“Study Law Regulations” Part of the Statutes

Note:
The following statute is a consolidated version. It is legally non-binding and for informational purposes only.
The legally binding versions are found in the University of Innsbruck Bulletins (in German).

“Study Law Regulations” Part of the Statutes

Complete Version as of 13 April 2023

Table of Contents

Section 1

General Regulations
§ 1. Body responsible for study-law regulations
§ 2. Organisation of the academic year
§ 3. Study programmes, courses and exams in a foreign language
§ 4. Subjects
§ 5. Courses
§ 6. Examinations
§ 7. Contact hours
§ 8. Workload
§ 9. In-classroom courses/courses by means of electronic communication
§ 10. In-classroom examinations/using means of electronic communication
§ 11. Compliance with the rules of good scientific practice
§ 12. Exclusion from the study programme in case of endangerment

Section 2

Examinations
§ 13. Course examinations
§ 14. Examiners in Bachelor’s, Master’s and Diploma programmes
§ 15. Examiners in Doctoral programmes
§ 16. Examiners in continuing education programmes
§ 17. Examination scheduling
§ 18. Repetition of examinations
§ 19. Registration for course examinations
§ 20. Registration for subject examinations, module examinations and board examinations
§ 21. Examination boards
§ 22. Conducting of examinations
§ 23. Alternative examination method
§ 24. Deregistration and withdrawal from the examination, failure to appear

Section 3

Scientific Papers
§ 25. Supervision and assessment of Diploma and Master’s Theses
§ 26. Supervision and assessment of Dissertations
§ 27. Publication of scientific work
§ 28. Master’s or Diploma Thesis agreement, Dissertation agreement

Section 4

Nostrification
§ 29. Application for nostrification (recognition of foreign degree)
§ 30. Assessment procedure
§ 31. Notification of nostrification

Section 5

Leave of absence
§ 32. Leave of absence

Section 6

Curriculum committees
§ 33. Curriculum commissions

Section 7

Curricula
§ 34. Term and diversification
§ 35. Qualification profile
§ 36. Modules
§ 37. Contents of the curricula for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Diploma programmes
§ 38. Contents of the curricula of the Doctoral study programmes

Section 8

Procedures for the establishment and discontinuation of regular study programmes and for the enactment or amendment of curricula
§ 39. Establishment and discontinuation of regular study programmes
§ 40. Enactment of the curriculum of a newly established regular study programme
§ 41. Fundamental amendments to curricula of a regular study programmes
§ 42. Minor amendments to curricula of regular degree programmes
§ 43. Re-announcement of the curriculum of a regular study programme
§ 44. Transitional provisions in the case of changes to or in case of the discontinuation of regular degree programmes

Section 9

Minors
§ 45. Minors

Section 10

Continuing education programmes
§ 46. Types of university continuing education programme
§ 47. Establishment and discontinuation of university continuing education programme
§ 48. Enactment and amendment of the curriculum of a university continuing education programme established as continuing education bachelor’s programme or a continuing education master’s programme
§ 48 a. Enactment and amendment of a curriculum of a university continuing education programme
§ 48 b. Enactment and amendment of a curriculum of a university course
§ 49. Contents of the curricula of university continuing education programme
§ 50. Order of the head of a university continuing education programme

Section 11

Joint study programmes and jointly established studies
§ 51. Joint study programmes
§ 52. Jointly established study programmes

Section 12

Final regulations
§ 53. Coming into force and coming out of force
§ 54. Transitional regulations

Section 1

General regulations

§ 1. Body responsible for study-law regulations

(1) According to §19 par. 2 no. 2 Universities Act 2002 (Civil Law Code I no. 120/2002 as amended by Civil Law Code I no. 177/2021; in the following referred to the UA) a monocratic body shall be established which shall be responsible for the implementation of the provisions of study law in the first instance. The body responsible for study-law regulations shall bear the title of “Universitätsstudienleiterin” or "Universitätsstudienleiter" (Director of Studies).

(2) The Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Teaching shall be appointed by the Rectorate as Director Studies after a Senate hearing for the duration of the Rectorate’s term at the longest. In justified exceptional cases, another qualified person may be appointed after the Senate has given its opinion. Reappointments are permitted. The appointment shall be announced in the University Bulletin.

(3) The main responsibilities of the Director of Studies are:

