It's a public research university founded in 1945 in Lodz, Poland, as a continuation of educational institutions functioning in Łódź during the interwar period — the Teacher Training Institute (1921–1928), the Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences (1924–1928) and a division of the Free Polish University (1928–1939). The university provides undergraduate and postgraduate education to more than 47,000 students among 2,600 instructors. Its international cooperation includes 385 partner institutions from all over the world, and a number of programmes in English as the language of instruction. Łódź offers dual-degree programmes with Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3, Université François-Rabelais, University of Texas at Austin, Westfälische Wilhelms – Universität Münster, University of Baltimore, University of Maryland, College Park, Centria University of Applied Sciences (Kokkola, Finland), and Towson University.