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taken from David Haardt's Website
Austria's Universities Austria has six general universities, with most of them (the range of degrees available in Klagenfurt and Linz is a bit narrower than at the other four universities) offering a broad range of degree courses from arts to the social sciences, law, medicine, or science: Graz (University of Graz or Karl Franzens University Graz), Innsbruck (University of Innsbruck or Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck), Klagenfurt (University of Klagenfurt), Linz (University of Linz or Johannes Kepler University Linz), Salzburg (University of Salzburg or Paris Lodron University Salzburg), Vienna (University of Vienna). The University of Vienna is by far the biggest (almost 70,000 students), with its departments and schools being scattered all over Vienna. It is also the oldest university of the German-speaking countries, founded in 1365 by Duke Rudolph IV (1339-1365), thus its Latin name "Alma Mater Rudolphina". Eight nobel prize winners stemmed from the University of Vienna, the most recent ones being biologist Konrad Lorenz (medicine 1973) and economist Friedrich A. von Hayek (economic sciences 1974). The University of Graz is the second largest (about 24,000 students), with Innsbruck being a close third (about 23,000 students). Linz has about 13,000 students, Salzburg about 10,000, Klagenfurt about 6,000.
In addition to these general universities, there are twelve specialised universities in Austria: two technical universities in Graz (Graz University of Technology or Archduke Johann University; about 8,000 students) and Vienna (Vienna University of Technology; about 16,000 students), six arts universities for programmes like music, design, drama, painting or scuplture (Graz, Linz, Salzburg, and three in Vienna), and four other, more specialised universities: one for mining and metallurgy in Leoben (Leoben University of Mining, Metallurgy, and Materials; about 2,500 students), one for agriculture and forestry in Vienna (Vienna University of Agricultural Sciences; about 5,000 students), one for veterinary science in Vienna (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; about 2,300 students), and one for economics and business in Vienna (Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration; about 19,000 students). There will be three additional specialised universities from 1 January 2004, created from the Schools of Medicine at Graz, Innsbruck, and Vienna.
It is worthwhile to note that Austria's public universities are virtually of the same high standard. Of course there are some courses with more reputation than at other universities (for instance business at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, or law at the University of Vienna), but in general, it will make hardly any difference from which university your degree is. It is however rewarding to compare curricula, as they often differ in their specialisations. Hint: If you are interested in business with a very strong quantitative and analytical focus (regular business curricula in Austria are quite weak as far as their quantitative and analytical rigour is concerned), then I would recommend to you the programme Management Science at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. There are also nine private universities in Austria (their student numbers being only marginal, but growing): one for Catholic Theology (undergraduate as well as licentiate and Ph.D.) in Linz (Catholic-Theological Private University Linz, KTU - the only private university in Austria charging the same tuition fees as the public universities; about 400 students), one for graduate studies (master's) in Business and Law in Vienna (IMADEC University; about 400 students), two for bachelor and master degrees in Business, International Relations, Computer Science, and related subjects in Vienna (The International University Vienna, IU, about 175 students, and Webster University Vienna, about 350 students), one for health informatics (bachelor, master, Ph.D.) in Tyrol (University for Health Informatics and Technology Tyrol, UMIT), one for graduate studies (master's) in management in Vienna (PEF Private University for Management), one for medicine (M.D. as well as a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine) in Salzburg (Private University of Medicine Salzburg, PMU), one for music in Linz (Anton Bruckner Private University) with very competitive tuition fees, and one for traditional Chinese medicine in Vienna (TCM University). If you are interested in PEF, PMU, TCM, or UMIT, I would urge you to get as much information about their curricula and faculty as possible, to be able to assess whether the high tuition fees are really worth it. On the other hand, Bruckner, IMADEC, KTU, and Webster are well established in Austria, so this caveat doesn't apply to the same extent (this holds true especially for Bruckner and KTU, which have a tradition of several centuries). You should also check their accreditation status on the web site of the Austrian Accreditation Council. IU for instance is currently not accredited in Austria (read "important notes" below). Apart from Bruckner and KTU, Austria's private universities are very much American in the structure of their degrees, requiring full attendance according to a strict curriculum, with standardised tests required for admission. Therefore, the rest of this text won't apply to them.
