The mission of the Graduate School for Social Research (GSSR, in Polish Szkoła Nauk Społecznych) is to be a European leader in international, English-language post-graduate education in the humanities and social sciences. Since 1992, the knowledge and experience of leading scholars from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and other respected academics from around the world have supervised and developed our programs.
In 2019, we included two additional PAN institutes — the Institute of Psychology and the Institute of Political Studies — to broaden the scope of our interdisciplinary approaches to research that is backed by rigorous methodological training. We bring these elements together to add something new to Poland’s academic scene.
We train our PhD candidates to be international scholars who are at the forefront of academic and policy debates. GSSR fosters the creation of new knowledge by PhD students and established researchers in an equal opportunity and meritocratic environment. Our English-language multi- and interdisciplinary doctoral education model is built on Learning-through-Research (LtR), classroom training, and continuous PhD progress assessment.
We offer high academic standards, close links to leading research institutions in Poland and abroad, and the individual attention of faculty from our constituent institutes. We aim to educate students from the region and countries from around the world for careers in academia, public life, and business. The knowledge and know-how that our students acquire will prepare them for rewarding careers in a multicultural environment. Strengthened by our alumni, GSSR fosters the spirit of innovation and positive social impact. GSSR appeals to students with creative and independent minds.