Master's studies

The Master's degree program is completed when all of the coursework prescribed in the curriculum has been completed. This includes the writing of a Master's thesis. Attendance at Master's seminars is possible as an accompanying supervision measure; many curricula make this compulsory (in this case, the coursework must be completed independently). However, work on the Master's thesis may not be limited to the duration of the Master's seminar.

Master's examination

If the Master's thesis has been assessed positively and all the coursework prescribed in the curriculum has been successfully completed, the student can register for the Master's examination at the relevant StudyServiceCenter.

The Master's examination is a board examination which

• includes the presentation and defense of the Master's thesis as well as an interview about the academic environment (= defensio) OR
• the presentation and defense of the Master's thesis as well as an interview about the scientific environment (=Defensio) AND
• an examination on one or more subjects.

The form in which the Master's examination is to be completed is regulated in the curricula.

It must be taken in front of an examination senate (at least three persons qualified in accordance with § 14 and § 15 of the statutes). This examination senate is put together by the head of the degree program, who either chairs it or appoints an examiner to chair it. The chairperson keeps the examination record.

Final documents

Award notification

The awarding of academic degrees is the responsibility of the responsible study program director by means of a notification as soon as the graduates have successfully completed all examinations prescribed in the curriculum and submitted the positively assessed academic thesis.

The notification must be issued within four weeks of fulfillment of the requirements; no application by the student is required; the student has a duty to cooperate in the assignment of courses in the examination pass. The notification is issued in German and English, but the name of the university and the academic degree are not translated.

After the notification has come into force, graduates are entitled to use the academic degree awarded. Participation in the academic ceremony is voluntary and is not legally binding.

The original certificate of conferral is only issued once - with the data that appears in the University of Vienna database at the time of issue. A duplicate will be issued if there is evidence of loss of the award certificate or a change of name. Since April 2020, the certificate has been issued electronically and sent with an official signature.

Degree certificate

Master's degree certificates list the modules according to the curriculum as well as selected extension curricula or alternative extensions.

With the entry into force of the UG amendment, the final grade is calculated as follows:

First, the overall assessment of all achievements of the degree program is determined (all positive examination achievements from modules, the final examinations/defensio and the Master's thesis).

If the weighted result of the overall assessment is ≤ 1.5 and both the academic work and the final examination were assessed as "very good", the final grade "passed with distinction" is awarded, otherwise "passed".

The degree certificate is only issued once in the original - with the data that appears in the database of the University of Vienna at the time of issue. A duplicate will be issued if there is evidence of loss of the degree certificate or a change of name. Since April 2020, the certificate has been issued electronically and officially signed.

Diploma Supplement

The Diploma Supplement (appendix to the diploma) is issued to all graduates by the responsible SSC with their degree certificate. The aim of the bilingual Diploma Supplement (German/English) is to increase transparency in higher education and to facilitate the academic and professional recognition of qualifications.

It contains:

• Information on the type and level of the qualification
• Information about the completed degree (study requirements, course of study, assessment scale)
• standardized information on the respective higher education and study system

The Diploma Supplement is not a substitute for a CV or the original degree certificate and does not guarantee automatic recognition. It is now used in most EU/EEA countries.

At the end of the degree program, a module evaluation is determined for each module, which is calculated from the average value of the assessments within the module weighted according to ECTS points. Using the same procedure, the examination results in all modules of the degree program are used to determine the overall assessment of the examination results.

The module assessments and the overall assessment of the examinations are shown in the Diploma Supplement to two decimal places. If there are subject specializations in the curriculum, their completion is also noted.