Important Notes:
Organisation of a University In the following paragraphs, I will try to sketch the most important organisational structures which Austria's public universities broadly share. The Rektor (president) is representing the University, and responsible for its strategy in research and teaching, supported by several Vizerektoren (vice presidents). Together with the faculty and staff in the Senat (senate), he or she is constituing the Universitätsleitung (university management). The Universitätsdirektor (director of the university) is responsible for the University's administration. The University's academic activity takes place in its Fakultäten (faculties, schools, or colleges), each of which being represented by its Dekan (dean). The Studiendekan (dean of studies), together with several Vizestudiendekane, is responsible for the teaching of a Fakultät. The faculty and staff of a Fakultät are represented in the Fakultätskollegium (council of the faculty, school, or college). The Dekanatsdirektor (director of the deans' office) is responsible for the administration of the Fakultät. Each Fakultät consists of several Institute (departments; sometimes institutes), each of which being represented by its Institutsvorstand (chair of the department). It should be noted that the Universitätsgesetz 2002 (University Act 2002) deprives the Rektor, Senat, and Fakultätskollegien of much of their power, and introduces the Universitätsrat (council of the university), comparable to the board of regents of a U.S. university. Traditional Austrian First Degrees (Master's) Traditional Austrian first degrees are called "Diplomstudien", and are four- (Arts, Economics and Business, Law, Social Sciences, Theology) or five-year (Engineering, Science) programmes at master level ("Magister" or "Diplomingenieur", i.e. M.A. or M.Sc.) The New Bachelor/Master System More recently, bachelor degrees ("Bakkalaureatsstudien") have been introduced ("Bakk...", i.e. B.A. or B.Sc.), lasting three years, after which master degrees ("Magisterstudien") can be earned (as with the older "Diplomstudien", see above), lasting an additional one or two years. This new system is very similar to that in the United Kingdom. Final Essays and Theses Programmes at bachelor level involve two final bachelor essays ("Bakkalaureatsarbeiten"), comparable to seminar papers in length (10-30 pages each) and content. Programmes at master level involve a master's thesis ("Diplomarbeit" in the old scheme, "Magisterarbeit" in the new one), usually 70-110 pages long, for which half a years is scheduled. In law and medicine (see below), these theses are normally not necessary, except of course for the Ph.D. research degrees (see Doctoral Degrees below). Law and Medicine In most countries, the degrees in law and medicine differ from less vocational ones. In Austria however, they are quite similar in structure to all the other degrees. In law, the first degree is the LL.M. ("Mag. iur.") which takes four years. After that, professional training and examinations are required to become notary, lawyer/barrister/solicitor, attorney/prosecutor, or judge. A Ph.D. in law ("Dr. iur.") is also available, and may be necessary for advanced professional positions (see Doctoral Degrees below). In medicine, the first degree is the M.D. ("Dr. med. univ.") which takes six years, with only little vocational training involved. After that, several years of clinical training are required to become a general practitioner ("Praktischer Arzt") or a specialist doctor ("Facharzt"). Recently, a Ph.D. in medicine ("Dr. scient. med.") has been introduced (see Doctoral Degrees below). The degree structure in dental medicine ("Dr. med. dent.") is similar to that of human medicine (taking six years as well), while that in veterinary medicine is more like a non-medicine degree, with a Master's degree ("Mag. med. vet.") after six (!) years. Joint Degrees Joint degrees are not common in Austria. When studying at an arts/humanities faculty however, about 40% of the curriculum are "Freie Wahlfächer" (free electives), which basically allows you to create your own joint honours degree (which will also be mentioned on the degree under certain circumstances). Outside of arts/humanities, you can create an "Individuelles Diplomstudium" (individual "Diplomstudium"), which means that you design a curriculum on your own. Of course it has to fulfill certain requirements as far as length and structure are concerned, but in general, "everything goes", provided that it is a reasonable curriculum. You need to submit your curriculum to the "Studien- und Prüfungsabteilung" (Studies and Examinations Office) of the university of your choice, where it will be forwarded to the Chair of the respective Curriculum Commission, with whom it is sensible to discuss your proposal before submitting it. You need already be a student to be allowed to submit an "Individuelles Diplomstudium", i.e. it would be reasonable to design it during your first year at university. Apart from all this, some universities offer joint degrees with foreign universities (like many German universities also do), i.e. you spend one or two years at the foreign partner university, and thus get an Austrian as well as a foreign degree. An example of this is "integrated law" at the Universities of Innsbruck and Padova (Italy). Doctoral Degrees Doctoral degrees ("Dr..."; "Dr. scient. med." in medicine; i.e. Ph.D.) last two years and involve comparatively little coursework, or none at all. The focus is on the individually supervised (two supervisors are required) doctoral thesis ("Dissertation"), an original piece of individual research publishable as a book or (parts of it) in refereed journals, usually 150-300 pages long. Many good theses are published as books, while