The Faculty of International and Political Studies offers a wide catalogue of programmes that allow graduates to become valued and comprehensively educated experts. The curricula of the courses are constantly updated according to market demands and needs.

Students of the Faculty not only gain an education which is versatile and useful in their professional lives, but also one that develops their interests and passions, in accordance with the centuries-old traditions of our university. Every year, new opportunities for international research and exchanges appear that enable the development of interests and knowledge of students and academic staff.

Proof of the Faculty’s leading position is not only the popularity of its educational programmes, but also the results of numerous rankings and classifications, where we are consistently rated among the best. Furthermore, the achievements of our graduates show the impressive development of their careers.

The Jagiellonian University, founded in 1364, is the oldest university in Poland and the second oldest institution of higher education in Central and Eastern Europe. It was here that the Cracow School of the Law of Nations was developed in the 15th century (an early form of contemporary international law). Then, at the beginning of the 19th century, the Department of Political Skills was established at our university.

After Poland regained its independence, the School of Political Science (SPS) was established within the Faculty of Law in 1920. It was based on the Free School of Political Science (École Libre des Sciences Politiques) in Paris. The activity of the SPS was halted by the onset of WW II, and underground education was organized in its place. Although the school resumed operations in 1946, it was closed by the communist authorities in the late 1940s. In 1969, the Institute of Political Science (IPS) was established at the Faculty of Law.

In the year 2000, the Faculty of International and Political Studies was founded. One of the main purposes for establishing the new Faculty was to combine the academic and teaching efforts undertaken by various groups of academic researchers at the university in the field of political and international developments – as seen from legal, historical, philosophical, sociological, and cultural perspectives.

The Faculty is divided into the following units: the Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, the Institute of the Middle and Far East, the Institute of European Studies, the Institute of Political Science and International Relations, the Institute of Russian and East European Studies, the Institute of Intercultural Studies, the Ukrainian Studies Division, the Centre for Holocaust Studies, the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture (the "Confucius Institute in Krakow"), the Centre for Lithuanian Studies, the Centre for Quantitative Research in Political Science, the Jagiellonian Centre for Migration Studies, the Jagiellonian Centre for African Studies, the King Sejong Institute, and the Centre for International Studies and Development.

The Jagiellonian University is the oldest higher education institution in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe. It was founded on 12 May 1364 by King Casimir the Great and 2014 marked the 650th anniversary of this remarkable event.

Since the outset, the Jagiellonian University has been an international institution. Poles, Ruthenians, Lithuanians, Hungarians, Germans, Czechs, the Swiss, the English, the Dutch, the French the Spanish, Italians, and even Tatars studied here in former times.

Further development of the University has been inextricably bound with the turbulent and often tragic history of Poland. The institution managed to survive both the partitions of Poland by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and two world wars, serving as a guardian of Polish culture and identity and educating successive generations of Poles, as well as members of other nations, significantly contributing to the intellectual heritage of Europe.

Some Jagiellonian University students and academics have been major historical figures, including world famous scholars, such as Nicolaus Copernicus or Karol Olszewski, as well as Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II.

Today, the Jagiellonian University comprises 16 Faculties, where nearly 4,000 academic staff conduct research and provide education to over 40,000 students, within the framework of more than 80 different fields of study.
Its eminent researchers and state-of-the-art infrastructure make the JU one of the leading Polish scientific institutions, collaborating with major academic centres all over the world. The Jagiellonian University is also home to about 150 student societies, where young researchers pursue their academic interests and develop friendships with those who share their passions.