Please note that this article represents my personal opinion, and that I shall never be deemed responsible for any errors in it, its content, decisions based on it, or consequences of its publication. Please visit the respective institutions' web sites for official information. For further information on legal issues, please consult my legal disclaimer.

Universities in Linz

With about 200,000 citizens, Linz, the capital of the province of Upper Austria, is Austria's third biggest city. Traditionally, Linz has been Austria's "steel city", but nowadays it offers clean air and many cultural and sports activities. It is also home to Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), one of Austria's six multi-faculty research universities (the others being Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Vienna).

Linz also has three smaller universities, a public one for arts and industrial design (about 800 students) and two private ones, one for music (about 800 students) and one for catholic theology (about 400 students). The latter two are currently both accredited by the Austrian Accreditation Council which is responsible for accrediting private universities and colleges in Austria.

A Short History of JKU

On 8 October 1966, the first 560 students enrolled at the two faculties (social and economic sciences, law) of the "College for Social and Economic Sciences Linz", as the university's original name was. Two years later, a third faculty (engineering and science) opened. On 1 October 1975, the Academic Senate renamed the university to Johannes Kepler University Linz (with University of Linz being its short name), in honour of the astronomer (1571-1630) who in the beginning of the 17th century wrote his magnum opus, "harmonices mundi", in Linz.

In 1982, the well-known Upper Austrian publisher Rudolf Trauner was named University Press ("Universitätsverlag Rudolf Trauner"). In 1998, JKU was the first Austrian university to replace the traditional student ID cards by a chipcard with multiple functions (among others, electronic cash as well as being able to use it for copying, the library, and meals).

JKU Today

In summer semester 2003, 11,067 students studied at JKU's 86-acre campus in the north of Linz (6323 male, 4744 female). Thereof, 976 were from outside Austria (248 from other EU countries and 728 from outside the EU). The university enjoys an excellent reputation in both industry and academia, and is well-known for its modern approach, combining thorough theoretical knowledge with exciting applications (and, having been at JKU for almost four years now, I can honestly say that this is more than a catchy phrase).

JKU Online

Originally, the web address of JKU has been uni-linz.ac.at, but recently, the "JKU" corporate identity has been strengthened, with the main address now being jku.at. With jku.ac.at, an address emphasising JKU's academic status is also available. A forth and last address, jku.edu, is aimed towards JKU's overseas audience.

Recently, JKU has also opened an excellent web site geared towards incoming exchange students.

Unfortunately, there has been no English-language version of JKU's website available since the recent re-design - what a shame for an international university! The only exception is the web site for incoming exchange students mentioned in the preceding paragraph. JKU's old English-language website can however still be accessed here.

"Economics and Business" and Partner Universities

In 2001, the three curricula business, economics, and international business were merged to become the new programme economics and business, with four specialisations (one of them being a new one in e-business management). The programme has been designed to offer an integrated introductory phase after which the students can freely choose where to specialise. The specialisation in international business involves a compulsory year abroad. JKU has more than 90 partner universities on five continents, among them Emory University, Texas A&M University (USA), the University of Victoria, the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario (Canada), the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, and the University of Reading (UK).

Language of Instruction and Language Classes

The regular language of instruction at JKU is German. There are however some courses available each semester which are held in English (especially in economics). Nevertheless, a reasonable command of German is highly recommended for incoming exchange students, and strictly necessary for regular students. The exception is PhD research - if you do already hold a masters degree and your supervisor at JKU agrees, the thesis can be written and examined in English.

The Department of Business Languages offers language classes in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Czech as well as German as a Foreign Language ("Deutsch als Fremdsprache" or DAF). All of these languages can be learned from scratch. The cost of these courses is covered by the Austrian standard tuition fees (see below).

14 Regular Degree Programmes on Bachelor and Master Level as well as PhD Research

JKU now (academic year 2003-04) offers 14 degree programmes in three faculties, with four of them being unique in Austria. In addition, all departments offer PhD programmes for students who would like to make original contributions to their fields. Needless to say, all of its programmes are recognised by the government (after all, it's publicly run) and by the corresponding professional associations.

Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences
Economics and Business [Wirtschaftswissenschaften] - Specialisation in Business [Betriebswirtschaftslehre] - Specialisation in E-Business Management - Specialisation in Economics [Volkswirtschaftslehre] - Specialisation in International Business [Internationale Betriebswirtschaftslehre]	four-year masters degree; unique in Austria (usually, business, economics, and international business are separate degree programmes)
Business Education [Wirtschaftspädagogik]	4.5-year masters degree; for teaching business and related subjects at commercial grammar/high schools
Business Information Systems/Technology [Wirtschaftsinformatik]	4.5-year masters degree; combines computer science with business and business applications
Sociology [Soziologie]	four-year masters degree
Social Business [Sozialwirtschaft]	four-year masters degree; combines Sociology and Social Policy with Business and Economics; unique in Austria
Statistics [Statistik]	three-year bachelors and one-year masters degrees
Faculty of Law
Law [Rechtswissenschaft]	four-year masters degree
Faculty of Engineering and Science
Technical Chemistry [Technische Chemie]	five-year masters degree
Industrial Engineering Technical Chemistry [Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen Technische Chemie]	five-year masters degree; combines technical chemistry with business and law; unique in Austria
Technical Physics [Technische Physik] - Specialisation in Technical Physics - Specialisation in Biophysics [Biophysik]	five-year masters degree
Bachelor: Technical Mathematics [Technische Mathematik] Master: Mathematics in Science [Mathematik in den Naturwissenschaften] Master: Industrial Mathematics [Industriemathematik] Master: Computer Mathematics [Computermathmatik]	three-year bachelors and two-year masters degrees
Computer Science [Informatik]	three-year bachelors and two-year masters degrees
Mechatronics [Mechatronik]	five-year masters degree; combines mechanical and electrical engineering with computer science; unique in Austria
Teaching degrees in Computer Science and Information Management/Chemistry/Mathematics/Physics [Lehramtsstudien in Informatik und Informatikmanagement/Chemie/Mathematik/Physik]	4.5-year masters degree; for teaching at grammar/high schools (two subjects must be combined to form a teaching degree; in addition to the four subjects at JKU, art, catholic religion, fibre craft, and handcraft can be taken at the other two universities in Linz)

Most of the above-mentioned programmes retain the traditional Austrian degree structure with an undergraduate masters degrees, after which a two-year PhD programme can be started. (All of JKU's departments supervise PhD students.) The degrees in statistics, computer science, and technical mathematics are however already following the Anglo-American bachelors/masters structure.

All of the above-mentioned programmes attract Austrian standard tuition fees (currently EUR 363 per semester for EU citizens; EUR 727 per semester for non-EU citizens). The academic year consists of two semesters, a winter semester (October-January) and a summer semester (March-June).

Non-Standard Postgraduate Programmes

Apart from these bachelors, masters, and PhD programmes, the faculty of law offers a dedicated taught masters degree in European law. The Research Institute for Banking offers a diploma and an MBA in financial management. The International Management Academy Linz (LIMAK), which has been founded by JKU and partners from the industry and the public sector, offers MBA programmes in cooperation with Emory University and the University of Toronto, as well as several other short courses in management and accounting. JKU also offers about 15 part-time diploma programmes ("Universitätslehrgänge"). (All of the programmes mentioned in this paragraph attract premium fees in excess of the Austrian standard tuition fees.)

Distance Learning

JKU has also pioneered distance learning in Austria. Since 2002, JKU is the first and only Austrian university offering a complete law degree via distance learning, with learning centres all over Austria. The development of the teaching material (lecture notes and DVDs) has been subsidised by the Austrian government.

Admission and Enrollment

For more details on admission and enrollment at Austrian universities, please refer to my guide Study in Austria.