PhD degree in Austria

17 June 2020

This article, it is aimed to answer two main questions about PhD degree in Austria: 1. How to apply for PhD programs (positions) in Austria? and how can I find a PhD position in Austria?

Around 88000 international students in an undergraduate or graduate programme live in Austria. Austria is a pretty middle European country and is one of the best countries for international students because there are lots of high ranked universities located in the country.  The application process is similar to other developed countries.

Although Austria is a small country in Europe, there is plenty of international study program available for students who will pursue their studies at high level educational institutes.

Austria is known as one of the best “study experiences” countries, especially for international students. In Austria, there are nine federal provinces with a big number of high-quality universities and around 2000 degree programmes at more than 70 higher study institutions.

The traditional comprehensive universities in Austria are located in Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz and Salzburg.

How to apply (A PhD degree in Austria) to universities in Austria?

There is two main way to find a PhD degree in Austria. The best way is to find and applying a fully-funded PhD Position which literally secures not only the tuition fees but also gives you more than you need for your living expenses. The other option is to apply for a self-funded PhD position and pay tuition fees and the cost of living on your own.

For most of the study programmes in Austria, you should simply apply online by fill-up some forms and submitting that form with the required documents (see below). Please note that some universities or research institutions can have different procedures and requirements. So, make sure to read the application procedure for each study programme.

Best self-funded Study Subject

The main part of Australian culture is Art and Music. Therefore the most popular study subject in Austria is music, dramatic arts, fine arts and applied arts.

The five popular PhD programmes at the University of Vienna in Austria are as follows:

  • Doctoral Programme in Arts and Humanities, Philosophy and Education (Dr)
  • Doctoral Programme in Business, Economics and Statistics (Dr./PhD)
  • Doctoral Programme in Law (Dr.) and Interdisciplinary Legal Studies (PhD)
  • Doctoral Programme in Natural Sciences and Technological  Sciences in the field of Natural Sciences (Dr)
  • Doctoral Programme in Natural Sciences and PhD Programme in Natural Sciences in Life Sciences (Dr/PhD)

Course

In some PhD Programmes, Courses are part of the doctoral programme and doctoral candidates must attend courses comprising 20 to 30 ECTS credits in 3 years. At least 3 of these courses have to be seminars for doctoral candidates.

Academic Year

The academic year (first of October till the 30th of September) in Austria consists of two semesters Winter semester (first of October till the end of January) and the Summer semester (first of March till the end of September)

The list of Public Austrian Universities

Here you can find the list of public universities in Austria:

  1. University of Vienna
  2. BOKU (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences)
  3. University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
  4. WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
  5. University of Klagenfurt
  6. University of Salzburg
  7. University of Graz
  8. University of Innsbruck
  9. Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU)
  10. Medical University of Vienna
  11. Medical University of Graz
  12. Medical University of Innsbruck
  13. University of Applied Arts Vienna
  14. MDW (the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna)
  15. Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
  16. Mozarteum University Salzburg
  17. The University of Music and Performing Arts (KUG)
  18. University of Art and Design Linz
  19. Vienna University of Technology
  20. Montanuniversität Leoben
  21. Graz University of Technology
  22. Danube University Krems

Would you like to know the salary amount of PhD and postdoc positions in Europe? 

You can find all the available full-funded PhD positions in different countries here.

Leave a Reply