NewsFH Upper Austria, Wels Campus

Individual Focus - More Flexibility - Improved Study Options

Starting in fall, the current 2000 students can look forward to even more flexibility in their studies at Wels Campus


"Based on the experience with online teaching during the Corona period, we succeeded in integrating more options and time flexibility in many study programmes," says Dean Prof. DI Dr. Michael Rabl. But current topics were also taken into account in this modernisation of the curricula. "In all our practice-oriented degree programmes, the Sustainable Development Goals form the guiding principles. Thus, we provide the currently 2000 students with the necessary tools to be able to develop new solutions and technologies that not only bring economic success, but also always have one thing in mind: A sustainable future!" says Rabl.

New courtyard, StudyLounge and more flexibility

"It is important to us that students feel comfortable on campus. With the redesign of the inner courtyard and the StudyLounge and the further expansion of the lab equipment in the new laboratory building, we have once again been able to implement important infrastructural improvements this year," Dean Rabl is pleased to say and continues, "Our goal is also to meet current requirements in terms of course content. In order to be able to offer students even more flexibility, additional individual electives will be offered in some degree programs starting in the fall, semester hours will be reduced, days off will be created, or access will be made possible for non-German-speaking students. In this way, we are creating even better study options!"

Automation Technology: Electives and Free Monday

The automation technology degree program will start next fall with a new curriculum and more electives in the area of digitalisation. "These include topics such as cloud-based automation, robotics and factory planning. Students can design the study plan more individually and in line with their professional internship and choose to book the electives in the fourth or sixth semester," says head of the study degree programme Prof. DI Dr. Roman Froschauer and continues: "In addition, we offer our students a 4-day week. There are no courses on Monday. This leaves more time for side jobs, free subjects and individual interests."

Open for international students without German language skills

International students without German language skills, whose university entrance qualification does not allow them to directly enter a bachelor's degree program, now have the opportunity to study the Bio and Environmental Engineering and Food Technology & Nutrition programs. Already in the one-year preparatory course "International Foundation Programme IFP", courses of the study programs Bio- and Environmental Engineering and Food Technology & Nutrition can be chosen as electives in English. "When the students enter the degree programs after one year, these electives will be recognized, so that the international students then have additional time to deepen their knowledge of German. Our goal is for the international students to be integrated into the German-language degree programs from the 3rd semester onward," say program directors Dr. Manuel Selg (BUT) and FH Prof. DI Dr. Otmar Höglinger (LTE).

Innovation and product management: electives and reduction of hours

By introducing an online day, Innovation and Product Management students only need to be present on campus 3 days per week. In addition, after completing the foundation phase, they can choose between a specialisation in marketing or design in the 3rd semester and between mechatronics or digitalisation in the 4th semester. In the 5th semester, they also have the choice of three different practical projects on the topics of design, digitisation or sustainability. "On the one hand, this allows students to choose individual focuses according to their inclinations, and on the other hand, we have achieved better studyability by reducing the number of semester hours per week," says a pleased  programme coordinator Prof. Dr. Alexander Brendel-Schauberger.

Mechanical Engineering Master's becomes even more flexible

With the start of the winter semester, mechanical engineering master's students can largely freely choose courses totalling 7 ECTS. "We recommend suitable electives, but they can also be other modules from suitable degree programmes in consultation with the programme management - even across FH Upper Austria schools," says Head of Studies Prof. DI Dr. Thomas Reiter and continues: "We have always enabled a very extensive elective block in the 5th and 6th semesters of the Bachelor's degree. Our goal is to enable mechanical engineering students to focus on individual areas. These range from modern methods of mechanical engineering and production technology to energy technology, materials science, automation or economics."

Part-time Mechatronics & Economics programme expands range of optional subjects

The students of the part-time industrial engineering degree programme Mechatronics & Economics come from a wide range of industries and bring different skills and experience to the group. "For this reason, we are offering two specialisation branches, Mechatronic Product Development and Production Management, for the first time starting in the winter semester. These specialisations will be enriched by an extensive range of electives, such as digital technology, IoT or augmented reality," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Jordan, Head of the programme.

Increased cooperation between lightweight construction and materials science 

In the first two semesters, students on the two Bachelor's degree programmes Lightweight Design & Composite Materials and Materials Science & Manufacturing Technology work their way through the important basics and get an interdisciplinary overview. "From the third semester onwards, they can then specialise in metallurgy, plastics technology or lightweight construction & composite components. The cooperation between the degree programmes has resulted in many new and interesting practical company projects from which our students benefit," reports WFT programme director FH Prof. DI Dr. Daniel Heim. LCW programme director FH Prof. DI Dr. Roland Hinterhölzl adds: "In addition, we have established Monday as a lecture-free period in both programmes. This gives our students the opportunity to go to work in a relevant field or to work on exciting FH research projects. In this way, we create a smooth career entry."

Exchange of courses possible

Students in the Bachelor's programme in Product Design and Technical Communication can also exchange individual courses. "This allows students to specialise according to their own interests," says Prof. Dr. Christiane Takacs.

New MBA programme starting in autumn

Starting in autumn, the Centre of Lifelong Learning of the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences will for the first time launch a fee-based MBA programme on "General Management". "Here, too, elective options are very much to the fore: in addition to the core curriculum, there are numerous elective modules that are particularly intensively dedicated to the major topics of the future: Sustainable business models of the future, digital marketing or ethics in the digital transformation are just a few keywords that are covered in freely selectable modules," says Head of COL3 Prof. DI Dr. Stefan Sunzenauer.

Inform and apply now.The hot application phase is currently underway. Apply quickly and secure your place at the university. More information at www.fh-ooe.at/campus-wels