the publication of journal articles during the Ph.D. programme has often been not that usual (which is changing). The Ph.D. is qualifying for independent research and work as a lecturer (assistant professor), while a "Habilitation" (further scientific publication with a further viva) is necessary to become an Associate or Full Professor, a requirement which is unique to German-speaking countries (and target of much criticism). The times are however a-changing, as far as the doctoral degrees in Austria are concerned. A few years ago, they lasted only one year, and several years ago, the doctoral degree was still the first degree (!) in some subjects. Today, many new doctoral curricula require one or two semesters of coursework, which is a remarkable step towards the Anglosaxon system (and the EU's Bologna declaration). The mentioned coursework is however not structured at all, and many of these required courses are from the master's programme rather than a dedicated offer towards doctoral students. To overcome this situation, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) has introduced so-called Wissenschaftskollegs, i.e. dedicated Graduate Programmes on a certain specialised area of excellence. Doctoral students receive a net grant of about EUR 1100 per month for a maximum of three years, without having to spend time as a teaching and research assistant - this is again a remarkable step, keeping in mind that it has been usual in Austria to hold a full-time Universitätsassistent, i.e. Researcher/Instructor or Assistant Professor, position while working on the thesis (new legislation limits these positions to doctoral graduates; doctoral students are now only allowed to work as a Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter in Ausbildung, i.e. Junior Researcher, at a salary similar to the above-mentioned grant!). These Wissenschaftskollegs are similar to the German Graduiertenkollegs, but the coursework in Austria is not that structured as in Germany. Furthermore, only an embarassing three (!) Wissenschaftskollegs are run in Austria, all of them in science, all of them in Vienna - in Germany, there are about ten times (!) as many Graduiertenkollegs per capita (about 10% of German doctoral students participate in Graduiertenkollegs - in science 15%). By the way, Cristina González, Dean of Graduate Studies at UC Davis, has written a short article comparing the German Graduiertenkollegs to U.S. Graduate Education, which is quite favourable of these new German institutions. In Germany, there's also an increasing number of Graduate Schools, i.e. permanent dedicated doctoral programmes. I'm not aware of similar programmes in Austria, but the two-year diplomas in economics and finance at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna (see "Other Postgraduate Degrees"), which basically form the coursework for a PhD programme, go in that direction. Other Postgraduate Degrees Apart from the doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees (see there, above), which all the public universities (and two of the private universities: KTU and UMIT) confer, several of the private universities (see there, above) offer American-style postgraduate degrees (MBA, LLM, etc.) In addition, Austria has Europe's first public postgraduate university, Danube University Krems, offering various MBA, MSc, and other master's degrees. Other opportunities for postgraduate study include the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna, covering economics, finance, sociology, and politics, and the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, covering international relations and related topics. Such degrees usually last two part-time years, and include a master's thesis. In many cases, the first of the two years can be taken on its own as a diploma programme (see there, below). (The courses at the Institute for Advanced Studies and the Diplomatic Academy take two full-time years.) Diploma Programmes All Austrian universities offer so-called "Universitätslehrgänge" (non-degree diploma programmes), usually lasting one part-time year. They entail tuition fees in excess of the regular ones, but are tailored towards adults in full-time positions. Such diploma programmes are also offered by Danube University Krems (see above) and the Diplomatic Academy (also see above; taking one full-time year), and usually allow you to use the professional designation "Akademische/r..." (Academic...), for instance Academic New Public Manager. Entrance requirements are quite flexible, and often allow you to attend these programmes without a school-leaving examination from grammar school, provided that you have professional experience in a relevant position. Time Span of Studying and Austrian Curricula The time span of the programmes given is the "minimum", or, as it is called now, "regular" one. In fact however, the vast majority of students study longer than that - for various reasons (many students have part-time jobs, the curricula are very flexible, too little courses offered in some programmes, etc.) The average is about 160-185% of the regular time span, for instance six to seven years for a four-year programme. Thus, many first-class employers place more emphasis on how fast their applicants studied, rather than looking at their grades - which seems absurd to non-Austrians. It is however certainly possible to complete the programmes in regular time, and a few students are even faster. The Austrian curricula are very flexible, which means that you can choose which courses to take when, without too many restrictions imposed. On the one hand, this places emphasis on your self-organisation and determination, on the other hand, it causes some students to get lost. Quality Standard of Austria's Public Universities