Joint / Double Degrees
Austria
1. Contribution to the European dimension in higher education
1.1 Describe any legal obstacles identified by your country and any progress made in removing legal obstacles to the establishment and recognition of joint degrees and/or joint study programmes
The University Act 2002 removed any legal obstacles for the universities to award joint degrees.
1.1.1 Describe the extent of integrated study programmes leading to joint degrees or double degrees
In addition to existing programmes, currently many universities are in the process of developing joint degrees, which makes it difficult to give an exact figure. So far, joint degrees are not part of the national reporting system, but this is expected to change in the near future. Four Austrian universities (University of Vienna,Technical University of Vienna, BOKU-University of Natural Resources andApplied Life Sciences, Vienna, and University of Economics and BusinessAdministration, Vienna) have been chosen to participate in the first round of Erasmus Mundus.
The universities of applied sciences can also run double degree programmes.
1.1.2. How have these programmes been organised? (joint admissions, mobility of students, joint exams, etc.)
At the universities, there is a great variety of intergrated study programmes, with some leading to "real" joint degrees, which are jointly awarded by all participating institutions for programmes that have been jointly devoloped and which include study periods at all participating institutions. However, there are also other arrangements, e.g. sometimes double degrees have to be awarded because of legal obstacles applying to partner institutions. Moreover, some institutions have agreements with partner institutions for reciprocal recognition of study periods that can lead either to informal confirmations of a student's participation (usually awarded together with the diploma of the home institution) in this special type of mobility programme or to a double degree.