EN
The quality of intellectual resources becomes increasingly important, especially in the process of shaping the economy based on knowledge and overcoming the effects of the economic crisis. The quality of intellectual resources depends on the quality of functioning of higher education. In the process of improving the quality of intellectual resources not only the level of education of the society is essential but also the direction of graduate studies, which affects job opportunities. The aim of this article was to determine the changes in the functioning of higher education in Poland and changes of the structure of academic education in years 1990–2008, with particular emphasis on the recent years’ changes. The changes were shown on the background of the European Union.