By the EcoS curriculum, all three languages (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) are taught at a beginner's level. If you have learned one of these languages as part of your previous studies, you are required to take a different one.

The majority of EcoS courses are of continuous assessment. This requires periodical attendance in person (weekly basis). Some courses might offer selected units online.

Typically, a semester of EcoS has an average of 30 ECTS courses. Additionally, semesters in which students are taking language courses, tend to have an even larger workload. Bearing this in mind, we strongly encourage applicants to dedicate full-time to the study of EcoS.

In accordance with the curriculum and ideal ECTS distribution, students can finish the program in four semesters. There is a buffer of two additional semesters, for a total of six semesters of regular study. 

The letter of motivation allows you to tell us more about your skills, motivations, and goals in studying at EcoS. We ask you to answer a fixed set of standardized questions listed in the questionnaire. The questionnaire has been designed to cover all relevant aspects for the approval of an application, and the answers you provide to each question are the most important part of this document. Please answer all questions separately and do not write an essay-style text. There is no limit on length, however, we recommend staying within 5-6 pages.

Depending on your pre-existing qualifications and the skills you acquire during the programme, as an EcoS graduate, you may find a wide range of potential employment opportunities in fields that require a strong social-scientific and methodological knowledge of East Asia as a region. We are very proud that our graduates work in many different fields, ranging from politics and diplomacy to journalism, the non-profit sector and, of course, business (from SMEs to large multinationals in Europe and Asia). Many graduates have made professional careers in academia, consulting, organisations focusing on security or development policy or banks and other financial institutions.

As Vienna is a United Nations' host city (UNIDO, IAEA, UNDOC ...), there are also many other international organisations located here, with many non-Austrian citizens finding opportunities to work in an international environment during or after their studies in Vienna.

Learn more from current and former students' experience on the website for Teaching Affairs and Student Services, under the section: Focus on East Asian Economy and Society (EcoS).

As an interdisciplinary programme, our students come from various academic backgrounds. Eligible majors thus include (but are not limited to) bachelor programmes in East Asian studies (including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Studies), Business Administration [Betriebswirtschaftslehre], International Business Administration [Internationale Betriebswirtschaftslehre], Economics [Volkswirtschaftslehre] and Political Science[Politikwissenschaft]. Please be aware that this is only a small selection of possible majors and that there are many more which are eligible. Thus, we have also welcomed students with backgrounds in engineering, law, agriculture etc. who have a strong interest in the East Asian region. In general, your previous studies should, however, have had a strong theoretical or methodological focus relevant to studying at EcoS.

If you are not certain whether your major is eligible, please check with fellow prospective and current students at the EcoS Facebook Group, contact your EcoS Student Representatives or EcoS Staff.