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Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

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Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń or NCU (Polish: Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, UMK) is located in Toruń, Poland. It is named after Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born in Toruń in 1473.[3]

Nicolaus Copernicus University
Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu
Latin: Universitas Nicolai Copernici (UNC)
TypePublic
Established24 August 1945
Academic affiliations
EUA, Socrates-Erasmus
RectorAndrzej Tretyn [pl]
Students17,849[1] (12.2023)
Address
Gagarina 11, 87-100
,
Toruń
,
Poland
Sporting affiliations
AZS UMK
Angels Toruń (football)
Websitewww.umk.pl/en
University rankings
Regional – Overall
QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia[2]83 (2022)

History

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Mosaic by Stefan Knapp depicting Copernicus, NCU Aula

The beginnings of higher education in Toruń

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The first institution of higher education in Toruń, the Toruń Academic Gymnasium was founded in 1568. It was one of the first universities in northern Poland. The Academic Gymnasium was the precursor to scientific and cultural life (including the first museum created in 1594) in the region. Thanks to the efforts of Heinrich Stroband, city mayor in 1594, academics in Toruń received good working conditions for teaching and research. Among his professors in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were meritorious scholars of Polish and Prussian history, authors of textbooks and papers from various disciplines of humanities, and associates scientific journals.[citation needed]

The establishment of the university in a modern form began in the nineteenth century. During the partitions of Poland, the Prussian government planned to create a University of Theology, which was to include faculties of law and economics, but this project did not materialise.

In the interwar period the city authorities of Toruń again sought to establish a university. Soon after the annexation of Pomerania to the reborn Poland in 1920, a new phase of efforts to develop the university began. Even before 1920, the Supreme People's Council had considered the proposal to establish higher educational institutions in the Polish territories annexed by Prussia at the University of Gdansk and in Toruń. However, political developments and the uncertain future of Pomerania prompted the council's leadership to accept the December 1918 resolution of the Sejm to overlook Toruń as a location for a new university and instead go ahead with the development of a university in Poznań.

In 1920, the first declaration requesting the establishment of a university was put forward in November by the National Workers Party whose members chose Toruń-born Nicolaus Copernicus to be the patron of the university. For this purpose a number of educational societies, such as the Baltic Institute (later transferred to Gdynia, and then to Gdańsk) amongst others, were established in the town.

Finally, in 1938, it was decided to set up the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń as a subsidiary of Poznań's Adam Mickiewicz University; work was to start at the beginning of 1940. This program, however, was interrupted by World War II. It was not until 1947, two years after the creation of the Nicolaus Copernicus University. that Prof. Karol Górski revealed that there had been an approved plan to open Poznań University long-distance division in Toruń in 1940, which was supposed to teach the humanities and theology. In the first years after the war, many of the teaching staff consisted of professors, assistants and administrative workers from the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius.[4]

Faculties

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The Rektorat administrative building at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
 
Astronomical observatory in Piwnice
 
The Collegium Maximus houses the university's museum collections

Staff

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Staff / Year 2003[6] 2004[7] 2006[8] 2008[9] 2009[10] 2010[11]
Professors 373 475 485 497 474 485
Habilitated doctors 85 111 107 131 121 123
Senior lecturers 576 805 852 964 995 1,027
Teachers (total) 1,427 2,009 2,077 2,244 2,203 2,221
Other staff 1,663 2,102 2,059 2,180 2,149 2,119
Total staff 3,090 4,111 4,136 4,424 4,352 4,340
 
The Nicholas Copernicus University's Collegium Maius
 
The main campus has an artificial pool (pictured in front of the Aula, the main entrance and the Rektorat) as an architectural focal point.

Number of students

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Students / Year 2003[6] 2004[7] 2006[8] 2008[9] 2009[10] 2010[11]
Full-time day students 17,455 20,622 20,688 20,575 21,575 22,725
Extramural students 14,501 16,680 17,178 10,641 9,247 8,110
Postgraduate students 3,889 4,526 2,673 2,487 2,517 2,275
Total 35,845 41,828 40,539 33,703 33,339 33,110

Levels of study offered by institution

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  • Shorter/intermediate university level qualifications
  • First main university level final qualifications
  • Advanced/postgraduate study
  • Doctorate
  • Higher/post doctorate
 
A part of the university's Collegium Medicum which is based in neighbouring Bydgoszcz.

Diplomas and degrees

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  • Licentiate (3 years undergraduate degree. Equivalent to Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts)
  • Engineer (3 or 3.5 years technical degree. Equivalent to Bachelor of Engineering)
  • Magister (5 years degree equivalent to a course-based Masters programme)
  • Ph.D. Degree
  • Habilitated Doctor Degree.

Rankings

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University rankings
Global – Overall
THE World[12]1001-1200 (2024)

In 2018, Times Higher Education ranked the university within the 801-1000 band globally.[13]

International cooperation

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Notable alumni

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See also

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53°01′06″N 18°34′20″E / 53.01833°N 18.57222°E / 53.01833; 18.57222

References

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  1. ^ "Higher education in the 2023/24 academic year" (in Polish). Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  2. ^ "QS World University Rankings-Emerging Europe & Central Asia". Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  3. ^ Nicolaus Copernicus University history, homepage. Archived 2012-04-03 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
  4. ^ "Historyia Uniwersytetu". umk.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń – Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics". Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, NCU. 2019-04-02. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  6. ^ a b Janik, Agnieszka (2003-12-31). "General information 2003". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  7. ^ a b Janik, Agnieszka (2004-11-24). "General information 2004". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  8. ^ a b Janik, Agnieszka (2006-03-31). "General information 2006". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  9. ^ a b Janik, Agnieszka (2008-11-30). "General information 2008". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  10. ^ a b Janik, Agnieszka (2009-11-30). "General information 2009". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  11. ^ a b Janik, Agnieszka (2010-11-30). "General information 2010". Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  12. ^ THE World University Rankings 2024
  13. ^ THE World University Rankings 2018
  14. ^ "Elżbieta Jabłońska". Culture.pl (in Polish). Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Poland Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
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