Studying abroad

Are you interested in studying abroad? You can find out more about the different opportunities to study abroad on the webpage of the International Office.

On this website you will find all the information on the ERASMUS programmes offered in our field of study. Please read the information carefully. If you have further questions, please turn to the departmental coordinators of our field of study.

Please make sure you also read the International Office's website carefully. It provides important general (non study-specific) information.

Departmental coordinator

Name: Gertraud Seiser (BA and MA KSA)
E-mail address: gertraud.seiser@univie.ac.at
Telephone: 0043-(0)1-4277-49504
Address: Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien
Room No.: B408
Office hours during the semester: Monday 1-3 pm (to fix an appointment, please write an e-mail)

Assistant: Stefan Sametinger, erasmus.ksa@univie.ac.at

1. Exchange Places

Erasmus stays can only be done at those universities our field of study has an agreement with. At the Erasmus website you can search for all available places in our field of study. To do this, select "Social and Cultural Anthropology" under Study field, the academic year in which you are planning your Erasmus stay under Academic year and BA or MA under Study level. Then click on "Show details" to see a list of all partner universities. Further information, such as the required language level, can be found by clicking on the symbol (for Windows a circled i, for Mac a black dot) between the red/green dot and "University of Vienna".

A list of available places in our field of study can be found here during the main and second application round.

ATTENTION

Exchange Places in Great Britain

Current information on this topic can be found on the website of the International Office.

2. Requirements

The ERASMUS programme aimes at regular students of the University of Vienna who have completed at least two semesters in the relevant field of study by the start of their ERASMUS stay. Additionally, in our field of study the following requirements apply:

  1. StEOP
  2. Language certificate

Language certificate

The official guidelines for the required language certificate can be found on the website of the International Office.

In general, for all non-German-speaking partner universities a language certificate is required for the application. In most cases the examination date at the time of application must not be older than four years. The required language proficiency is prescribed by the host university (at least B1). The specific requirements can be found by following the instructions provided under "1. Exchange Places". Please get information directly from your desired university in order to find out the specific language requirements and whether they require an additional language certificate (like TOEFL, IELTS etc). 

If two languages are listed, only one of the two languages must be proven. Please also make sure in that case that the host university offers a sufficient amount of (suitable!) courses in this language.

The proof of an adequate language level has to be provided by the time of application. If applying for several countries with different language requirements, several certificates may be required.

3. Application deadlines

During the main application round places for the winter or the summer semester are assigned. Any remaining places for the summer semester are dependent on the availablity of financial resources. 

At our department application deadlines are as follows:

Main round: The required application documents have to be uploaded to the Mobility Online platform until March 5th. The available places can be found starting from mid of January on the Erasmus website.

Second round: The required application documents have to be uploaded to the Mobility Online platform until October 5th. The available places can be found starting from mid of September on the Erasmus website.

4. Application Procedure

There are several steps to be completed during the application. The International Office provides detailed information on the application procedure on their website and during information sessions.

Application to the departmental coordinator

You need to submit your application to the departmental coordinator via Mobility Online. The following documents are required:

  • Transcript of records
  • CV
  • Letter of motivation (study-specific reasons for your choice of location and for your priorization)
  • Language certificate (copy)

The application documents have to be submitted via the Mobilty Online platform.

If necessary for your application, you will get an invitation for an interview via e-mail to your u:account after the end of the application deadline.

Interview procedure:

Normally the interview will be conducted by the two of us and will last about 20-30 minutes. According to your choice of university and to the competitive situation we might consult colleagues of the department. Therefore to be in time is prerequisite for a fair procedure and is also a decision criterion for your nomination.

Topics of the interview:

  • Your study-specific and regional interests
  • Non-university activities, which are connected to the disciplin
  • Where do you want to go and why?
  • Working programme – Ideas

Selection criteria:

  1. Formal requirements are fulfilled
  2. Academic achievements and progress
  3. Quality of your study-specific reasons within your letter of motivation (e.g. research about the study programme of the chosen departments or about the research activites of the local staff)

 

Nomination

If your application has been accepted by the departmental coordinator, they will nominate you for an ERASMUS stay. The students who have been nominated will be contacted by the International Office via email informing them about the documents and forms that they will have to submit.

5. Course Choice and Learning Agreement

Learning Agreement

The Learning Agreement specifies the courses and the amount of ECTS credits you are going to take during your stay abroad and how they are recognized for your study at the University of Vienna. Detailed information on the Learning Agreement can be found on the webpage of the International Office.

Inform yourself on the course offer at your host university, compare their study plan to ours and talk to StudyServiceUnit KSA about the courses you will be taking. Write an e-mail in time to arrange an appointment. They will then have the Learning Agreement signed by your study programme director ("Studienprogrammleitung" - SPL).

Deadlines: The Learning Agreement is directly created as well as processed in Mobility Online and must also be digitally confirmed by your SPL (by the communicated deadline at the latest). Therefore, please keep in mind to release your Learning Agreement for signature by the SPL(s) in time. Before the start of your Erasmus+ stay (but two weeks after the start of your stay at the latest), the Learning Agreement must also be signed by your host university.

ETCS and courses

In general, students should obtain 30 ECTS credits during an ERASMUS semester. In order to be eligible for the ERASMUS grant, a minimum of 3 ECTS per month recognised at the University of Vienna is required. Should these minimum requirements not be met, students have to repay the grant.

Changes to the Learning Agreement

In most cases, the course catalogue for your ERASMUS semester will not be published a few weeks before the semester start. Since you have to submit your ERASMUS application a lot earlier than that, it is understandable if you need to make some changes to your course programme later on. To guarantee the recognition after your return, any changes to your Learning Agreement have to be discussed with the StudyServiceUnit KSA and confirmed by the SPL. Announce these changes as early as possible!

After the arrangement with the StudyServiceUnit and SPL, you have to enter the changes in Mobility Online and all parties have to sign once more.

6. Course recognition

After your ERASMUS stay you'll have to complete the form "Application for recognition of courses/exams taken during an Erasmus+ stay according to UG § 78" in consultation with StudyServiceUnit KSA, so that the courses can be transferred to your study programme in Vienna. The form can be found on Mobility Online. Please make an appointment as soon as possible. You will also need a transcript of records from the host university to do this. After the successful recognition by the SPL, two documents have to be uploaded in Mobility Online: (1) transcript of records by the host university, and (2) the official notice of recognition.

Further advice on course recognition:

  • Please ALWAYS discuss the courses that you are doing abroad with the StudyServiceUnit KSA (including changes to the course programme).
  • Credit transfer/course recognition is usually easier for optional courses ("Alternative Erweiterungen" - BA), than for compulsory courses. It is therefore advisable to save at least some of these courses for your ERASMUS stay.
  • If you took courses from a complementary study program ("Erweiterungscurriculum"), you need to contact the respective study programme director regarding recognition.