approving of applications for admission to individual study programmes (UA §55);
awarding academic degrees to graduates of individual study programmes (UA §55 par. 4);
approving the taking of examinations for study programmes at a university other than the university of admission (UA §63 par. 9 no. 2);
annulling the assessment of examinations and Diploma and Master’s Thesis as well as Dissertations by official order (UA §73)
issuing of certificates confirming the completion of a study programme (UA §74 par. 3) as well as diploma supplements (UA §87 par. 7);
appointing of suitable examiners for admission and supplementary examinations, determination of the examination methods and determination of whether an examination is to be taken as an individual examination or as a board examination (UA §76 par. 1);
recognition of positively assessed examinations (UA §78);
annulling of negatively assessed examinations in the event of serious deficiencies in implementation (UA §79);
guaranteeing the safekeeping of assessment documents not handed over to the students (UA §84 par. 1);
recognition of scientific papers (UA §85 par. 2);
approval of the application to exclude the use of scientific and artistic works delivered to the University Library pursuant to §86 par. 2 UA for a maximum of five years after submission.
awarding of academic degrees to graduates of regular study programmes and continuing education programmes (UA §87);
awarding of academic designations to graduates of university courses (UA §87a par. 2 UA);
revoking of academic degrees or designations awarded within Austria (UA §89);
recognition of a foreign degree as degree from a domestic study programme – nostrification (UA §90 par. 3 and 4);
approving of a further repetition of internships marked in the curriculum within the scope of the pedagogical-practical studies (UA §77 par. 4) as well as
the following tasks acc. to the regulations of this part of the statues:
1. setting the examination dates and registration deadlines (§§17 and 20);
2. appointing of suitable examiners and formation of examination boards (§§13, 14, 15, 16 and 21);
3. dispositions of applications within the application process (§§19 and 20);
4. appointment of professionally suitable persons to supervise and assess Diploma and Master’s Theses as well as Dissertations, consent to the appointment of collaborators in the supervision, ban of topic and supervisor, decision regarding partial electronic publication and submission to the assessors (§§25, 26 and 27);
5. decision on missing and withdrawing from examinations for good cause (§24);
6. approval of blocked courses (§5 par. 2);
7. approval of courses held using means of electronic communication (§9 par. 2);
8. approval of the resignation of supervisors of scientific theses (§11 par.1);
9. decision on deviating examination methods (§23 par. 3);
10. approval of the extension of modules over more than one semester (§36 par. 3);
11. receipt of the submission of Master’s or Diploma Thesis agreements as well as Dissertation agreements (§28 par. 3);
12. nostrification process (§§29, 30, 31);
13. deviations from examination method and/or type of examination and of registration requirements due to measures taken in cases of public emergency, in particular COVID-19 measures (§6 par. 7 and 8)

(4) The Director of Studies may authorise the Deans of Studies and other members of the academic staff as Continuing education Deans of Studies to decide on matters referred to in par. 3 no. 1 to 17 on his/her behalf and in accordance with the guidelines issued for this purpose. The authorisation shall be published in the university bulletin. The power of attorney shall contain a representation regulation in the event of short-term prevention of up to four weeks.

§ 2. Organisation of the academic year

(1) The academic year starts on 1 October and ends on 30 September of the next year. It is structured in a winter semester, which starts on 1 October and ends on 28 or 29 February resp. and in a summer semester, which starts on 1 March and ends on 30 September, each including the lecture-free periods.

(2) The Senate is required to schedule teaching weeks and course-free periods in such a way that the academic year contains at least 30 teaching weeks, evenly distributed between the two semesters. With regards to the course-free periods, one uninterrupted period of eight weeks is to be established once during the academic year.

§ 3. Study programmes, courses and examinations in a foreign language

(1) If the subject of the study programme is a foreign language, the curriculum may prescribe the holding of courses and examinations as well as the writing of Diploma and Master’s Theses and Dissertations in this foreign language. If the subject of a course is a foreign language, the curriculum can stipulate that the course and the examination be held in the foreign language.

(2) The curriculum can stipulate that single courses and the relevant examinations are held in a foreign language if the foreign language accounts for a predominant part of the technical language of the courses. In these examinations, mastery of the subject matter and not the level of proficiency in the language is the benchmark for the assessment.

(3) If no provision is made in the curriculum, courses and the relevant examinations can be held in a foreign language if the foreign language accounts for a predominant part of the professional language of the courses and equivalent courses are offered in German so that the progress of studies is not delayed. In these exams, mastery of the subject matter and not the level of proficiency in the language is the benchmark for the assessment.

(4) Regular degree students are entitled to write their Diploma and Master’s Theses as well as their Dissertations in a foreign language, if the respective supervisor agrees to it.

(5) The curricula of master's and doctoral programmes may stipulate that a programme be offered exclusively in a foreign language to be specified.

(6) Courses and examinations of continuous education programmes may be held in a foreign language. In these examinations, the mastery of the subject and not the level of proficiency in the language is the benchmark for the assessment.

(7) An adequate command of the language by the instructors is a prerequisite for prescribing (par. 2) and holding courses and examinations in a foreign language (par. 3), supervising and assessing Diploma and Master’s Theses as well as Dissertations (par. 4) and offering a degree study programme exclusively in a foreign language (par. 5). The same shall apply to the holding of courses and examinations in continuing education programmes (par. 6).

§ 4. Subjects

(1) Subjects are thematic units, the content and methodology of which, as a general rule, are imparted through a number of related courses

(2) Compulsory subjects are those that are characteristic and essential for a study programme and for which examinations are to be taken.

(3) Elective subjects are those that are selected by students in accordance with the conditions specified in the curricula and for which examinations are to be taken.

§ 5. Courses

(1) The scope of the courses is to be stated in semester hours and in ECTS-Credits (European Credit Transfer System - ECTS). A semester hour corresponds to as many teaching units as the semester comprises teaching weeks. A teaching unit lasts 45 minutes.

(2) Courses are generally held on a weekly basis. Lecturers are entitled, with the approval of the Director of Studies, to hold courses during a part of the semester only, with the number of hours per week increased accordingly (block course). Block courses are only be permitted if there are legitimate reasons and if premises are available. In doctoral programmes and continuing education programmes established in accordance with UA §54, par. 4, authorisation is not required for block courses.

