Institute of Sociology of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow is the center of Krakow's sociology and one of the most important sociological centers in Poland. Our scientific and educational activities reflects both the rich tradition and the current, diverse research interests of lecturers, PhD students, as well as students of the Institute.

We conduct studies in the fields of SOCIOLOGY (BA degree programme and MA degree programme) and SOCIAL WORK (MA degree programme)

NOTE! JU Institute of Sociology conducts studies in Polish. In our offer you will find many English-language courses that are part of the study programmes and those dedicated to Erasmus+ students, but to take up studies, you have to demonstrate knowledge of the Polish language.

The history of Krakow's university sociology dates back to the end of the 19th century. In 1930, the Department of Ethnology and Sociology was established - headed by Professor Jan Stanisław Bystroń and later by Professor Kazimierz Dobrowolski. In 1957 this Department was transformed into the Department of General Ethnography and Sociology, and Kazimierz Dobrowolski remained its head. In this institution, in particular, the trend of the integral method and historical and cultural studies were developed, as well as the perspective of social anthropology, represented by Professor Andrzej Waligórski - a student of Bronisław Malinowski. In the same 1957, the Department of Sociology and Demography was established, headed by Professor Paweł Rybicki and focused on socio-structural and population issues (the latter were undertaken mainly by Docent Wanda Czarkowska). In 1970, the two departments were merged and as a result, the Institute of Sociology of the Jagiellonian University was established.

Its Directors were in turn: Władysław Kwaśniewicz, Piotr Sztompka, Andrzej K. Paluch, Tadeusz Borkowski, Zdzisław Mach, Krzysztof Frysztacki, Marian Niezgoda, Marek Kucia, Marcin Lubaś, Kaja Gadowska and (now) Marta Smagacz-Poziemska.

For over 50 years, the Institute of Sociology of the Jagiellonian University has been employing lecturers, scientists and researchers valued in the country and in the world, educates young people to prepare them to be active and mostly creative on the labor market and in the wide social world, carries out important research, scientific and educational projects, and undertakes cooperation with the local community, national institutions and entities, as well as more and more partners in the international network. From 2021, we are also a supporting member of the Polish Sociological Society.
 

Our offer and the quality of our activities are appreciated in the nationwide rankings of universities, where we take leading positions every year. In this year's Ranking by Subjects Perspektywy 2022 our sociology took second place again! Moreover, in one of the most prestigious rankings in the world - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, sociology at the Jagiellonian University was classified on the spot in the range 151-200.

The Institute of Sociology of the Jagiellonian University is a community of undergraduate and postgraduate students, PhD students, as well as employees who share a passion, an extraordinary view of the world and sociological imagination, as well as care for the highest quality of undertaken activities!

The Institute is accredited both by the Polish Accreditation Commitee and by the nationwide University Accreditation Committee based in Poznań. Accreditations are updated every 5 years and constitute a kind of "quality certificate" - confirmation of the highest substantive and organizational level of the studies conducted.