Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU)
English name:
Vienna University of Economics and Business
Exchange semester: Winter 2010
General information about the school
1. The school and its surroundings:
WU is located at Spittelau, which is 20 min out of the city centre (travelling with
public transportation). It’s close to U-bahn, tram and bus, so it’s easy to get there.
2. Faculties and special areas:
WU have 12 academic departments in addition to 14 Research Institutes and the
recently founded Competence Center for Central and Eastern Europe.
The 12 academic departments are departments of:
- Business, Employment and Social Security Law
- Cross-Border Business
- Economics
- Finance and Accounting
- Foreign Language Business Communication
- Information Systems and Operations
- Management
- Marketing
- Public Law and Tax Law
- Social Sciences
- Statistics and Mathematics
- Strategic Management and Innovation
3. Number of students
With about 26,800 students from Austria and abroad, WU (Vienna University of Economics
and Business) is EU’s largest educational institution for business and economics, business
law, and social sciences.
- Over 6,000 first year students per year
- An average student population of 26,800
- About 1,600 graduates annually
- Around 90 doctoral degrees awarded per year
4. Study structure
At WU they have courses for both over- and undergraduate. Some of the courses go over the
whole semester (2-3h each week), while a lot of them are block courses. These courses go
over 1-3 weeks or for just a few days. The block courses are very intensive but are a good
way to finish a course quickly in case you want to travel during the semester.
Practical information
Information before you left
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When did you receive the information package from the university?
Shortly after nomination. The Information was full and well structured, the
International Office is very helpful and efficient.
Any problems?
Not really.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
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Visa requirements?
No, but you need to register at the magistrate. This is very easy.
Travelling to Vienna:
Norwegian, SAS and Austrian Airlines.
Academic Calendar
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Arrival date and introductory week:
I arrived on the 1st of September as I had German courses. The introductory
meeting was on September13, where I get “Welcome Guide” with all the
necessary information.
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First day of the semester:
The Semester officially starts on 1st of October but in September there were the
two-week Orientation and Cultural Program and Intensive German Language
Courses for all levels and are very helpful.
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Last day of classes:
The semester ends officially in February, but there are several exam sessions inbetween so it all depends which course one take.
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Examination period:
There are several exam sessions during the semester so if you take a block course
which lasts only one week then you might have the exam already by the end of
this week.
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Special events?
Very developed student network (Buddy Network) organized a lot of trips, parties
and social activities). For example to Octoberfest, Krakow, Budapest, Wine tasting
etc.
Reception
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How was the reception at the university?
It was very good; I got a buddy, from the Buddy Network, who helps with
everything. The Orientation and Cultural Program (OK Program) was good for
making new friends and getting to know the university and the town.
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Well prepared?
Yes.
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Did students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
Yes, the Buddy Network is mainly run by students. They arrange trips and parties
during the semester.
Housing
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Did you have housing at your disposal?
There are some places reserved for exchange students at the biggest dorms, you
can apply for these on OEÄD website. You will receive information about this in
the emails from the International Office. Most exchange students live in Haus
Panorama and Haus Erasmus.
-
What support did you get from the school in locating housing?
Except from the info-mails all the information we got was from the OEÄD (the
student housing information).
Costs
Food, drinking and housing is a lot cheaper than in Oslo. For most courses there are no
books needed or there always was a good copy in the Department which easily could be
printed or hand-outs on the lecture. There are a lot of opportunities to travel around.
The international office
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Is there an international office?
Yes
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Who is responsible for incoming students?
Amy Nichols for graduate students and Sandra Fuchshuber for undergraduate
students.
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How does the international office function?
They send you all the information you need before arrival, they assist you getting the
courses you need and they are for you if you need any help.
Social activities
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How is your relationship with other students?
All students here are very friendly and open for new friends and experience.
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Is there a student’s organization?
The Buddy Network.
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Are there any special activities for the exchange students?
Trips and parties organized by Buddy Network. This semester there were trips to
Krakow, Budapest, Munich, Wine tasting in Purbach, visit to Ottakringer brewery, Ski
trip etc. All the trips are affordable.
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How do you like it at the school?
The school is great. Everybody is friendly and atmosphere is good.
Culture and language
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Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
No problem as everybody speaks English.
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How are the possibilities to experience the language and the culture?
Yes. You can participate in Orientation and Cultural Program (OK Program), there are
German course for every level.
Academic information
The teaching situation
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In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
There are courses in English and German. If you want to have course in German then
it requires a very good knowledge of the language. Then you study together with
local students.
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How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
The courses are more relaxed than in BI.
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Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
Both. Some courses have a very practical approach some theoretical.
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Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
A mix. There are a lot of cases, and you are expected to participate in class.
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How is the workload compared to that at BI?
Depends on the course.
Required literature
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Is the literature in English?
Yes. But it’s not so much use of books, more cases and hand outs.
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How do you estimate the level of the literature?
Depends on the course. But you receive enough information and sources to follow
the course
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Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
Both.
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Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
Both.
Exams
- What types of exams were you given?
Written and oral exams, presentations and assignments. This is different in all the courses.
- What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
It depends on the course. Some of the courses have a lot of ways to gather points, so the
exam itself doesn’t really count. None of the courses had one exam that counts 100% (at
least as far as we know).
Other
- Do students have easy access to the library and its resources?
Yes, but the library rules are really complicated, so we don’t use it a lot.
- How is the access to the computers?
There are computer both in the aula, library and an own big computer lab.
Description of courses
Course name
Nichtlineare Optimierung und
Spieltheorie
Internationale
Makroökonomik
Code Prereq.
0660 None
International Business Policy
& Strategy
0696 None
Standort, Raum und
Wirtschaft
Wirtschaftsdeutsch
Sozialpolitik
0089 None
Methods for Project
Management and Programme
Management
0042 None
1673 None
None
2337
Exam
Approved as
Homework and
Home exam
Final written
Macroeconomics
Exam 80%,
Midterm 20%
Term paper 80%,
Class
participation 20%
Final written
Exam 100%
Written exam
Tysk/engelsk
Final written
exam 100%
Final written
home exam 100%
Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about Vienna.
Kind regards,
Elena Gorina – gorina.elena84@gmail.com