(3) The following types of courses are offered:

Working groups (AG 'Arbeitsgemeinschaften') serve to treat a topic in collective fashion, examining the theories, methods and techniques of an area using group work.
Excursions (EX 'Exkursionen'), conducted outside the premises of the university, serve to demonstrate and deepen course contents.
Practical training courses (PR 'Praktika') provide practical experience with concrete scientific tasks, complementing occupational and academic training.
Proseminars (PS) introduce students interactively to a subject area and impart knowledge and methods of scientific working.
Revision courses (RE 'Repetitorien') serve the targeted preparation and advanced study of a subject’s examination content.
Seminars (SE 'Seminare') provide in-depth treatment of scientific topics through students' presentations and discussion thereof.
Practical courses (UE 'Übungen') focus on the practical treatment of specific tasks in a specialist area and on practicing specific skills.
Lectures (VO 'Vorlesung') are courses held in lecture format. They introduce the research areas, methods and schools of thought for a given subject.
Lectures with practical elements (VU 'Vorlesungen verbunden mit Übungen') focus on the practical treatment of concrete scientific tasks that are discussed during the lecture parts of the course.

Lectures are courses without continuous performance assessment. All other types of courses include continuous performance assessment.

§ 6. Examinations

(1) The following methods of examination are used:

Oral examinations are examinations that require responding to questions verbally.
Written examinations are examinations that require responding to questions in writing.
Examination projects require practical, experimental and theoretical written work as well as constructions that are completed as part of the examinations.

(2) The following types of examination are used:

Single examinations are examinations held by a single examiner.
Board examinations are examinations held by an examination board.
Diploma examinations are examinations that are completed during the individual sections of the diploma programmes. When all parts of a diploma examination have been completed successfully, the corresponding section of the diploma programme is completed. When all diploma examinations and the diploma thesis have been completed successfully, the diploma programme is concluded.
Module examinations are examinations that assess the knowledge and skills acquired in a module. When all parts of a module examination have been completed successfully, the module is concluded.
Course examinations assess the knowledge and skills acquired in an individual course, whereby
a) for courses without continuous performance assessment, the assessment is based on a single examination at the end of the course,
b) for courses with continuous performance evaluation the evaluation is based on a minimum of two written, oral and/or practical contributions by the participants.
Subject examinations are examinations that assess the knowledge and skills acquired in a subject. Subject examinations can only be stipulated in curricula the original version of which was published before 1 March 2006.
Comprehensive examinations are examinations that assess knowledge and skills acquired in more than one subject or in more than one course of a module.
Supplementary examinations are the examinations to obtain the general university entrance qualification or to prove knowledge of the German language or physical and motor skills.
The Defense of the Dissertation (defensio) concludes the doctoral programme.

(3) The method and type of examination are to be specified in the curriculum. The curriculum may also require that the course instructor define the method of examination (§6 par. 1) before the course begins.

(4) If an examination consists of a written and an oral part (UA §72, par. 2), both of which cover the entire subject or module, the formation of the final grade is to be specified in the curriculum.

(5) If a subject examination or module examination consists solely of course examinations (§36 par. 8 no. 1 a, no. 2 and no. 3a) and each part has been passed successfully (UA §72 par. 3), the subject grade or module grade is formed by

multiplying the grade of each course examination by the number ECTS-Credits of the respective course,
adding the numbers calculated in no. 1,
dividing the addition’s sum by the total ECTS-Credits of the courses and
if necessary, rounding the result to the nearest full grade. Five tenths are to be rounded down.
1 to 4 applies analogously to exams acc. to §36 par. 8 no. 1 lit. c, no. 2 lit. b and c as well as no. 3 lit. b and. For that matter, the grade of the overall exam is multiplied with the number of ECTS-Credits of the course covering the overall exams and then the result is added to the number(s) resulting acc. to no. 1. In the case of §36 par. 8 no. 3 lit. b, the grade of the overall exam is only to be multiplied by the ECTS-Credits of the lectures covered by the overall exam.
If all parts of a subject or module examination have been completed successfully, and if over 30% of the ECTS-Credits allocated to the subject or module examination have been assessed with “successfully completed”, the corresponding subject or module is to be assessed with “unsuccessfully completed”.

(6) For curricula, the original version of which was published before 1 March 2006, semester hours take the place of ECTS-Credits.

(7) If exams cannot be carried out in the exam method and/or type intended due to measures of public emergency, in particular COVID-19 measures, the Director of Studies can approve deviations to the extent absolutely necessary at the suggestion of the responsible Dean of Studies, provided that the level of the exam can be maintained and the requirements acc. to §79 par 2 Universities Act are met. The deviating examination methods and/or types are to be announced in good time before the exam, at the latest at the time when the registration for the examination starts.

(8) If registration prerequisites for admission to courses and examinations provided for in the curricula cannot be fulfilled due to COVID-19 measures, the university’s Director of Studies university Director of Studies may, at the suggestions of the competent Dean of Studies, approve admission in objectively justified cases if students would otherwise suffer a delay in their study progress.

§ 7. Contact hours

(1) Contact hours are to be understood as times when instructors and students meet in physical form or organised by means of electronic communication (synchronous or asynchronous) within the framework of courses for the purpose of imparting knowledge, skills and methods. Contact hours are part of the workload (§8) of the students.

