Final examinations

Deadline for registering for a final examination

You must register at least three weeks before the date of the examination you intend to take (two weeks in the case of modular examinations). On some programmes of study there are recommended examination dates with set registration periods.

Requirements

You can only register for a final examination if you have fulfilled ALL registration requirements.

1. You have passed your dissertation (Master’s, Diploma or Doctoral dissertation)
   This criteria is fulfilled once the examiner’s report is available to download from the Student Portal.
2. You have sat all examinations set out in the curriculum
   To fulfil this criterion, examinations should be submitted a) using the electronic examination book or b) with the relevant paper form depending on your programme of study. This criterion is fulfilled once the Programme Director for your programme supplies the Programmes and Exams Office with an approved examination submission form. You will receive an email notification to your edu.aau email address once your examination results have been approved. Please allow a few days for the examination submission form to be processed by the Programmes and Exams Office and make sure your contact details are up-to-date!

Please note that dissertations and any examinations taken should be submitted on time (via the electronic examinations book in the case of examinations):

• Supervisors have two months from date of submission to assess a Master’s or Diploma dissertation.

• Doctoral dissertations are to be assessed by the examiners within a maximum period of four months.

• The verification of your submission is to be completed within one month.

Regulations

1. Selection of the examination committee (Prüfungssenat)
   The Programme Director for a given programme of study is responsible for selecting the examination committee.
2. Suggesting an examiner
   You are entitled to suggest an examiner in your application. Please note that a member of the examination committee can only act as an examiner for one examination subject. One person cannot, therefore, examine more than one examination subject. The examiner must have a relevant qualification: a) for general examinations the Programme Director enlists the services of university teachers who have experience teaching the subject being examined or individuals with equivalent experience of teaching at a recognised Austrian or overseas university. b) The Programme Director is also entitled to call upon the services of researchers and other qualified examiners if required. This regulation does not apply to Doctoral programmes.
3. Selecting fields for examination
   The curriculum for a programme of study (examination regulations) generally sets out how many fields are to be examined and how many individual subjects should be covered within this field.

Office responsible/Confirmation of final examination application receipt

The final examination application will be reviewed by the Programmes and Exams Office in the first instance and then forwarded to the relevant Programme Director. The relevant Programme Director then makes the decision on your application and then selects the examination committee, examination date and exam questions. You will be updated on any changes to the status of your application in the Student Portal and by email.

Due to the statutory public nature of examinations, AAU publishes its confirmed examination dates. A summary of scheduled final examinations can be found in the Student Portal under “Links > Final examinations” (Studienabschließende Prüfungen).

Consequences/outcomes

1. Deregistration from an examination
   Students are entitled to deregister from an examination up to latest 48 hours before the examination is due to take place without being required to give a reason for their decision. If the candidate does not attend the examination and has not deregistered within the appointed period, the examination will not be assessed and will not be counted towards the total number of examination attempts. In the case of oral examinations or comprehensive examinations before a committee (kommissionelle Gesamtprüfung), a waiting period of eight weeks must pass before the student can reregister.
2. Number of examination attempts
   Students are entitled to repeat failed examinations three times.
3. Composition of the examination committee
   When an examination is attempted for the third time, the Rector of Studies attends and chairs the examination committee. For final examinations, the examination committee consists of five members.
4. Repeating examinations
   Comprehensive examinations before a committee (Gesamtprüfung) must be repeated in full if more than half of the subjects examined were failed. In all other cases, only failed subjects need to be repeated.
5. Completing the programme of study
   If the final examination is passed, admission onto the programme expires.

Information valid from: 01.02.2018