University of Silesia in Katowice

The Sociology programme is based in the field of social sciences. The education process is oriented towards providing students with general knowledge about the world that allows to diagnose and understand social phenomena, issues, and processes, as well as to develop skills facilitating the acquisition, accumulation, and analysis of knowledge. In addition to the knowledge and skills that all sociology graduates possess, each of them develops and deepens a wide range of skills relevant to their chosen major and to the challenges they will face in their future careers. Our graduates stand out and are characterised by:

• passion for exploration,
• interdisciplinary knowledge,
• concern for people’s issues,
• professional research tools and techniques,
• ability to diagnose and analyse social phenomena and processes,
• creativity,
• effective communication,
• team work and conflict resolution,
• ability to lead a team,
• ethical conduct as the basis for action,
• willingness to learn and constantly develop.

The 1st cycle studies are provided within the framework of four majors:

Urban and Regional Sociology which allows students to acquire the competencies and skills within the scope of local sociology, with particular emphasis on problems occurring at city and regional levels. Students gain in-depth knowledge of the structures and functioning of urban communities and social conditions of their development, as well as the operations of public authority institutions and public administration institutions. They also acquire the ability to analyse and diagnose processes occurring in the immediate social environment, and are qualified to carry out tasks related to improving the quality of life and building the social capital of the inhabitants of a given region.

Sociology of Organisation and Management – the curriculum of this major is oriented towards providing students with competencies and skills in recognising and explaining social phenomena and processes occurring in organisations, as well as in the area of organisational management. The major shows a strong connection to fields such as economics, psychology, and marketing. The studies are oriented, among other things, towards creating professional development paths, motivating employees, and team building.

Sociology of Advertising and Social Communication – provides skills and competencies in broadly defined social communication. Students gain knowledge on different dimensions of social communication and develop skills to solve various problems in communication. They learn how to design, analyse, and interpret communicative strategies in advertising and media. The major shows a strong connection to fields such as psychology, marketing, and communication.

Knowledge About Modern Society – a major oriented towards the development of skills in diagnosing and analysing social structures, processes, and phenomena. This allows students to develop test procedures in order to identify the scale and nature of particular sociological problems. The major has strong roots in fields such as economics, psychology, and marketing. The broad context of the acquired knowledge allows students to gain an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of social problems formation, and to gain knowledge enabling them to identify relationships occurring between various social phenomena and social processes.

The 2nd cycle studies are provided within the framework of five majors:

Human Resources in the Modern Organization combines theory with an opportunity to acquire practical skills that are needed in the modern labour market. The theoretical knowledge acquired by students is supplemented by workshops conducted by experienced experts-practitioners. The programme is structured in such a way as to allow students to gain a multi-faceted understanding of the rules governing the functioning of a modern organisation, while guaranteeing that the knowledge provided is reliable and up-to-date. Students develop competencies required to manage human resources, learn the realities of the modern labour market, recruitment methods, motivations and evaluation of employees, and learn how to build an effective team and successfully cooperate with the community. The Human Resources in the Modern Organization major is dedicated to all students interested in working in human resources departments, career counselling, employment agencies, and public labour market institutions.

European Career in Business and Administration allows students to acquire competencies and skills in the field of sociology complemented by knowledge of political, economic, and legal sciences, which provides access to labour markets of the European Union member states in the business sector and administration. The education is conducted in cooperation with employees of the Lille Institute of Political Studies in France, and with local business owners and communities. Students of this major have an opportunity to complete apprenticeships in public institutions, diplomatic institutions, parliamentary offices, and international companies at home and abroad.

Sociology of Business and New Media is oriented towards equipping students with knowledge and skills to operate in the broadly understood area of business, and with providing competencies allowing them to use media and digital technology in business. The curriculum is grounded in sociology, has a interdisciplinary character, and combines knowledge in the fields of sociology, management, psychology, entrepreneurship, and new media. The curriculum includes classes that aim to provide knowledge and develop competencies in organisational management, business ventures, diagnosing business problems, and solving business problems using new methods and approaches. In particular, the classes that students take prepare them to start their own new media businesses.

Sociology of Advertising and Social Communication is a major whose curriculum is oriented towards providing students with general knowledge in sociology, complemented with specialised modules focused on developing professional competencies in broadly defined social communication. Students acquire skills to observe, interpret, and modify the process of creating, transforming, and transmitting information between units, groups, and organisations. They also acquire knowledge about the functioning of the contemporary media world along with its ethical dimension and various aspects of communication (including literary and visual communication).

Urban Studies is a major in which students gain in-depth knowledge of the structures and functioning of urban communities and social conditions of their development, as well as the operations of public authority institutions and public administration institutions. A particular emphasis is put on the development of skills to diagnose and analyse local and regional social phenomena, and on the creation of local community development strategies for civil society.

Graduates of the Sociology programme, depending on the chosen major, are prepared for employment in:

• public administration institutions,
• local government bodies (such as city halls, commune offices, and district offices),
• aid institutions (such as district employment agencies),
• cultural institutions,
• non-governmental institutions,
• public opinion research centres,
• labour market research centres,
• small, medium, and large companies as specialists in management systems, as middle and senior managers/executives, as specialists in selection and recruitment, human resources development, public relations, marketing, and company promotion,
• consulting companies as consultants and career counsellors,
• local, regional, national, and international media institutions (PR and advertising agencies, media houses, media),
• training companies,
• digital economy organisations, e-commerce institutions.