(2) The number of contact hours is to be given in semester hours.

§ 8. Workload

The workload of students is the amount of time required to successfully complete a module or course (contact hours, distance learning units, studying, examination preparation, etc.). Workload is expressed in ECTS-Credits. One ECTS-Credit is equivalent to a workload of 25 hours.

§ 9. In-classroom courses/courses by means of electronic communication

(1) In principle, courses are offered as in-classroom courses.

(2) Parts of it or the entire course may be held by means of electronic communication. If the proportion of electronic communication in a course exceeds one third of the semester hours specified in the curriculum, its implementation must be justified in terms of didactics and/or content and approved by the university’s Director of Studies.

(3) More detailed regulations shall be laid down in a joint directive of the Rectorate and the Senate.

§ 10. In-classroom examinations/using means of electronic communication

(1) In principle, examinations are held in classroom.

(2) In objectively justified cases, they may be conducted by means of electronic communication. The decision is incumbent on the examiner.

(3) If examinations are conducted by means of electronic communication, their proper implementation shall be ensured, whereby the following minimum requirements shall be complied with in addition to the general regulations concerning examinations (§ 22):

announcement of the technical standards that students' devices must meet in order to participate in these examinations;
establishing the identity of the students;
ensuring the independent performance of the examination by the students by defining appropriate technical and organisational measures;
submission of an affidavit that the examination will be taken independently and without recourse to unauthorised aids.

(4) In the event of technical problems that occur through no fault of the student, the examination shall be cancelled and shall not count towards the permissible number of examination attempts.

(5) More detailed regulations shall be laid down in a joint directive of the Rectorate and the Senate.

§ 11. Compliance with the rules of good scientific practice

(1) If, during the supervision of a written seminar paper, Bachelor’s, Diploma or Master’s Thesis or Dissertation, it becomes apparent that the student is plagiarising (UA §51 par .2 no. 31) or otherwise faking an academic achievement, in particular by using ghost-writing (UA §116a), the supervisor shall admonish the student to write the respective paper according to the rules of good scientific practice. In particularly serious cases, the supervisor may withdraw the supervision with the approval of the Director of Studies.

(2) If, after submitting a written seminar paper, Bachelor's or Diploma Thesis, Master's Thesis or Dissertation for assessment, it turns out that the student has deliberately plagiarised and/or plagiarised in substantial parts (UA §51 para. 2 no. 31) or otherwise faked an academic achievement (UA §51 par. 2 no. 32), in particular by using ghost-writing (UA §116a), the respective paper shall be assessed with the grade "not sufficient" and the Director of Studies shall be informed. Any other violation of the rules of good academic practice shall be taken into account accordingly in the grading.

§ 12. Exclusion from the study programme in case of endangerment

(1) Students shall be excluded from their studies if they commit an act or acts which constitute a permanent or serious threat to other university members or third parties in the context of their studies.

(2) An endangerment refers to the following in particular:

an act or acts which constitute a danger to life, health or physical safety.
any behaviour that is undesirable, inappropriate, degrading, offensive, intimidating, objectionable or discriminatory to the person affected thereby, thereby compromising the dignity and integrity of the person affected.
any behaviour that disrupts the course of lectures and examinations in a way that endangers other students' freedom to learn and their progress in their studies.

(3) The Rectorate shall issue a decision on the exclusion from studies for a period of at least two semesters. The exclusion includes all degree and non-degree study programmes for which the person concerned is registered at the University of Innsbruck.

Section 2

Examinations

§ 13. Course examinations

(1) Course examinations shall be held by the course instructor. In case of prevention (e.g. prolonged illness, end of the contractual relationship), the Director of Studies shall call in a professionally suitable examiner.

(2) Examiners may not conduct examinations, if the persons to be examined are relatives in the sense of §36a General Administrative Procedure Act 1991 (Federal Law Gazette no. 51/1991 in the version of the Federal Law Gazette No. 58/2019, hereinafter referred to as AVG) or if there are other important reasons that may cast doubt on their complete impartiality.

(3) Course examinations with a single examination act at the end of the course are to be taken by the end of the second semester following the holding of the course. In justified cases, the examiner may extend this deadline by another semester.

§ 14. Examiners in Bachelor’s, Master’s and Diploma programmes

(1) Examiners for examinations other than course examinations shall be members of the academic and artistic staff of the University of Innsbruck (UA §94 para. 2) with teaching authorisation (venia docendi) for the subjects of their teaching authorisation and are appointed by the Director of Studies.

(2) The Director of Studies is also entitled, if necessary, to appoint suitable persons as examiners in the following order:

Private lecturers (Privatdozenten) at the University of Innsbruck;
Emeritus university professors of the University of Innsbruck and retired university professors and university lecturers of the University of Innsbruck;
Restricted to the area of current research activity: academic staff in research and teaching at the University of Innsbruck with a doctorate; in architectural study programmes, academic staff without a doctorate may also be appointed;
Persons with teaching authorisation (venia docendi) at another recognised university in Austria;
Persons with a teaching authorisation at another university abroad, if their teaching authorisation is equivalent to a teaching authorisation at the University of Innsbruck;
In architectural study programmes: other qualified expert staff;
In justified individual cases: persons with a qualification equivalent to the venia docendi of the University of Innsbruck at non-university research institutions.

