Doctoral School in Polish language
Doctoral School at Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw
- rules and regulations of the enrolment process
in the academic year of 2026/2027
(study programme conducted in Polish language)
Appendix 1 to Senate Resolution No. 21/2025/2026 at AWF Warsaw,
January 20th, 2026
The enrolment process at the Doctoral School takes place in the form of competitive selection according to the following rules
1.The enrolment process at the Doctoral School takes place in the form of the competition whose results are open to the public, in accordance with article 200 section 2 of the LHES Act.
2. Admission to the Doctoral School takes place within the established (in the form of a separate resolution passed by the Senate of AWF Warsaw) maximum limit of places in a given academic year and in particular organisational units of faculties at AWF Warsaw (departments). The limit set for a particular year also applies to individuals who wish to apply for a place at the Doctoral School in the form of a transfer from another doctoral school unless, after seeking the opinion of the head of the Doctoral School, the Rector decides otherwise.
3. One-off and non-refundable enrolment fee is charged for participation in the enrolment process at the Doctoral School, as indicated in article 79 section 2 point 1 of the LHES Act. The actual fee in a given year is established by a separate ordinance of the Rector.
4. In the enrolment process, the enrolment commission takes into account specific needs of candidates with disabilities. In each case, the head of the enrolment commission decides on the scope and manner of considering the needs as well as activities to be performed in order to meet those needs.
Members of the enrolment commission and their activities
1. The enrolment commission responsible for the enrolment process at the Doctoral School is composed of at least 5 independent academic research workers (with a professor or doctor habilitated degree) employed at the University, including the Chair of the Scientific Council for Sport Sciences, and head of the Doctoral School who also acts as the head of the commission. A representative of the doctoral students shall participate in the recruitment process as an observer. The exact number of the enrolment commission members in a given year is determined by the head of the Doctoral School.
2. The enrolment commission carries out content-related analysis of documents submitted by candidates for the Doctoral School, conducts interviews and, based on criteria defined in the present rules of enrolment, draws up a ranking list that is approved by the Rector prior to being made known to the candidates. The enrolment commission, on behalf of the Rector, decides to either accept or reject the candidate. Should the candidate to the Doctoral School be rejected, they have the right to submit a request for reconsideration of the decision to the Rector.
3. Decisions and other documents are signed by the head of the enrolment commission on their behalf.
4. The enrolment commission meetings are minuted. The person responsible does not have to be a member of the commission.
5. In case a member of the enrolment commission is incapable of participating in the commission’s activities, the head of the Doctoral School can appoint an additional member of the commission in order to meet the criterion of a minimum number of members indicated in section 1.
6. When the enrolment process for a given year is finished, the enrolment commission is dissolved, with the reservation of section 7.
7. The Rector can extend the period of activity of the enrolment commission for a specified period if there is a need for them to express their opinions on matters related to requests for reconsideration of decisions to reject the candidates in a given year.
Requirements for admission to the enrolment process
1. To be admitted to the enrolment process, candidates have to meet the requirements defined in article 200 section 1 of the LHES Act, i.e. they:
1) have an M.A. or M.Sc. degree or similar, or;
2) do not meet the criteria stated in point 1 but they have completed undergraduate studies or have finished year 3 of uniform master’s studies. In such cases, the decision regarding admission to the enrolment process is made by the Rector after seeking the opinion of the Council for Physical Culture Sciences at AWF Warsaw;
3) are not Ph.D. students at any other doctoral school, or if they are,- they submit an application to be removed from the list of Ph.D. students at that doctoral school and will be removed from the list no later than one day before the decision to be admitted to the Doctoral School at AWF Warsaw is made;
Moreover, they:
4) have registered in the electronic enrolment system;
5) have submitted all the documents indicated in § 7 of the current rules;
6) have paid a full enrolment fee.
2. Prior to submitting the required documents, candidates should have a preliminary conversation with the head of the ongoing University Research Project or the head of a monothematic research task at AWF Warsaw, or the head of another research project where research will be carried out for the dissertation. The said head of the ongoing research project makes an evaluation the feasibility of the research proposed by the doctoral candidate indicated in § 9 section 2 point 1 of the present rules and selects an independent academic research worker who may act as a prospective scientific supervisor of the candidate after admission to the Doctoral School or obliges the candidate to initiate cooperation with the independent academic research worker employed at AWF Warsaw who could act as their scientific supervisor. The candidate should have a conversation with the independent academic research worker employed at AWF Warsaw who has been selected either by the head of the University Research Project or the head of the Single-thematic research task or by themselves and the candidate should obtain the worker’s consent to act as their scientific supervisor after being admitted to the Doctoral School.
