This article comprises a full description, although, out of necessity, presented as an outline, of the Department of Slovak Philology at the Institute of Slavonic Philology of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Special attention is given to the curriculum of Slovak as a foreign language course for Polish students. The author includes all the parameters that should be taken into account when developing a sound language teaching curriculum at an academic level, in line with European standards. One of the key parameters is the type of language and its genetic relationship with the native language of the students. The effectiveness and command of the language taught also depends on the competency of the teaching staff and the utilisation of library resources and the environment.