(3) Examiners may not conduct examinations if the persons to be examined are their relatives in the sense of 36a AVG or if there are other important reasons that could cast doubt on their complete impartiality.

§ 15. Examiners in Doctoral programmes

(2) The Director of Studies is also entitled, if necessary, to appoint suitable persons as examiners in the following order:

private lecturers (Privatdozenten) at the University of Innsbruck;
emeritus university professors of the University of Innsbruck and retired university professors and university lecturers of the University of Innsbruck;
continuing education professors at the University of Innsbruck acc. to §27 par. 5 of the collective agreement.
persons with teaching authorisation (venia docendi) at another recognised university in Austria;
persons with a teaching authorisation at another university abroad, if their teaching authorisation is equivalent to a teaching authorisation at the University of Innsbruck;
in justified individual cases: persons with a qualification equivalent to the venia docendi of the University of Innsbruck at non-university research institutions.

(3) In the Defense of the Disseration (defensio), at least one member of the examination Senate may not have already acted as supervisor or assessor of the Dissertation.

(4) Examiners may not conduct examinations if the persons to be examined are their relatives in the sense of 36a AVG or if there are other important reasons that could cast doubt on their complete impartiality.

§ 16. Examiners in continuing education programmes

(1) For examinations other than course examinations, the Director of Studies is to appoint examiners with appropriate subject knowledge.

(2) Examiners may not conduct examinations if the persons to be examined are their relatives in the sense of 36a AVG or if there are other important reasons that could cast doubt on their complete impartiality.

§ 17. Examination scheduling

(1) The Director of Studies is responsible for determining examination schedules and publishing these in an appropriate manner, with the exception of course examinations that take place at the end of the respective course. The Director of Studies is entitled to approve individual agreements between students and examiners concerning the scheduling of examinations.

(2) The course instructor is responsible for determining examination schedules for course examinations held at the end of the respective course and announcing these schedules in an appropriate manner. Individual agreements between students and assessors concerning the scheduling of examinations are permitted.

(3) Examinations pursuant to par. 2 shall be scheduled at least three times in each semester. If necessary, examinations may also be held at the beginning and end of course-free periods.

(4) The registration period for examinations is to be scheduled appropriately and to last at least one week.

§ 18. Repetition of examinations

(1) In addition to the three examination repetitions specified in UA §77 par. 2, one further repetition is permitted. If the last repetition of the last examination of the study programme is assessed negatively, students are entitled to repeat it a further time.

(2) Comprehensive board examinations are to be repeated in their entirety if the candidate fails one of the subjects.

(3) If an examination consists of several subjects or courses but is not held as a board examination, only the subject or course failed by the candidate is to be repeated.

(4) The third or fourth repetition of a course examination is to be held as a board examination if the examination is conducted as a single examination. The student may also request that this be done for the second repetition of a course examination.

(5) The third or fourth repetition of a subject examination or a module examination is to be held as a board examination. The student may also request that this be done for the second repetition.

(6) Failed courses with continuous performance assessment are to be repeated in their entity. In justified cases, the course instructor may determine before the start of the semester that one or more negatively assessed partial performances can be repeated once during the semester of the course.

§ 19. Registration for course examinations

(1) Registration is to take place within the specified registration period via the central registration system as specified by the Director of Studies. Decisions concerning registration are the responsibility of the course instructor. The registration is only to be complied with if the student has proven that he or she fulfils the registration requirements and that he or she has registered to continue his or her study programme. Admission to a course examination held in a semester for which the student was on leave of absence or not registered is not permitted. If registration is not granted, official notification thereof may, upon request, be issued by the Director of Studies following consultation with the course instructor. The application for the issue of a notice is to be filed within two weeks after the notification of the decision on the application.

(2) If a course with continuous performance assessment is offered in several parallel groups, students may register for one of these groups. Multiple registrations are not permitted. The final allocation of the students is to be conducted by the Director of Studies.

(3) Student Union representatives, as defined in the 2014 Students Union Act (Federal Law Gazette I no. 45/2014 in the version of the Federal Law Gazette I no. 77/2021, in the following referred to as SUA) are entitled to take board examinations instead of single examinations.

§ 20. Registration for subject examinations, module examinations and board examinations

(1) Registration must be submitted to the Director of Studies within the specified registration period. Permission to take the examination is to be granted if the student has met the requirements for registration specified in the curriculum and has provided proof that he/she is registered to continue the study programme.

(2) Students are entitled during registration to express preference for a particular examiner. From the second repetition of an examination onward, the request for a particular examiner at the University of Innsbruck is to be granted.

(3) If registration or a request for a particular examiner, as per par. 2, is not granted, official notification thereof is, upon request, to be issued by the Director of Studies. The request for the issuing of a notification is to be submitted within two weeks of the notification of the decision.

(4) Names of examiners and examination dates are to be announced to the students in an appropriate manner at least two weeks before an examination is held.

(5) Should an examiner not be able to attend, the Director of Studies is to appoint another appropriately qualified examiner. Par. 4 is not to be applied in this case.

§ 21. Examination boards

(1) The Director of Studies is responsible for forming examination boards.

(2) An examination board is to consist of at least three persons. An examiner is to be appointed for each examination subject or part thereof. At least one member of the examination board has to hold a "venia docendi" (university teaching authorisation). Usually, a member holding a "venia docendi" (university teaching authorisation) is appointed as the chairperson of the board.

