Internationalization at FHWien der WKW
Growing globalization of the higher education market demands that higher education institutions have an increasingly strong international focus. Thus, degree programs tailored to the domestic market are no longer sufficient. Instead, employers expect students and graduates to have international experience, intercultural competences and advanced foreign language proficiency.
Internationalization is extremely important to us. By offering a wide range of international activities, we want to align teaching, research and corporate culture so as to match and exceed the requirements of the global labor market.
Together with International Affairs, the Center for International Education & Mobility (CIEM) provides the structure necessary for implementation of FHWien der WKW’s internationalization strategy.
Internationalization Pathway
FHWien der WKW won funding from the City of Vienna, to help internationalize their teaching. The project is entitled „Internationalization@home relaunched – teaching and learning in a professional, contemporary and cosmopolitan context“ and focuses both on a greater integration between local and international students and teaching staff, and offers targeted training courses for teaching staff.
The project concentrates on three areas:
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Further increasing the quality and scope of elective courses in International Management, to make them more attractive for both local and international students.
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Organizing workshops and events for international lecturers and local teaching staff from FHWien der WKW to meet with one another.
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Targeted training measures promoting internationalization, the first of which is the “English Language Café”, a low-threshold drop-in class for staff to practice speaking in English.
The overall objective of the project is to internationalize teaching at FHWien der WKW in a professional manner based on contemporary teaching methods.
International activities
- Participating in international research and development projects
- Student mobility and staff mobility for teaching and training: teaching and administrative staff exchange, student exchange as part of the Erasmus program, bilateral co-operation with non-EU member countries, summer sessions abroad
- International networking with universities to conclude exchange agreements and double degree agreements
- Internships abroad
- Internationalization of the curriculum by offering an extensive range of English-language courses as well as the integration of international content and teaching methods at FHWien der WKW
- Implementation of the ECHE – Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021-2027
- Diploma Supplements
Future internationalization projects:
- Degree programs in English
- Strategic development of international networks with partner universities and business partners
- Compulsory international internships or study-abroad semesters in full-time Bachelor’s degree programs
International education and mobility
Partnerships and mobility
- Collaboration with over 180 partner universities and expansion of the partner university network (for example Erasmus+)
- Coordination of student mobility: Erasmus+, bilateral agreements, free movers, top-up degrees and double degrees
- Academic support for incoming students
- Advice, preparation, coordination and support of outgoing students during their time abroad
- Organization of events for incoming and outgoing students
Extracurricular lecture program in International Management
Our teaching staff come from all around the world and teach lectures on various topics in the fields of business and communication.
Learning foreign languages
The Language Center of the University of Vienna offers a broad foreign language course program:
Erasmus Student Network
The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a European, politically independent, voluntary student organization. ESN has grown steadily since being founded in 1989, and ESN sections can today be found in over 480 universities in forty countries. There are around 150 active members in Austria alone in a total of 17 universities.
What are the goals of ESN?
- Supporting exchange students
- Promoting intercultural exchange and the integration of exchange students
- Representing the interests of exchange students at a local and international level
- Contributing to the evaluation and development of different exchange programs
The ESN section of FHWien der WKW was set up in 2006 and is now a registered association. The section works closely with CIEM to ensure the well-being of exchange students arriving in Vienna.
Buddy Network & ESN Membership
Are you a student at FHWien der WKW who wants to gain international experience whilst studying in Vienna? Then the ESN team is right for you! You can develop and improve your intercultural competencies, improve your foreign language skills, build up an international network and of course have a lot of fun, all while being a member of the ESN section of FHWien der WKW or a buddy for an incoming student.
Becoming an ESN member
There are many different roles in an ESN team, from event planning or social media management, to the graphic design of our information and advertising material. If you are interested, please e-mail esn@fh-wien.ac.at.
As an ESN member, you will also receive an ESN card. An ESN cards gets you discounts in all countries where there is an ESN section. The card is valid for a year once issued. For more information about the benefits of having an ESN card click here.
Buddy network
Buddies support the incoming students arriving at FHWien der WKW during their study-abroad semester. There are often many questions to be answered at the beginning of the semester: How do I get about in Vienna? Where are the best parts of the city? How do I make my way through the bureaucratic jungle as efficiently as possible? The buddy system often gives way to lasting friendships. Information about how to register as a buddy and FAQs can be found in the ESN section of FHWien der WKW’s website.
Opening hours
Currently we are available by appointment only. Please send us an email if you would like to make an appointment.
If you have a Mobility coordinator, please contact them.
For general enquiries please email CIEM: ciem@fh-wien.ac.at.
To contact the Head of CIEM please email barbara.zimmer@fh-wien.ac.at.
Team
Michelle Gigerl, BA
Center for International Education & Mobility