Important Information for the Winter Semester 2020/21

02.07.2020

Congratulations to the 35 students from 16 countries that have been accepted to EcoS! Read more about what comes ahead concerning finalizing your admission, enrolement to EcoS courses and the teaching mode during the winter semester, amid Coronavirus measures.

Dear EcoS students,

many of you are just about to enroll in our EcoS MA program – welcome! – , while others have been studying here already. All of us are, however, affected by restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While these measures hit us unexpectedly in March, we are now much better prepared for the winter term 2020 beginning in October.

None of us knows whether all restrictions will be lifted by then, or whether there will be another wave of the pandemic and restrictions will be toughened again. We thus prepare for the worst, while continuing to hope the best. Below, you will find a few points on what that means for you and your studies. Please continue to check our homepage (https://ecos.univie.ac.at/) regularly for updates.

In case of further questions, do not hesitate to contact us. We will do our best to find an answer or a solution. You can email us at ecos[at]univie.ac.at.

With our best wishes,

The EcoS Team

  • Together with the Admission Office of the University of Vienna, we have arranged for a new online admission process for new students in the upcoming winter term 2020. Thus, if you cannot be physically present in Vienna to finalize your admission in person, please follow the steps provided by the Admission Office to enroll online as a student of EcoS. Only after enrollment will you be able to register for individual classes at EcoS and have access to our Moodle platform. Please direct any questions concerning the admission to master.zulassung[at]univie.ac.at
  • With the exception of language classes, all our courses will be taught in a way that allows you to participate even if you are not physically present in Vienna. This is particularly important for those of our international students who have returned home and are now hesitant or unable to move back to Vienna due to Covid-19, or those who have been admitted but face difficulties getting visas etc. Surveys among our students have shown a high level of satisfaction with our online courses.
  • Language classes will require your actual presence. Experience and surveys among our students have shown that language courses are not well-suited for remote teaching. In case you will not be able to attend classes physically for the said reasons during winter semester 2020/21, you can enroll in other, non-language courses, and postpone the required language classes (module M1) to next year.
  • We have successfully conducted a number of MA exams this semester remotely, using secure video conferencing tools such as BigBlueButton. This means you do not have to worry about graduating even if you cannot travel to Vienna.
  • For each course of the 2020/21 winter term, the related details will be specified in the course description. These will be available in the EcoS chapter of the university’s online course directory from early September. Please read them carefully. This will enable you to get a clear understanding of the requirements and to make an informed decision.