§ 22. Conducting examinations

(1) In the examination, students are to be given the opportunity to demonstrate the level of knowledge and skills acquired. This shall be done in accordance with the learning outcomes and ECTS-Credits specified in the curriculum.

(2) Oral examinations are open to the public. The number of persons permitted to attend the examination may be limited by spatial or technical restrictions. For board examinations, all members of the board are to be physically present or virtually connected during the entire duration of the examination.

(3) The examiners or the examination board chairperson is to ensure that the examination is carried out in an orderly fashion and that examination records are made. These examination records are to contain the subject of the examination, the time and place of the examination, the names of the examiners or the names of the members of the examination board, the name of the student, the questions posed, the grade awarded, reasons for failure and any other relevant incidents. On request, reasons for failure are to be provided to students in writing. Examination records are to be kept for at least six months following the notification of the result.

(4) The examination record information required in order to issue certificates is to be forwarded promptly to the relevant body.

(5) The members of an examination board are to discuss and agree on the result of an examination – in the case of several examination subjects and/or courses, for each individual subject and/or course – behind closed doors. Decisions made by the examination board are to be reached through majority voting; the chairperson has the same voting right as the other members but is to vote last. When voting to determine the result in individual subjects or individual courses, each member of the examination board is to also consider the candidate's overall performance in the examination.

(6) Should the examination board not reach a decision about the grading of a subject or course, the grades proposed by the members of the examination board are to be added, divided by the number of members and rounded to the nearest grade. Five tenths should be rounded down.

(7) The result of an oral examination is to be communicated to the student immediately following the examination. In the case of failure, the reasons are to be explained to the student.

(8) The result of a written examination is to be announced via the online database LFU Online no later than four weeks following the examination. Students are to be informed when results will be available.

§ 23. Alternative examination method

(1) If a student provides evidence of long-term disability that makes it impossible for him/her to take an examination or parts of the examination in the prescribed form, he/she may make a request for the examination to be carried out in a method other than specified in the curriculum, providing that the content or requirements of the examination are not affected. In such cases, the duration of an examination may also be reasonably extended.

(2) The request is to be submitted to the Director of Studies, at the latest upon registration for the examination. Credible reasons are to be provided. Certification from a public health officer may be required.

(3) The decision is made by the Director of Studies after obtaining the opinion of the Disability Officer. It the application is not granted, a decision is to be issued upon request. The application is to be submitted to the Director of Studies within two weeks of the notification of the decision.

§ 24. Deregistration and withdrawal from an examination, failure to appear

(1) Deregistration or withdrawal from an examination is to be made in writing to the examiner of a course examination, or in the case of examinations that are not held as course examinations, to the Director of Studies at least three days before the examination day. If the student deregisters late without good cause, he or she may not sit for the subsequent examination date. An important reason exists in particular if the student was prevented from meeting the deadline by an unforeseeable or unavoidable event.

(2) If the student misses an examination date from which he or she has not deregistered without good cause, he or she may not sit for the subsequent examination date. An important reason exists in particular if the student was prevented from attending the examination date due to an unforeseeable or unavoidable event.

(3) If the student withdraws from the examination after it has begun without giving a demonstrable reason, the examination will be assessed with the mark "not sufficient". The examination begins with the handing out of the examination tasks or with the asking of the first question. If the student withdraws from the course after the start of a course with continuous performance assessment without giving a demonstrable reason, the course will be assessed with the grade "not sufficient".

(4) The head of a course with continuous performance assessment may deregister students from the course who do not appear on the first date of the course without giving a demonstrable reason. In this case, the vacant places shall be allocated after expiry of the deadline pursuant to par. 6 in accordance with the provisions of the respective curriculum.

(5) Students have to inform the Director of Studies in writing of their legitimate reason for the late deregistration of the examination (par. 1) or the failure to attend (par. 2) or their withdrawal from the examination (par. 3) within one week. If there is an important or demonstrable reason, the examination ban shall be lifted or the examination from which the withdrawal was made shall not count towards the total numbers of resits. The student shall be informed of the decision without delay. If there is no such reason, the student shall receive a decision on the non-existence of the reason upon application. The application shall be submitted to the Director of Studies within two weeks of the notification of the decision.

(6) Students have to state the reason for withdrawing from the course with continuous performance assessment (Para. 3) or for missing the first date of the course with continuous performance assessment to the examination (Para. 4). course (Para. 4) within one week in writing to the course instructor within one week in writing. If there is an important or demonstrable reason, the course is not to be counted towards the total number of repetitions, or the student or the student may continue to attend the course. The decision must be communicated to the student immediately. If there is no such reason, the student shall, on application, receive a notification that the reason does not exist. The application must be submitted to the Director of Studies within two weeks of the notification of the decision.

(7) In the case of the use of unauthorised aids, the examination is to be cancelled and assessed with the mark "not sufficient".

Section 3

Scientific papers

§ 25. Supervision and assessment of Diploma and Master’s Theses

(1) Academic and artistic staff of the University of Innsbruck (UA § 94, par. 2) holding a "venia docendi" (university teaching authorisation) are eligible to supervise and assess Master’s and Diploma Theses in the subject for which they hold a teaching authorisation.

