Strategy

Our students are the focus of our degree programs. Taking into account their individual educational biographies, we convey scientifically sound professional, methodological and action competence, promote reflective self-competence and social competence, and enable international foresight as well as innovative thinking and action. In order to provide the best possible support for lifelong learning, we offer training and continuing education formats that are appropriate for the target group.

Our lecturers design their teaching according to the current state of the scientific reference disciplines as well as the demands of the professional fields that are relevant for the future. Orientation on competences and the focus on students form the basis of multifaceted university didactics. Lecturers are supported by continuing education and support programs.

Our applied research and innovation takes place in defined research areas. It is focused on relevant research topics, provides an important link to practice and contributes to scientific exchange. Our research results are fed back directly into society and ensure that our educational programs are up to date.

We see our departments and sections as places of high-quality and sustainable action. Innovative ideas of students and employees are supported and entrepreneurship is promoted.

Together with our stakeholders from business, politics, administration and the non-profit sector, we develop future-oriented projects in teaching, research and continuing education. As a competent and reliable partner, we support decision-makers with our science-based expertise. In this way, we contribute to the development of sustainable solutions for the challenges of society.

As an innovative multidisciplinary and independent university, we are a driving force in the further development of the sector of universities of applied sciences in Austria and a partner for national and international cooperations. Our growth is based on a high-quality expansion of our educational programs through economically and socially needed academic education, training and continuing education programs.

In their diversity, our students and employees are of central importance to the success of our university. Through social permeability, diversity management, gender mainstreaming, women's empowerment, corporate health promotion and family friendliness, we promote individual development and enable fair and barrier-free access to education and work.

The multidisciplinarity of our university and our international networks broaden the perspective of our students and employees in teaching/research and organization. Students and employees develop global perspectives, think cross-culturally and cooperate interdisciplinarily and internationally.

Our graduates and employees are familiar with the chances and challenges of digital transformation and the changes in society. They use this knowledge to help shape developments in their professional fields in an ethically responsible manner.

Our graduates and employees are willing and able to acquire knowledge and skills on their own initiative.We support our graduates in their further development and that of their professional fields with our training and continuing education program.

We regard entrepreneurial spirit and interdisciplinary research as an essential part of our university culture. Thanks to research-based teaching and cooperation in research projects, our employees and students think and act in a problem-solving and innovative way.

Our graduates and staff take advantage of cooperative doctoral programs with national and international universities and strengthen our competence profile in applied research.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations are guiding principles for a sustainable use of our resources and stakeholders, for our research areas and curricula. All students and staff have an overview of the SDGs and contribute to achieving these goals.

In each degree program, we provide electives for 4 ECTS points (BA programs) or 2 ECTS points (MA programs) that can also be completed outside of one's own degree program. We take organizational measures to enable all students to attend courses in other degree programs. By the end of the strategy period, at least 1/4 of all students will use this option.

In the context of (further) development, we integrate discipline-specific and professional field-specific global, international and transcultural dimensions into the curricula in all study programs (internationalization of the curricula) and make these visible in the learning outcomes.

We structurally embed mobility windows (e.g. semester and/or internship abroad, short-term mobilities, and/or virtual cooperations) in each degree program in order to enable all students to gain international experiences.

By expanding national and international strategic networks and partnerships, we strengthen international and intercultural learning, exchange of knowledge, and cooperations in teaching, research, and organization. We increase the mobility of employees by 10% annually, and by the end of 2025 at least 20% of university graduates will have completed a study-related stay abroad.

All degree programs address the developments and effects of the digital, social and global transformation in the respective professional field and incorporate central content into the curricula.

We establish a cross-disciplinary research area on digital, social and global transformation and thus promote related interdisciplinary activities.

We evaluate and prioritize the possibilities of digitization for all administrative processes at the university and implement them. To achieve this, we are expanding the digital skills of our employees.

To enhance time and location independent teaching and learning, we are increasingly using technology-supported teaching programs. By the end of the strategy period, the proportion of these courses will be at least 15% in all full-time degree programs and at least 35% in all part-time degree programs (measured in terms of the total number of ECTS credits).

Our teachers update or expand their repertoire of methods with regard to promoting the self-directed acquisition of knowledge and skills. They use digital developments in university didactics in order to increase the studyability of our degree programs through individualized teaching and learning scenarios.

We are expanding our continuing education portfolio in cooperation between the Campus Academy and the degree programs to at least 50 courses per year in order to strengthen our partnerships and to provide graduates and interested parties with the latest developments in science and research.

We are one of the three most research-intensive universities of applied sciences in Austria and are increasingly developing innovations and projects at the interface of disciplines. 
During the strategy period, experts from our university and from professional fields accompany and support a total of 25 new start-up teams in our Start-up Corner.
We develop and implement cooperative doctoral programs and promote post-doctoral degrees.

By increasing active congress attendance and publications by 5% per year, we are increasing our visibility in the research community.
All departments engage in science-based critical analytic analysis of ways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and integrate at least three of the SDGs into the curricula.

We include the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of our new research strategy designed for sustainability and support projects within this context.

As an organization, we reflect on our actions in all organizational units and implement measures to increase our contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In doing so, we are guided by at least three selected SDGs.