AGH University of Science and Technology

Overview

AGH University of Science and Technology is a public technical university in Krakow, Poland and considered one of the best universities in the country. Founded in 1919, it places emphasis on engineering, applied science and computer technology across its undergraduate and graduate degree programs. To date, AGH administers 15 faculties in its Krakow campus. It sees over 35,000 students with nearly 6,000 of them taking up postgraduate studies.

As a technical university, AGH ranks among the top 2-3 similar institutions in Poland. Notably, it was named the country’s third-best technical university by Newsweek in 2007. Its academic programs are aligned with its strategy to integrate disciplines in double-degree programs, provide technical training abroad, personalize curricula and intensify foreign language studies.

The faculties are divided into specializations, such as in the fields of metals engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and robotics, foundry engineering, and applied mathematics. Other divisions include the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, and Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics.

AGH University of Science and Technology also administers a Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunications, and Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science. Likewise, non-technical disciplines, for instance, courses offered by the Faculty of Humanities and Faculty of Management are available. Other degrees specialize in non-ferrous metals, drilling, oil and gas, and fuels and energy.

The university is also host to key scientific research equipment and laboratories. These include facilities for testing rock properties, stone products, building and ceramic materials and for conducting structural analyses. Likewise, a Laboratory of Hydrogeochemistry, Laboratory of Vibroacoustics and Laboratory of Technical Means of Transport and Materials are managed by the university.

The years leading to the university’s foundation in 1919 saw a resolution calling for a university that focuses on mining, a campaign in the Parliament of Austria-Hungary and the eventual granting of a charter leading to the opening of the Academy of Mining, AGH’s precursor. The academy would suffer the loss of lives and properties during the Second World War. Postwar, it would gain autonomy and growth during the Cold War era. Today, AGH is a leading source of Ph.D. graduates in the region, as well as research papers in technical fields.

Notable alumni include Andrzej Czerwinski (politics), Adam Dziewonski (geophysics), Andrzej Jajszczyk (academics) and Wiktor Zin (architect). Other AGH graduates have made their names in business, in the European Parliament and Canadian politics.