Although this of course varies with the specific programme and department, the consensus is that Austria's public universities offer a very high standard of undergraduate education. For instance, quite a few of the best graduates are able to secure places in top Ph.D. programmes, in the U.S. (with credit for the additional one or two years), the U.K., or elsewhere, and many become employed by leading MNEs. The Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration has been ranked by WSJE as one of the best public business schools in Europe, the University of Leoben is regarded as one of the best mining schools in Europe. Austria's arts universities have a quite high proportion of international undergraduate students. Many of the departments of Austria's general universities also enjoy an excellent international reputation. As far as postgraduate degrees are concerned, as always, quality becomes more varied in international comparison. In the social sciences (which is where I come from), the Austrian doctoral programmes are still too much thesis-oriented (with too little coursework involved), compared to leading Ph.D. programmes in the U.S. for instance (see "Doctoral Degrees" for detailed information on changes in this area). When coming to Austria for a Ph.D., one should thus spend some time to study the programme's curriculum as well as to find out about the department's research reputation, for instance regarding publication in leading journals. Polytechnics/Colleges ("Fachhochschulen/Universities of Applied Sciences") Please note that I have now also written a separate file on Austrian Fachhochschulen. Apart from Austria's Universities, there is also a growing number of "Fachhochschulen", the official translation of which is "Universities of Applied Sciences". They are best comparable to Finnish Polytechnics or Dutch Hogescholen (they are not allowed to offer doctoral degrees, and don't place that much emphasis on research), or in some ways maybe also to U.K. colleges, the U.K. "new new" universities of 1992, or U.S. Polytechnics. They are more vocational than the universities, offering specialised courses mostly in business, computer science, or engineering. The range of degrees offered by a single Fachhochschule is in most cases quite narrow compared to universities. The programmes last four (master level) or three (bachelor level) years, and have strictly structured curricula. They require much more attendance than universities, usually 20-35 hours per week (while universities demand about 15-20 weekly hours, of which the lectures are usually not compulsory), and place less emphasis on scientific work and fundamental research. The degrees are called just like at universities, but with a suffix "(FH)", for instance "Dipl.-Ing. (FH)" or "Mag. (FH)". Abroad, they are however usually recognised as regular bachelor or master degrees. If want to go on to a doctoral degree, you must, if the programme was shorter than a comparable programme at university (which is the case for engineering and science), take an upgrade course at university lasting one year, after which you are allowed to go on with the doctoral degree as described above. If you are interested in a FH degree, you should consult the list of programmes currently available on the web site of the Fachhochschulrat, the official accreditation authority. While degree programmes at Austria's public universities are virtually all of at least acceptable standard, there are quality assurance issues with a few Fachhochschulen. You are thus well-advised to get information about students' evaluations of the courses, and graduate destinations. For Future Teachers If you want to become a teacher, there are two routes: for future grammar school teachers, there are so-called "Lehramtsstudien" (educational degrees) at the universities, where you must combine two subjects, for instance Mathematics and English. It is therefore not possible to become grammar school teacher in any other way (as in the UK or US, for instance)! For future teachers in primary or secondary school, there are programmes at "Pädagogische Akademien" (Academies of Education), usually lasting four years, but not conferring any degree (which means that while you can earn a Ph.D. as a grammar school teacher, you cannot as a primary or secondary school teacher). There, you also must combine several subjects. Again, it is not possible to become primary or secondary school teacher in any other way. For Vocational Qualifications For many vocational qualifications, like physiotherapy or nursing and midwifery, there are various dedicated colleges and academies, again not conferring any degree (which means that you cannot earn a Ph.D. afterwards). Universities or "Fachhochschulen" are not offering such programmes. Community Colleges Community Colleges in Austria ("Volkshochschulen", which means People's Colleges) are quite different from British or American ones. Unlike British Community Colleges, they do not offer vocational qualifications (BTEC, NVQ, etc.). Unlike American Community Colleges, they do not offer two-year associate degrees (AA, AS). Rather, they offer stand-alone evening/weekend courses for adults (from age 14 on) not leading to degrees or transfer to a college/university. They do offer preparation courses for the Matura (grammar school leaving exam), while the exam itself must be taken at a Commission of the local Education Council. Preparation for language tests is also available. Other courses are in humanities, art, sports, or ICT. Vocational courses without widely recognised certificates or diplomas are also available. Admission to First Degrees The Austrian school leaving certificate from grammar school ("Matura" or "Reifeprüfung") is necessary and sufficient for admission