The year 2004 marked a significant milestone in the development of the Warsaw School of Finance and Management. By decision of the Minister of National Education and Sport dated 31 December 2004, the university was granted the right to offer Master’s degree programmes in finance and banking. This was an important step towards establishing a comprehensive educational pathway in the field of economic sciences and a confirmation of the maturity of the university’s academic staff and curriculum. Obtaining the right to offer second-cycle education enabled the development of specialist expertise in the fields of finance, banking and capital markets, and also strengthened the university’s position amongst institutions offering comprehensive economic education.
In the same year, the University of Information Technology (WSTI) was established – a subsidiary institution of WSFiZ, specialising in IT courses. Its creation was a response to the rapid growth of the new technology sector and the growing demand for IT specialists. The expansion of activities into the field of technical sciences was a deliberate strategic decision, broadening the educational profile of the entire group of universities.
Dr Marek Cieciura, PhD (Eng.), a computer scientist and specialist in information systems and software engineering, has been appointed Rector of WSTI. His academic achievements and teaching experience have focused on modern technologies, systems architecture and engineering education. Under his leadership, WSTI developed study programmes tailored to the needs of the technology market, laying the foundations for the subsequent integration of IT potential with the university’s economic and social profile.
The year 2004 thus marked two parallel directions of development: strengthening the university’s position in the field of finance and banking, and a strategic entry into the field of IT. This combination of economic and technological expertise became one of the elements in building the institution’s interdisciplinary character in the years that followed.