(2) Moreover, the Director of Studies is entitled to appoint the following appropriately qualified persons to act as supervisors or assessors:

private lecturers (Privatdozenten) from the University of Innsbruck;
emeritus university professors from the University of Innsbruck;
limited to the subject of their doctoral dissertation: scientific staff and staff involved in
teaching or research at the University of Innsbruck with doctorates; in the field of architecture, academic staff without a doctorate may be appointed;
persons holding a “venia docendi” (university teaching authorisation) at another recognised university in Austria;
persons with a teaching authorisation at an approved university outside Austria, provided that this permission to teach (venia docendi) is equivalent to a teaching authorisation for the University of Innsbruck;
persons without teaching authorisation at an approved university abroad with a qualification that is equivalent to a teaching authorisation (venia docendi) for the University of Innsbruck;
in justified individual cases: persons with a qualification for non-university research institutions that is equivalent to a venia docendi for the University of Innsbruck.

(3) Students are entitled to suggest a supervisor. If the topic of the Master’s or Diploma Thesis is interdisciplinary, a team of supervisors consisting of at least two supervisors and, from this, one person can be proposed as the responsible main supervisor.

(4) The student has to inform the Director of Studies of the topic and the supervisors before starting the work. The topic and the supervisors are deemed to have been accepted unless the Director of Studies prohibits them within one month after receipt of the notification. Upon request by the student, a written notice of prohibition is to be issued by the Director of Studies. The request is to be submitted to the Director of Studies within two weeks of the notification of the prohibition.

(5) For the purpose of additional professional advice for the students, members of the academic staff of the University of Innsbruck may be called upon by the supervisors to assist in the supervision, after prior consent of the Director of Studies. The participation takes places in consultation with the supervisors. The responsibility for the supervision lies exclusively with the supervisors.

(6) Until submission of the Master’s or Diploma Thesis (par. 7), the student may, with agreement of the supervisor(s) named in accordance with par. 4, change the supervisor(s). The Director of Studies is to be informed of such a change immediately. If the previous supervisor(s) do(es) not agree with the change, the Director of Studies is to reach a decision, with particular consideration of the extent of work done and supervision given to date.

(7) The completed Master’s or Diploma Thesis must be submitted in electronic form. An affidavit confirming that the rules of good scientific practice have been followed must be attached. A submitted Master’s or Diploma Thesis is to be assessed and cannot be withdrawn. The Director of Studies shall submit the Master’s or Diploma Thesis to the supervisor(s), who have to assess the Master’s or Diploma Thesis within two months of submission.

(8) At the request of the student, in case of late assessment or for reasons of quality assurance, the Director of Studies shall assign the Master’s or Diploma Thesis to another university teacher for assessment acc. to par. 1 and 2.

(9) If the Master’s or Diploma Thesis is presented the supervisor or the team of supervisors for evaluation, §26 par .8 and 9 are to be applied.

(10) At request of the supervisor(s), the Master’s and Diploma Thesis is also to be handed in in written form in addition to the electronic form.

(11) Supervision or assessment may not be carried out if the persons to be supervised or assessed are relatives within the meaning of §36a AVG or if there are other important reasons that could cast doubt on the full impartiality of the supervisor.

(12) A Master’s or Diploma Thesis may be submitted for one study programme only.

(13) It is not permitted to revise and resubmit a Master’s or Diploma Thesis that has been assessed and awarded a passing grade.

§ 26. Supervision and assessment of Dissertations

(1) Academic and artistic staff of the University of Innsbruck (UA §94 par. 2) holding a university teaching authorisation (venia docendi) are eligible to supervise and assess Dissertations in the subject for which they are holding a venia docendi.

(2) In addition, the Director of Studies is entitled to call in the following professionally suitable persons as supervisors and assessors if objectively justified, in particular if required:

private lecturers (Privatdozenten) from the University of Innsbruck;
emeritus university professors from the University of Innsbruck as well as retired continuing education professors from the University of Innsbruck;
continuing education professors from the University of Innsbruck acc. to §27 par. 5 of the collective treaty, unless the not already entitled to hold exams acc. to par. 1
persons holding a university teaching authorisation (venia docendi) at another recognised university in Austria;
persons holding a teaching authorisation at another recognised university abroad, provided that this authorisation is equivalent to the venia docendi at the University of Innsbruck;
persons without teaching authorisation at a recognised university abroad with a qualification equivalent to a teaching authorisation (venia docendi) at the University of Innsbruck
in justified individual cases: persons with a qualification for non-university research institutions that is equivalent to a venia docendi for the University of Innsbruck.
members of the scientific staff of the University of Innsbruck with a doctorate and without a teaching authorisation (venia docendi), who lead a project from highly competitively awarded funds of research funding, limited to the Dissertations of the project members, whose topics has a professional connection to the project.

(3) The students are entitled to propose a team of supervisors consisting of at least two supervisors (dissertation committee) and from this a person with teaching authorisation (venia docendi) of the University of Innsbruck as the responsible main supervisor. In justified individual cases, another main supervisor can be proposed if at least one member of the supervisory team is a member of the University of Innsbruck with a teaching authorisation (venia docendi) or an equivalent qualification. Persons pursuant to para. 2 no. 8 may not be proposed as main supervisors. It is permissible to propose supervisors, with the exception of the main supervisor, from related fields. In justified individual cases, students may also propose only one supervisor.

