Admission to a doctoral programme

Admission requirements

Admission to the doctoral programme at the University of Klagenfurt is subject to the completion of a relevant Diploma or Master’s programme at a recognised post-secondary educational institution.

The precise legal regulations on admission requirements can be found in § 19 (2a) Part B of the University of Klagenfurt Statute and in the Universities Act 2002, Austrian Federal Gazette I no. 120/2002 (§§ 63, 64 (4) and 65)

Master’s/Diploma from AAU

Required documents

Application for admission with provisional letter of support from a supervisor (Research assistants with authorization to teach (venia docendi), who work full-time at the University of Klagenfurt as defined by § 100 para. 3 in conjunction with para. 4 UG, see p. 4 of the application)
Student Data Sheet

Processing time depends upon your chosen thesis area.

Master’s/Diploma from another post-secondary educational institution in Austria

Required documents

Application for admission with provisional letter of support from a supervisor (Research assistants with authorization to teach (venia docendi), who work full-time at the University of Klagenfurt as defined by § 100 para. 3 in conjunction with para. 4 UG, see p. 4 of the application)
Student Data Sheet (if already registered at AAU) or online application (if not previously registered at AAU)
Certificates of completion (if you’ve completed a Master’s degree, Bachelor’s documents are also required)

Degree from a recognised post-secondary educational institution abroad

Required documents

Application for admission with provisional letter of support from a supervisor (Research assistants with authorization to teach (venia docendi), who work full-time at the University of Klagenfurt as defined by § 100 para. 3 in conjunction with para. 4 UG, see p. 4 of the application)
Certificates of completion (if you’ve completed a Master’s degree, Bachelor’s documents are also required).
Diplome certificates (for both bachelor and master degree)
Student Data Sheet (if already registered at AAU) or online application (if not previously registered at AAU)
Non-EU or EEA citizens must provide an eligibility letter in accordance with § 65 (2) of the Universities Act. A template “Nachweis der besonderen Universitätsreife/eligibility letter” can be found in German here and in English here.

If supervision is to be provided in German, at the time of application applicants with a first language other than German must demonstrate German language ability at level A2 in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Proof of A2 level German language ability

– qualifications/diplomas (with unlimited validity):

university-entrance certificate / high school diploma issued by a school where the language of instruction and examination is German or by an Austrian or German school abroad
completion of a study program of at least two years’ duration at a recognised post-secondary educational institution where the language of instruction and examination is German

The following proof is accepted and must be no more than 2 years old:

Österreichisches Sprachdiplom (ÖSD – Austrian language diploma) certificate
Goethe certificate
telc German A2
Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz DSD I (German language diploma from the KMK – Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs)
Course certificates at level A2/b from the intensive German course or German as a Foreign/Second Language course offered at the ‘Deutsch In Österreich’ (German in Austria) language centre at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt.

Notes

EU and EEA citizens can apply for admission at any time. However, they can only register on a programme during the prescribed admission period.
A special admission period applies to non-EU or EEA citizens: Requests for admission during the summer semester must be submitted in full by 5 February; the deadline for requests for admission during the winter semester is 5 September.
Requests are usually processed within 2 months.
All documents must be provided as originals or notarised copies. However, the eligibility letter is needed as an original document.
Foreign documents and translations must be certified. English or German translations are required if the documents have been issued in another language. Information about the regulations on certification
For thesis areas not in English, students must provide proof of German language ability at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Information on accepted proof can be found in the rectorate’s regulations on the proof of German language requirements for degree programme admissions.
This requirement is waived if the supervisor confirms in their provisional letter of support that the entire doctoral programme can be delivered in English.

An overview of the stages of admission to a doctoral programme

You look for a supervisor and obtain a provisional confirmation of support.
You gather the required documents and submit an application for your desired doctoral programme either in person or by post to the Admissions and Examinations Office.
If your application is approved, you will receive an acceptance letter by post.
If you have already studied at AAU, please come to the Admissions and Examinations Office with your acceptance letter, an official photographic identity document and a completed Student Data Sheet.
If you have never studied at AAU, please complete the online application before coming to the Admissions and Examinations Office with your acceptance letter and valid passport.
The online application is available to doctoral students up until the end of the extension period (30 November in the winter semester, 30 April in the summer semester or 30 June in the summer semester 2020). The current admission periods for the University of Klagenfurt can be found in the academic calendar.

Do you have any more questions about admissions?

Please contact:

Christine Moser, BA Admission Doctoral Degree Programmes surnames A to J +43 463 2700 9133 christine.moser [at] aau.at	Juliane Achleitner, BA Admission Doctoral Degree Programmes surnames K to Z +43 463 2700 9126 juliane.achleitner [at] aau.at