The evolution of curriculum for postgraduate studies in GIS at the Warsaw University of Technology

Abstract

Postgraduate studies as a form of training at a higher level, fit well into the idea of lifelong learning which has been so important recently. Such studies offer, in a relatively short time give the ability to raise qualifications and supplement knowledge, which may often result in a better chance of a professional development. It is a form of education that relatively quickly responds to the changing needs of the labour market, and thus the expectations of people who want to increase their capabilities and opportunities to get better jobs. Studies in this form can also beneficially affect further independent learning in the thematic area.
Besides the reflections on the current role of post-graduate studies, this paper presents a brief characteristics and discusses relevant stages of the evolution of curriculum for postgraduate studies for spatial information systems at the Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography of the Warsaw University of Technology. Selected experiences from more than ten years and continuation of these studies are also discussed. The importance of a proper understanding of the needs is highlighted, as well as the challenges of this kind of studies. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes the need to adapt the methods and the scope of the relevant education for specific groups of postgraduate students, while aiming to provide the best teaching staff, including the use of external experts.