3. Obtaining the consent of a prospective scientific supervisor employed at AWF to act as such (in accordance with the template indicated in § 7 section 2 point 3 of the present rules) and obtaining a written opinion (evaluation) of the head of the University Research Project or the head of the Single-thematic research task (in accordance with § 7 section 2 point 2 and § 9 section 2 point 1 of the present rules) are essential requirements that need to be fulfilled prior to going through further stages of the enrolment process at the Doctoral School.
4. Moreover, candidates for the Doctoral School are obliged to obtain a written consent of the head an organisational unit of the faculty (department) also signed by the dean to realise professional didactic training within the required scope, in accordance with the template indicated in § 7 section 2 point 4 of the present rules. Not meeting this criterion will result in being excluded from further stages of the enrolment process at the Doctoral School.
5. Foreigners can enter and receive education at the Doctoral School as part of the study programme conducted in Polish language based on article 323 of the LHES Act and the rules indicated below.
6. Detailed procedures of entering and receiving education at the Doctoral School by foreigners are as follows:
1) The enrolment process for foreigners at the Doctoral School (study programme conducted in Polish language) takes place based on the same competition rules as for Polish citizens.
2) Candidates with dual citizenship (Polish and foreign) are treated as Polish citizens and have to enter the enrolment process based on the rules for Polish citizens.
3) Foreigners are obliged to submit a certificate confirming the equivalence of university diplomas and other documents issued abroad that are related to completing their studies and are subject to the process of nostrification, together with an adequate university diploma issued in the Republic of Poland.
4) Documents prepared in a foreign language must be submitted together with their Polish translations made by a certified translator.
5) Candidates are required to present the proof of knowledge of the Polish language at level B2 or higher (completed courses, exams, certificates).
6) The proof of knowledge of the Polish language at level B2 or higher is not necessary in the case of persons who have a university diploma obtained at the university where Polish is the language of instruction.
The scheduled date of opening and closing the enrolment process for the academic year of 2023/2024: June 3rd, 2023 – September 15th, 2023.
Enrolment procedure – detailed schedule
from July 1st to July 8th, 2026 | Electronic registration in the System of Electronic Enrolment (SEE) |
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from July 9th to 16th, 2026 | Submission of documents in paper form (ID or passport solely for inspection) and in electronic form (if necessary), as indicated in § 7 of the present rules. Information on exact office hours will be put on the Doctoral School website (tab Enrolment). |
September 16th - 17th, 2026 | Interview. Candidates will be informed about the place and time of the interview by email in due course. Should extra sanitary regime rules stemming from legal regulations be needed, the enrolment commission has the right to conduct the interview online. |
September 22th, 2026 | Announcement of the list of candidates admitted to the Doctoral School in the academic year of 2026/2027 |
The above schedule of the enrolment procedure is subject to changes. Such changes can be made by the Rector or the authorised Vice-Rector upon the request of the head of enrolment commission. Should any changes in the calendar occur, candidates will be informed about them by email in due course.
The enrolment process involves
1. Evaluation of possibilities of realising planned research by candidates within University Research Projects or the monothematic research in which they will carry out research, in accordance with their achievements and expectations shown during the enrolment process.
