Vienna University of Economics and Business

Study Economics and Business in Vienna Austria
Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU) or Vienna University of Economics and Business is the largest University focusing on business and economics in Europe and, in terms of student body, one of the largest universities in Austria. Until 2008, it's official name in English was "Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration".
WU Wien has more than 20,000 students and over 400 researchers and teachers, among those about 80 full professors. It increasingly draws students from outside Austria, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe. Most of the faculty are of Austrian or German nationality.

The Financial Times has ranked WU Wien as one op the top 50 European Business Schools. WU Wien has achieved accreditation from EQUIS and is part of the respected consortium of Europe's leading schools and corporate partners - Community of European Management Schools (CEMS).

Dramatic changes in the legal regulation of Austrian universities in the last few years have forced universities to compete with one another for students. The changes were also influenced by the Bologna Process. To meet this challenge, WU Wien is attempting to tailor its curricula to the needs of the market and to streamline its research programs.

WU Wien was founded on October 1, 1898 as k.u.k. Exportakademie in a similar vein to the London School of Economics and Political Science, to provide professional training to future businessmen and thus stimulate the Austro-Hungarian empire's economy. From humble beginnings as a professional school, it quickly grew to become an important institution, which was awarded the status of a fully-fledged Hochschule (an educational institution equivalent to a university, but specializing in a certain field such as technology or business or art) in 1919. At that time, it was renamed to Hochschule für Welthandel. The course of studies leading to the academic degree of Diplomkaufmann provided training preparing for the export and banking businesses and was very practical, comprising courses in business administration, economics, law and others.
In 1930, the Hochschule für Welthandel was granted the right to issue doctoral degrees.
After World War II, the Hochschule für Welthandel increased its breadth in research. It started to become a very important institution in Austrian society at that time; most Austrian managers and many politicians received their university education here. From 1966 onward, it began to offer a more theoretical course of studies in economics. In 1975, it was renamed to Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. At the same time, the number of students began to increase dramatically. In 1983, it moved to its current campus in Vienna's 9th District.

Due to its large size, WU Wien is able to offer a very broad range of electives which is probably unparalleled anywhere in German-speaking countries.

Study in WU : Economics and Business in Vienna Austria
Beginning in Fall 2006, WU Wien has begun to modify its study programs to a bachelor/master/doctor system in order to align them with the Bologna Process. Currently, the following bachelor's degree programs are offered:

* Business, Economics and Social Sciences, with a choice of four different majors:
o Business Administration
o International Business Administration
o Economics & Socio-economics
o Information Systems (already a bachelor's degree program before 2006)
* Business Law

WU Wien plans to offer a range of 14 master's degree programs, including several programs taught completely in English. As of May 2009, the programs for Business Education, Business Law and Information Systems are already on offer. The new Master's degree program in Quantitative Finance will be launched in October, 2009.

Additionally, WU Wien offers the following advanced degrees:
* Doctoral Program in Social and Economic Sciences
* Doctoral Program in Business Law
* PhD in Finance (as part of the Vienna Graduate School of Finance initiative)
* International MBA (in English; jointly with the University of South Carolina)
* Executive MBA (in English; jointly with the University of Minnesota)
* LL.M. in International Tax Law (in English)

The following four-year studies leading to a Magister der Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Master of Social and Economic Sciences) degree are still in progress for students enrolled prior to Fall 2006:
* Business Administration
* International Business Administration
* Economics
* Management Science
* Socio-economics
* Business and Law
* Business education
As at any Austrian or German university, scholars can also achieve a Habilitation at WU Wien.
Furthermore, several courses in continuing education are offered (e.g. in advertising and sales, tourism management).