Study

You can find the department’s study programme overview via the Campus system. There you will find all further information relating to the courses (dates, procedure, contents, results etc.).

Courses in Media and Communications

The following programmes of study are offered in the Department of Media and Communications:

Bachelor’s degree programme “Media and Communications”

Bachelor’s degree programme “Digital Media, Culture, and Communication”

Master’s degree programme “Media, Communications and Culture”

Master’s degree programme “Media and Convergence Management”

Doctoral degree programme “Health and Sustainability Communication and Management”

Doctoral degree programme

Bachelor’s degree programme Media and Communications

In the Bachelor’s degree Media and Communications, theoretical frameworks as well as practice-oriented and practically relevant methods are taught. The degree programme focuses on the relationship between media, culture, technology and society. Students engage with the complex networking of media, cultural and communicative practices with societal, economic and political processes in everyday and institutional contexts. The location of the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt at the intersection of three cultures plays an important role in this. Students deal with fields of research such as the relationship of media, the public and democracy, media and identity, the economic contexts of media (e.g. the media industry, organisational communication and public relations), the analysis of media and its different uses, media pedagogy, and new information and communication technologies such as the internet as an educational medium (e.g. e-learning).

Information in German

Duration: 6 semesters

ECTS: 180

Level of qualification: Bachelor’s degree programme

Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Prerequisites: General university entrance qualification

Entrance examination: No

Language of instruction: German, some courses are taught in English

Bachelor’s degree programme Digital Media, Culture, and Communication

To ensure you are well equipped for everything that lies ahead in this exciting and inspiring industry, you need a strong foundation. You will get this with the scientific and theoretical basis of this degree programme.

You will gain a practical understanding of how digital media work. We will help you understand the underlying logic of platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube and how they operate. Together, we will investigate how key topics such as sustainability or health can lead to success in the competition for attention.

You will discover how companies and NGOs can leverage the advantages of digital media using strategic communication: by spreading content virally and using networks to amplify their messages. We all leave data trails when we navigate the digital space. This means that we increasingly need experts to interpret and analyse this data. Here, you will gain the skills you need.

Together, we ask ourselves: What is the significance of these digital forms of communication for the development of our society? And are things good as they are, for you and for us as a community and a democracy?

Further information

Duration: 6 semesters

ECTS credits: 180

Programme type: Bachelor’s degree programme

Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Prerequisites: General university entrance qualification, knowledge of English B2

Special admission procedure: No

Language of instruction: English

Master’s degree programme Media, Communications & Culture

The Master’s degree programme Media, Communications and Culture deals with all aspects of social life, such as politics, culture, economy, education and science. The degree programme focuses on the relationship between media, culture, technology and society. Students engage with the complex networking of media, cultural and communicative practices with societal, economic and political processes in everyday and institutional contexts. The location of the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt at the intersection of three cultures plays an important role in this. The study programme stands out in particular due to its focus on cultural science and practical research, which enables teaching and research practice to be combined in a profitable manner.

Information in German

Duration: 4 semesters

ECTS: 120

Level of qualification: Master’s degree programme

Degree: Master of Arts (MA)

Prerequisites: Yes

Entrance examination: Yes

Language of instruction: German, some courses are taught in English

It is necessary to register in advance for the Master’s degree programme Media, Communication and Culture. Further information can be found on the page Admission Master’s degree programme.

Further information on the Master’s thesis and Master’s graduation can be found on this page.

Master’s degree programme Media and Convergence Management

The degree programme teaches core competencies in the fields of media and communication, management and marketing, and in technology. The degree programme focuses on the areas of technical, media, content and cross-sectoral convergence. Terminal devices such as smart phones and tablet PCs are at the very centre of technical or media convergence. Content convergence revolves around the multiple use of content (e.g. film, PC games, books with similar topics/content), and cross-sectoral convergence is concerned with the blurring of boundaries in the TIMES sector (technology, information, media, entertainment and security). These convergences represent new challenges for companies, with the result that skills in the disciplines of Cultural Studies and Media Sciences, Business Studies and Technical Sciences are rapidly gaining relevance.

Further information

Duration: 4 semesters

ECTS: 120

Level of qualification: Master’s degree programme

Degree: Master of Science (MSc)

Prerequisites: Yes

Entrance examination: Yes

Language of instruction: English

The entrance examination for the Master’s degree programme Media and Convergence Management takes place only once a year, in the run-up to the winter semester. The Master’s in Media and Convergence Management starts every winter semester. A total of 35 study places are awarded each academic year via an admission process.

Registration period: 15 January until 30 April 2024

Doctoral degree programmes

If you want to write a thesis at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, you will need to find a supervisor and a second assessor.

The following departmental members are authorised to supervise theses:

Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Sandra Diehl
Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Brigitte Hipfl
Univ.-Prof. Mag. DDr. Matthias Karmasin
Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Larissa Krainer
Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Caroline Roth-Ebner
Assoc.-Prof. Dipl.-jour. Dr. Franzisca Weder (currently on leave)
Assoc.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Matthias Wieser
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Psych. Mag. Dr. Rainer Winter

Information for future students writing their Doctoral theses: requirements/admission/curriculum etc. can be found under doctoral degree programmes.

Thematic doctoral degree programme HSCM

Doctoral degree programme Health and Sustainability Communication and Management (HSCM)

The doctoral program “Health and Sustainability Communication and Management (HSCM)” is interdisciplinary and provides the participants with extensive skills in communication and management in the health sector, for the area of sustainability and for assuming social responsibility. Another focus is on the efficient and effective communication of scientific knowledge in the health sector to the general public. By gaining these skills, the participants will find it easier to implement the knowledge gained in the health sector and in companies. Furthermore, the doctoral program allows questions of high social relevance from the fields of Health and Sustainability Communication and Management to be dealt with at an internationally competitive level. The qualifications acquired during the program allow the participants in the doctoral program to publish research results in international journals and to present and discuss them at international conferences. The participants receive thorough training in qualitative and quantitative methods. A research seminar (interaction workshop) is planned for each academic year, during which the doctoral students present the papers they have written and the status of their dissertation.

Further information related to this doctoral degree program can be found here.