2. Evaluation of academic and scientific achievements based on documents submitted by candidates.
3. Evaluation of the initial concept of a Ph.D. thesis.
4. Evaluation of the interview.
Points for particular components of the enrolment process are awarded as follows:
Points | Components of the enrolment procedure |
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0-10 pts. | Evaluation of the head of the University Research Project or the head of the monothematic research concerning possibilities of realising planned research. In their evaluation, the head of the University Research Project or the head of the monothematic research in which the candidate will carry out research takes into account: a) how the subject of the Ph.D. thesis corresponds with realised and planned research based on the research concept presented by the candidate, b) possibilities of realising the project of the Ph.D. thesis (bearing in mind the duration of education, research costs, etc.), c) evaluation of effects of planned research for the realisation of research goals of the University Research Project or the monothematic research activity. |
0-10 pts. | Scientific achievements in the field of physical culture sciences in the last four years evaluated based on the submitted documents. The following documented scientific achievements of the candidate are evaluated by the enrolment commission: a) Scientific papers: - in scientific journals from the list of the Ministry of Education and Science (MEiN) - original monographs from the list of publishers announced by MEiN (confirmation: the first page of the paper or the book: title page and editing page, chapter in the book: table of contents and the first page of the paper) b) research projects (financed from NCN, NCBIR, MEiN, NAWA): - acting as the head of a research project - acting as a researcher in a research project (confirmation: certificate defining the role in a grant) c) conferences: - presentations at international and national conferences (abstract or a document/certificate confirming active participation). |
0-10 pts. | Evaluation of the initial concept of a Ph.D. thesis. In particular, the scoring system will include: a scientific character of a Ph.D. thesis, an ability to formulate research goals and present a research problem, innovative character of the concept and the influence of its realisation on the development of the scientific discipline, knowledge of research together with basic references. |
0-20 pts. | Evaluation of the interview. The result of the interview is an average mark of all marks given by members of the commission. The scoring system will include: - evaluation of the presentation of a Ph.D. thesis concept, - evaluation of answers to the questions and participation in a discussion. The first part of the interview involves the Microsoft Power Point presentation of the concept of a Ph.D. thesis by the candidate. The presentation should last no longer than 10 minutes. The second part of the interview involves a discussion with the candidate about the concept of the Ph.D. thesis taking into account: 1) candidate’s competences related to planned research, 2) quality of the methodology of research related to physical culture sciences. |
Documents required in the enrolment process
Candidates are required to meet the deadline for submitting the following documents (§ 5 section 1 point 2 of the present rules):
1. Application to the Rector of AWF Warsaw for admission to the Doctoral School,
2. Written opinion (evaluation) of the head of the ongoing University Research Project or the head of the monothematic research task the head of another ongoing research project where research will be carried out for the dissertation referred to in § 4, Section 2 of the present rules and regulations, or written consent from the candidate that he or she is unable to join a research project currently being conducted at the University, in the case of candidates referred to in § 4, Section 2 in fine in these rules (appendix 1).
3. Written statement of a prospective scientific supervisor on readiness to supervise the candidate scientifically after being admitted to the Doctoral School (appendix 2),
4. Written consent of the head of an organisational unit of the faculty (department) also signed by the dean to realise professional didactic training within the necessary scope (appendix 3),
5. Concept of the Ph.D. thesis (paper and pdf electronic versions) prepared according to the template (appendix 4) and signed by the candidate and their prospective scientific supervisor,
6. Candidate’s statement on readiness to be present in an organisational unit in which they will undergo didactic and organisational training on a daily basis (appendix 5),
7. Personal data sheet (appendix 6),
8. ID card or passport (available for inspection only),
9. Higher education diploma (original or copy) or confirmation of obtaining M.A. degree (or equal). A certificate confirming the award of the Master’s or an equivalent degree shall be submitted exclusively by candidates who do not yet hold the Master’s diploma at the time of submitting their documents. Such candidates shall be obliged to submit the diploma no later than on the date of the admission interview (until September 16th - 17th, 2026), prior to its commencement,
10. Two photos with dimensions 35 x 45 mm, (exclusively at the individual request of the Doctoral School Secretariat, if it proves impossible to retrieve the photograph from the SEE),
11. Confirmation of the enrolment fee payment.
12. Medical certificate on the existence or absence of health contraindications to participate in classes carried out in accordance with the curriculum of the Doctoral School; the certificate should be delivered to the recruitment committee no later than by September 17th, 2025, i.e. on the day of the interview, before its commencement.
The head of the enrolment commission may also ask the candidate to provide documents other than the ones indicated in section 2 (or concerning foreigners only). However, the provision of documents is not obligatory and not doing so will not result in the candidate’s inability to enter further stages of the enrolment process at the Doctoral School.
Final provisions
1. Admission to the Doctoral School takes place based on the ranking list formed after finishing the process of enrolment at the Doctoral School. Persons admitted to the Doctoral School begin education and acquire the rights of Ph.D. students upon taking an oath.
