The Department was established at the University of Nicolas Copernicus on October 1st, 2001. Its faculty members were recruited from among the theologians working in two diocesan Seminaries – in Torun and in Włocławek. The first dean was prof. dr hab. George Bagrowicz. His successor, prof. dr hab. John Perszon was elected in 2005, to be then reelected in 2008. Currently, the Department comprises forty two full-time faculty members who specialize in various theological disciplines. There are 480 students.

The Department offers graduate degrees, i.e., master’s and doctoral degrees. Students can choose from among four diff erent specializations: priestly, pastoralcatechetic, “Caritas” social work and studies on the family. The programs operate with the Polish grading system as the formal grading, but students are also graded according to the ECTS grading scale.

One of the highest priorities of the Department has always been promoting international cooperation with other centers of theological studies. Among them, especially three are to be mentioned: Th e School of Theology of the University of Navarra (Spain), Katolisch-Theologische Fakultät of the University of Würzburg (Germany), The Department of Theology of the Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania). Conferences attended by foreign theologians have been organized in Torun and our faculty members actively participated in conferences organized abroad.

The main academic periodical of the Department is “Teologia i Człowiek” (“Theology and Man”). There are also four theological series where members of the Faculty publish their papers: Euntes Docete, Scripta Theologica Thorunensia, Biblia et Patristica Thorunensia and Series Biblica Paulina. In cooperation with the Department of Pedagogy another semi-annual journal “Paedagogia Christiana”.

Among the most recent academic projects created by the Department of Th eology is an online collection of biblical articles (www.biblistyka.umk.pl). It is an indispensible means for research for all Polish theologians. The project is entirely sponsored by the University of Nicolas Copernicus.

The Department of Theology Section in Tarnów was established formally as a result of transformation of The Institute of Theology in Tarnów. This Institute was founded in 1822 for educating the clergy serving Tarnów diocese and its activities were always strongly connected to the Seminary in Tarnów. Since the communists took control over our country in 1945, the Institute existed only formally, but in fact, it was always identified with The Seminary in Tarnów.

Bishop professor habilitated doctor Józef Życiński, who was at that time the Tarnów bishop, transformed the Institute of Theology into the Theology and Pastoral Institute and strongly contributed to its aggregation to the Theology Department of the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Kraków in 1993. Since then, the graduates of the Institute have had the opportunity to obtain the MA degree in theology. Thanks to efforts of bishop doctor Wiktor Skworc, the Congregation of the Catholic Education established the Department of Theology Section in Tarnów of the Pontifical Academy of Th ology in Kraków (WTST) instead of the Institute.

In 2007 the Department of Theology Section in Tarnów obtained the rights to confer a PhD degree in theology. Since the aggregation of the Institute of Theology Section in Tarnów to the Theology Department of the Pontifical Academy of Thology, about 90 to 100 students receive their MA degrees annually. Approximately, half of this group consists of the secular and another half of the monastic. Since the beginning, the number of secular candidates accepted, has always been limited. There are the following profiles to choose from: sacerdotal, pastoral and catechetical, social and charity.

The scientific journal of the Department is „Tarnowskie Studia Teologiczne” – „Tarnów Theology Studies” issued half a year.