Coursework

Doctoral education at the University of Vienna also includes a training component in form of seminars, workshops etc. The amount of ECTS points, doctoral candidates have to gain during their PhD studies, is defined in the curricula. It is important that chosen seminars support the research project and are relevant to the PhD project as a whole. 

The courses can be found in the online course directory (Study Programmes 36 to 47). Usually, only courses from these areas are accepted. In well-grounded cases courses from the master level can be attended as well. In addition, most Directors of the Doctoral Study Programmes accept external achievements such as conference presentations, summer school participation, etc.

Usually, doctoral candidates establish an individual training plan together with their supervisor and note this in the doctoral thesis agreement. Generally, the doctoral candidates should first present their research project in the public presentation and only after the approval of the topic start the training component. In some faculties only a small number of ECTS points is approved before the public presentation. At many faculties specific guidelines regarding the coursework are available on the faculty website or the website of the respective StudyServiceCenter. The training component must be completed (and approved by the Director of the Doctoral Study Programme) before the thesis is submitted.

The online course directory can be found here.