2. The rejection of the candidate to the Doctoral School takes place in the form of the administrative decision. Rejected candidates have the right to submit a request for reconsideration to the Rector. They have 14 days from the date of receiving decisions (written or oral) to submit requests for reconsideration directly at the Rector’s office. Requests submitted after that date will not be accepted. The Rector’s decision regarding the requests is irrevocable and ends the procedure at AWF Warsaw.
Limit of places in the academic year of 2026/2027
Number of places available – in preparation
in preparation
(appendix to the Senate Resolution at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw No.25/2023/2024 from April 23rd, 2024)
Candidates for supervisors
Lp. | Candidates for supervisors | Faculty/Chair/Department | Proposed research area | |
1 | Professor Jakub Grzegorz Adamczyk | Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Theory of Sports | jakub.adamczyk@awf.edu.pl | Sports theory, sports training, training theory |
2 | Professor Michalina Błażkiewicz-Janeczko | Faculty of Rehabilitation / Department of Physiotherapy Fundamentals | michalina.blazkiewicz@awf.edu.pl | Analysis of human movement, muscle force contribution in gait and sports, analysis of postural stability |
3 | Assoc. Prof. Dariusz Boguszewski | Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Individual Sports | dariusz.boguszewski@awf.edu.pl | Theory and methodology of training in sports and martial arts; injury prevention in sports; physical support for post-exercise recovery; assessment of health behaviors and physical activity in various population groups; adapted physical activity |
4 | Assoc. Prof. Grażyna Brzuszkiewicz-Kuźmicka | Faculty of Rehabilitation / Department of Clinical Physiotherapy | grazyna.kuzmicka@awf.edu.pl | The effect of myofascial therapy on pain reduction in selected conditions, including shoulder girdle dysfunction, perinatal injury of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, pain during erection, and occipital neuralgia |
5 | Professor Zbigniew Dziubiński | Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Humanities and Social Sciences | zbigniew.dziubinski@awf.edu.pl | Humanistic and social aspects of physical culture |
6 | Assoc. Prof. Anna Kopiczko | Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Human Biology | anna.kopiczko@awf.edu.pl | Physical anthropology; sports anthropology; nutritional anthropology; sports nutrition; determinants of bone mineral status in various population groups |
7 | Assoc. Prof. Monika Łopuszańska-Dawid | Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Human Biology | monika.lopuszanska@awf.edu.pl | Psychophysical condition and reaction time in table tennis; diagnosis and determinants |
8 | Assoc. Prof. Ewelina Maculewicz | Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Biomedical Sciences | ewelina.maculewicz@awf.edu.pl | Musculoskeletal injury prevention; genetic determinants of overweight and obesity; genetic predispositions for sports performance; and psychogenetics in sport |
9 | Professor Andrzej Mastalerz | Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Biomedical Sciences | andrzej.mastalerz@awf.edu.pl | Biomechanics, control, physical exertion, energetics, electromyography, movement technique |
10 | Assoc. Prof. Mirosław Mikicin | Interfaculty Laboratory of Neurophysiology | miroslaw.mikicin@awf.edu.pl | Relationship between autotelic experience, immersion, and video game addiction |
11 | Assoc. Prof. Edyta Smolis-Bąk | Faculty of Rehabilitation / Department of Nursing | edyta.smolis@awf.edu.pl | Cardiology, Geriatrics |
12 | Professor Aleksandra Truszczyńska-Baszak | Faculty of Rehabilitation / Department of Clinical Physiotherapy | aleksandra.truszczynska@awf.edu.pl | Orthopedic physiotherapy |
13 | Assoc. Prof. Ida Wiszomirska | Faculty of Rehabilitation / Department of Physiotherapy Fundamentals | ida.wiszomirska@awf.edu.pl | Postural stability; injury prevention in sports; physiotherapy |
14 | Assoc. Prof. Jolanta Żyśko | Faculty of Physical Education / Department of Management, Organization and Economics | jolanta.zysko@awf.edu.pl | Sports management systems; transnational sport policy; sport in the EU |
Expectations towards candidates for the Doctoral School
at Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw
Faculty of the Vice-Rector for Science
Unit where research will be conducted: Interfaculty Laboratory of Neurophysiology University Research Project: Neurocognitive effects of autotelic immersion and effects of attention and relaxation training on electrophysiological and cognitive changes in esports players Head of the University Research Project: Assoc. Prof. Miroslaw Mikicin, PhD
Number of vacancies for doctoral candidates: 1
Proposed research supervisor for the candidate for the Doctoral School: Assoc. Prof. Miroslaw Mikicin, PhD e-mail: miroslaw.mikicin@awf.edu.pl | |
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Problems of planned scientific research |