to any first degree. Foreign students must prove that they would be allowed to enroll in an comparable programme in their country of origin. Students from outside the EU should apply well in advance, to be able to have their grammar school transcripts and documents processed. Proficiency in German is usually required for admission to a first degree. You should write your enquiry to the "Auslandsbüro" (International Office) or "Studienabteilung" (Studies Office) of the university you are interested in. Students without a certificate from grammar school may also be eglible to study at university, provided that they took corresponding access courses, leading to "Studienberechtigungsprüfung" (study eglibility exam) or "Berufsreifeprüfung" (vocational "Matura"). Compared to other countries, the range of qualifications accepted for admission is thus very conservatively chosen in Austria. Unfortunately, Austrian universities are not very service-oriented as far as information on admission of foreign applicants is concerned. You should thus be early and relentless when contacting the university/-ies of your choice for deadlines, forms, and further information. The University of Vienna however offers quite detailed information on admission of foreign applicants on its web site (page 1: requirements for admission | page 2: foreign school leaving certificate | page 3: admission). If you are interested in Fachhochschulen or Pädagogische Akademien, you should directly contact the respective institutions, which will most likely have their own selection procedures. Admission to Doctoral Degrees For admission to doctoral degrees, home students must have completed a first degree in the same subject (!), and find a supervisor who is able and willing to guide their thesis work. Foreign students should have received a master's degree in the same subject, and then contact a possible supervisor to discuss the details of admission. Admission with only a bachelor's degree could maybe also be possible, but of course one or two years of coursework would need to be completed in that case. Again, you should discuss details with a possible supervisor. German language competency is demanded for bachelor and master degrees, but might be waived for doctoral degrees, provided that you find an English-speaking supervisor. Admission to a doctoral degree in a subject different to that of your first degree / master's degree is usually not possible, but may be granted if the two subjects are closely related to each other, and/or the topic of your thesis has shown a move towards the subject you want to pursue doctoral research in. If you're interested in postgraduate degrees from specialised institutions (Danube University Krems, Institute for Advanced Studies, Diplomatic Academy), then everything will be easier, as these programmes are directly addressed towards an international audience (and often held in English). Tuition Fees At Austria's public universities (see above), home students (Austrian or EU) have to pay tuition fees of about EUR 363 per semester (one academic year has two semesters), which are not means-tested. Students from outside the EU have to pay twice this amount (i.e., about EUR 726 per semester), except when they are refugees or any bilateral agreements apply. In addition, an amout of about EUR 13 per semester is payable to the ÖH (Austrian Student Union) and for insurance. The payment form which is being mailed out to students after enrolling covers the sum of these two fees. As an example, the total tuition/union cost for a four-year degree (given that you complete it in four years; see "Time Span of Studying and Austrian Curricula" above) at one of Austria's public universities for a non-EU student is thus a bit less than EUR 6000 at the moment (as of III/2003). In addition, you will need to have money to cover housing, food, health insurance, books, transport, social activities, etc. Important: Please note that private universities (see above) and those mentioned under "Other Postgraduate Degrees" (Danube University Krems, Diplomatic Academy Vienna, etc.) are allowed to set their tuition fees independently. Please consult their web sites or prospectuses for further information. Further Information and Information for Non-EU/EEC Students Further information on studying in Austria can be obtained from the web site of the Austrian Bureau for Academic Mobility. A note to non-EU/EEC students: If you are from outside the EU or the EEC, you will need to apply for a visa. For a student visa, you need to show evidence of financial sufficiency (about EUR 5100 per annum), and, even more difficult, you are not allowed to work in Austria. For more information, please contact the Austrian Embassy or Consulate (Republic of Austria) in your country.
In Austria, grading according to a certain distribution of grades is almost never done. Instead, grades usually follow a percentage scale of maximum points reached (see table above). Essays are very uncommon, thus it is easy to grade using this prodecure. In most exams, the full scale from 0% to 100% is being used for the grading of students (as opposed to for instance the UK, where grades over 80% or under 40% are rare). Average grades in courses at my department (Economics at JKU Linz) range between 2 and 4; I would guesstimate that the overall average is about 3.5. Exams (course exams as well as diploma/final exams) can be repeated up to three times (up to two times in the first half of the curriculum, up to three times in the second). This does however not apply for private universities and postgraduate institutions, you are thus well-advised to familiarise with the regulations before attending exams. legal disclaimer privacy policy This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |