JAN SZAMBELAŃCZYK JANUSZ WIERZBICKI Academy of Economics in Poznań Summary The paper analyzes a model of economist training in higher education and its modifications in People's Poland. The author begins with the analysis of a profile of economist in the econo-mic practice. System of management of the economy and the economic-financial system of enterprises created demand for three types of specialists (those pre-paring premises of central economic decisions; decision-makers in the economic apparatus; economists performing planning, calculating or reporting functions). The three mentioned types varied essentially from an assumed model of training. There were four main stages in the economic studies in Poland in the years 1945-1984. The first one covers the period 1945-1950, the years of reconstruction of institutions of higher education and of economic departments according to a pre-war model. During the second stage, 1951-1960, training of economists was reformed according to a homogenous model. The third stage 1957-1969 began with attempts made at the return to the academie status of universities with an auto-nomous model of training, this period ended wih the return to the homogenous model. The Iast stage covering the years 1970-1981 was characterized by rationali-zation of a centralized system of economist training with the aid of interuniver-sity groups. Changes which oceurred after 1981 did not lead to essential modifications in the model of education and it has not yet been agreed upon what type of economist meets social demand under the circumstances of the economic reform.