Neurocognitive effects of autotelic immersion, effects of perception and attention training on electrophysiological and cognitive changes in esports players |
Required competence and scientific achievements | Competencies:
1. master's degree in psychology or a biomedical field 2. team member in the MLN research project at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw 3. preliminary concept of research within the doctoral project approved by the scientific supervisor from the University of Physical Education in Warsaw 4. good command of statistical packages: Statistica, SPSS, MatLab, and the Microsoft Office suite 5. the ability to work in a scientific team 6. ability to plan and conduct research, including the ability to formulate research hypotheses, research objectives, and present the research problem 7. ability to solve research problems 8. ability to process statistical data 9. good ethics, commitment, creativity, accuracy, inquisitiveness, ambition, communication skills, perseverance, diligence
Technical competence: 1. skills related to the methodology of conducting scientific research and operating research apparatus 2. experience in the use of advanced technologies such as EEG, Neurofeedback-EEG, VR 3. good command of the Vienna Test System and other advanced measurement systems in psychology 4. at least B2 English level
Scientific achievements:
1. experience in conducting scientific research, 2. a speech at a scientific conference 3. organizational and promotional activities related to scientific research 4. a publication achievement in the field of psychology and physical culture sciences with special emphasis on conducting laboratory research |
Optional: additional skills, qualifications | 1. analysis of study results 2. completed training on how to increase the efficiency of literature search and data analysis |
Faculty of Physical Education
Unit where research will be conducted: Department of Biomedical Sciences University Research Project: Polygenic determinants of exercise capacity profiling in athletes Head of the University Research Project: Prof. Andrzej Mastalerz, PhD Number of vacancies for doctoral candidates: 1 Proposed research supervisor for the candidate for the Doctoral School: Prof. Andrzej Mastalerz, PhD, e-mail: andrzej.mastalerz@awf.edu.pl | |
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Problems of planned scientific research | Polygenic and biomechanical determinants of profiling exercise capacities in athletes |
Required competence and scientific achievements | 1. Master's degree in sport sciences, health sciences, or biological sciences 2. ability to plan and conduct scientific research 3. proficiency in statistical software packages, Microsoft Office, and statistical analysis of research results 4. ability to work in a scientific team 5. experience in operating equipment used in research related to the topic of scientific work 6. proficiency in English at level B2 |
Optional: additional skills, qualifications | Completed trainings and courses: 1. Course in analysis of research results 2. Training in literature search 3. Training on enhancing efficiency in data search 4. Training on research funding opportunities |
Unit where research will be conducted: Department of Human Biology University Research Project: Determinants of bone mineral status in athletes Head of the University Research Project: Assoc. Prof. Anna Kopiczko, PhD Number of vacancies for doctoral candidates: 1 Proposed research supervisor for the candidate for the Doctoral School: Assoc. Prof. Anna Kopiczko, PhD, e-mail: anna.kopiczko@awf.edu.pl | |
Problems of planned scientific research | Determinants of bone mineral status in recreational and competitive (professional) sports across different age groups |
Required competence and scientific achievements | Basic knowledge of somatic measurement methodology, dietary assessment methods, and nutritional status evaluation |
Optional: additional skills, qualifications | 1. Ability to work in a team 2. Performing basic statistical analyses |
Faculty of Rehabilitation
Unit where research will be conducted Department of Physiotherapy Fundamentals University Research Project: Morphological and physiological adaptations to physical activity in long-term wheelchair users Head of the University Research Project: PhD Michał Starczewski
Number of vacancies for doctoral candidates: 1
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Problems of planned scientific research | 1. Assessment of the extent of morphological changes in selected tendons of the shoulder joint and lower limb joints in individuals using wheelchairs 2. Assessment of adaptive changes in lower limb tendons under thermal stress and the effects of cooling methods in individuals using wheelchairs |
Required competence and scientific achievements |
Scientific publications in the field of musculoskeletal physiotherapy |
Optional: additional skills, qualifications | - conducting research in the field of range of motion, muscle strength, lower limb power, and physiotherapeutic assessments - operation of ultrasound equipment |
