educational path to include students' professional interests, relevant to their future career paths

syllabus - includes  course requirements, rules of passing exams and reading lists

pre-scheduled examination date - additional, often first date for passing the exam

retake procedure - in case of failing the exam during the first and second deadline, a student has the right to apply for the opportunity to pass it during the next examination period

USOS - online platform where every student requires an account. Students may find their grades there, choose electives, specializations or supervisors. It also contains the current timetable and news from Student Services.

Great! Now you know the most important and most common terms used at our University. We can move on to the next point.
 

Let’s start with something easy - Student Services – helpful with all the matters related to the teaching process for long-term students. You can contact Student Services on the website. If you want to make an appointment, use the Google Calendar. The link is available on your study program website. 

You can visit Student Services in building A, first floor, room No. 316.

Now you know more about Student Services. Let's move on to the next important thing so that you don't accidentally get lost on our campus! We will now introduce you to #UEKatowice buildings.
 

Rectorate building (R) - the most representative building of our University, it houses the Rector's Office. In addition, the building serves administrative, representative, and cultural functions. It is the center of relations with the business and socio-political environment

Building A - contains 29 teaching rooms, including a Józef Lisak Auditorium where major ceremonies are held, one of the two PE training rooms, and a gym, along with a snack bar on the ground floor

Building B - connected to Building A via a corridor, it houses an auditorium, 7 lecture halls, 12 classrooms, and another snack bar

Building C - connected to building B, it houses the second PE training room and a swimmingpool 

Building E - contains classrooms

Building F - contains 3 teaching rooms; it is also home to most student organizations

Building L - houses lecture halls and an auditorium; it can be accessed through Building E - Location of the Careers Service and Alumni Relations 

Building N - the most remote building of our University campus, may be accessed from ul. ks. bpa St. Adamskiego 7 or ul.Koszarowa 6 and 6a. Foreign Languages Center is located there

CNTI (@) [Advanced Information Technology Center] – the most modern building belonging to our University, it houses state-of-the-art classrooms and an academic library

Before we move on to more information, let us stick to the campus for a while longer since our University boasts access to two libraries.

Let’s face it, university libraries are visited by students usually only once they start writing their dissertations; nevertheless, it is still important to know where they are located. This is especially true when asked by your teachers to read or bring specific texts to class.

One of the libraries is located on our campus, in the CNTI building on the 3rd floor. The other library is CINiBA [Scientific Information Centre and Academic Library, shared with the University of Silesia], which is located off-campus, but very close to #UEKatowice nonetheless. 

It is important to mention that to use it you must register through the following website and have your student ID card if you want to borrow some books.

Since we are already talking about buildings and architecture, a few words about the parking

Numerous students arrive at #UEKatowice by car, so we would like to explain where you can park to make your parking spot hunting easier. 

Students can park their cars at Adamskiego Street, in front of Building F and at the back of the building.

Parking is also available at the CNTI building where entry is regulated by student ID.

If you have your classes at the Building N, parking is located on the corner of Adamskiego and Koszarowa streets or next to the University.
Entry is also regulated by student ID, so remember to show it to access the parking lot.

Now we can move on to the timetable of the academic year 2024/2025.
 

The academic year consists of two semesters: winter and summer, which include winter break, summer vacation, and the time of the ultimate bane of all students's existence – the examination period. 

Below, we listed some usefull links  to help you find your timetables and the duration dates of each period:

1. Only for erasmus students: Erasmus 
2. Exam session for IB students 
    

Virtual University System, although overwhelming, consists of the most important and useful information. There, you can find information about:
●    timetables,
●    practice and language groups,
●    deadlines and results of selecting specialties,
●    marks.

The staff will inform you of the Student Services about the possibility of activating your account in the Virtual University System.

In addition, on the Virtual University System you will find your individual  bank account number, where you pay for studies or a conditional pass. 

It will be available in the Virtual University under the "Student details/Finances" menu.
The bank account number provided is also used to pay PLN 22 as a fee for the electronic student ID card. In the transfer title, please include the information "student ID card fee".

Speaking of timetables, how about some tips on reading them and finding the right classroom?
 

Timetables begin with green rectangle with date; underneath it are written hours of the classes next to which the courses are listed along with the note: “Ćwi”- practice classes, “Lek” - foreign language classes and “Wyk” – lecture, “n/z” means that lessons are online on the Google Classroom platform.

Next are classrooms, for instance, “300A” means that classes are hosted in class room number 300 at building “A”, and when you see “3/17@”, you have to go to class number 17 on the 3rd floor of CNTI Building.

Let's now move on to signing up for physical education classes.
 

Signing up for physical education classes will begin on September 22 and continue throughout the week. 

Students will receive information at the email address provided during recruitment.

You can choose from pilates, aerobics, gym, swimming, team sports, general development exercises, and nordic walking, among others.

Another piece of information often sought by students is the program curriculum, which is what we are going to say a few words about in the next point.
 

In the study curriculum, you will find information about the courses organized during all the years of your studies. From it, you can also find out how many hours a particular course lasts, what type of course it is, which department teaches it, and how many ECTS credits are available.

It’s good to know that, right? You can find your study curricula here: www.ue.katowice.pl/en/students/timetable.html

An integral part of studies is internships, so now we will say a little bit about them.
 

Internships are obligatory for all students, but the number of hours is different depending on study level and program type; for example, undergraduate students whose program is practical must complete 720h of internships while students of a general academic program complete 120h. 

On our website you can find all the information about rules and regulations regarding internships:
●    International Business Students,
●    Finance and Accounting for Business,
●    Internship procedure and documents in English.

All this information intake can tire you out. Are you hungry a little bit? Because now is the time for what students like best - food! ????

At our University campus we have a few buffets where you can eat something between classes. Where are they located? Here we go:

●    Building B - in the basement area,
●    Building A - on the ground floor, at the entrance from the courtyard,
●    Building N - on the ground floor, from the Adamski Street side, next to the cloakroom.

In addition, vending machines with snacks and hot/cold drinks are located in buildings A, B, E, N, CNTI and at the Rybnik Branch..

Now that you know where to eat something tasty, how about a little tip on places where you can meet both awesome and valuable people? :D
 

At our University there are many academic research clubs and student organizations, that work for our #UEKatowice community. But the first helps with gaining experience and new skills. 

If you are a member of our community, you can gain some extra points to… rector's scholarship.

•    Rector’s scholarship
•    Disability scholarship
•    Emergency financial aid
•    Need-based scholarship

Information about them can be found here. 

At our University there are such international programs as: ERASMUS+, PO WER, or CEEPUS. All information about them, you will find on the website. 

Under Organizational units you will find all departments and chairs operating at #UEKatowice. By clicking on a department/chair/unit you will see all the people who work there, along with the corresponding email address and contact number

Welcome Point’s main activities include:  

• Cooperation with the institutional environment in organizing and legalizing the stay of foreign students, doctoral students and employees at the University;
• Implementation of the Uni Buddy program;
• Organization of events integrating the Polish and foreign academic community;
• Participation in recruitment and coordination of interns at the Welcome Point;
• Being a contact point for all international students and visitors;
• Providing administrative support for faculty members from abroad;
• Assistance in dealing with everyday issues related to life at the University and in Katowice;

You may vistt Welcome Poin website here.