(4) Students are to inform the Director of Studies of the topic of the doctoral dissertation and the name(s) of the supervisor(s) in writing before commencing work on the dissertation. The topic and supervisor(s) are deemed to have been accepted if the Director of Studies does not prohibit them by notice within one month after receiving the proposal. Upon request by the student, a written notice of prohibition is to be issued by the Director of Studies. The request is to be submitted to the Director of Studies within two weeks of the notification of the prohibition.

(6) Until submission of the Dissertation (par. 7), the student may, with agreement of the supervisor(s) specified in accordance with par. 5, change the supervisor(s). The Director of Studies is to be informed of such a change immediately. If the previous supervisor(s) do(es) not agree with the change, the Director of Studies is to reach a decision, with particular consideration of the extent of work done and supervision given to date.

(7) The completed Dissertation must be submitted in electronic form. The curriculum may state that a doctoral dissertation can also consist of articles related to the content or methodology of the dissertation. Quality criteria of the respective academic discipline are to be specified in the curriculum and in the dissertation agreement. It must include a sworn statement confirming that the rules of good scientific practice have been followed. A submitted Dissertation is to be assessed and cannot be withdrawn. The Director of Studies shall submit the Dissertation to the supervisor(s) acc. to par. 1 and 2. An assessor is to be selected from the groups of persons pursuant to par. 2 no. 4 to 7. The requirement of this external assessment may be deviated from in cases that are objectively justified, in particular by the respective subject’s culture. From the team of supervisors, only one supervisor may be called upon as an assessor. At the request of the assessors, the Dissertation must also be submitted in written from in addition to electronic form. The Dissertation shall be assessed as soon as possible, but at the latest within three months of submission. Should the Dissertation not be assessed within three months of its submission, the Director of Studies, if requested, is to assign the Dissertation to another university instructor in accordance with par. 1 and 2.

(8) Should one of the assessors not award the Dissertation a passing grade or should the evaluations given by the assessors differ by more than two grades, the Director of Studies is to consult a third examiner in accordance with par. 1 and 2. He/she is to assess the doctoral dissertation within two months.

(9) Each assessor suggests a grade. If the proposed grades differ, the grades are to be added, divided by the number of assessors and rounded to the nearest whole grade. Five tenths are to be rounded down. A Dissertation is only awarded a positive grade if at least two of the three assessors have awarded a positive grade.

(10) Supervision or assessment may not be carried out if the persons to be supervised or assessed are relatives within the meaning of §36a AVG or if there are other important reasons that could cast doubt on the full impartiality of the supervisor.

(11) A Dissertation is to be handed in for one study programme only.

(12) It is not permitted to revise and resubmit a Dissertation that has been assessed and awarded a passing grade.

§ 27. Publication of scientific work

(1) According to UA §86, scientific papers are to be published electronically in the repository of the University and Provincial Library of Innsbruck.

(2) If the electronic publication of the scientific work in its entirety or in part is not permissible for legal reasons, even after expiry of the deadline pursuant to §86 par. 4 Universities Act (“Blocking”), it shall be submitted in written and electronic form. In those parts of the work that are published electronically in the repository, the work that has already been published but not included must be linked.

§ 28. Master’s or Diploma Thesis Agreements, Dissertation Agreements

(1) The Master’s or Diploma Thesis Agreement is a written agreement between the student of a Master’s or Diploma programmes and the supervisor of the Master’s or Diploma Thesis. The agreement is to specify the topic, scope and form of the thesis, as well as the work process and study progress as well as the corresponding time frames.

(2) The Dissertation Agreement is a written agreement between the doctoral students and the supervisor of the Dissertation. The agreement is to specify the topic, scope and form of the Dissertation as well as measures to ensure the valid quality standards of the discipline (state of the art), the work process, study progress and the corresponding time frame.

(3) The respective agreement is to be submitted to the Director of Studies before commencing work on the respective scientific thesis. The agreement is to be updated if there is a change of the supervisor or a modification of the topic.

Section 4

Nostrification

§ 29. Application for nostrification (recognition of foreign degrees)

(1) The application is to be submitted to the Director of Studies in cases where the relevant degree programme is offered at the University of Innsbruck. The applicant is required to offer demonstrable evidence that the nostrification is imperative for the applicant's employment or further education in Austria. The application is to indicate the programme of study at an Austrian university considered equivalent to the completed foreign programme of study as well as the academic degree sought.

(2) The following evidence must be submitted with the application:

Evidence that the nostrification is imperative, either for employment or further education in Austria
Proof of nationality;
Proof that the quality of the recognized post-secondary educational institution abroad is
comparable to that of a recognised post-secondary educational institution in Austria;
Proof of completion of the study programme at the recognised post-secondary educational institution abroad;
Certificate indicating the conferral of the academic degree or, if no certificate was awarded, proof of completion of the academic degree programme;

(3) The applicant is to submit authorised translations of certificates in a foreign language. The original document is to be submitted in accordance with par. 2 no. 5.

(4) It is not permitted to submit the same application for nostrification to another university or college of education, either at the same time or after its withdrawal.

§ 30. Assessment procedure

(1) With reference to the curriculum at the time of application, the Director of Studies is to assess whether the programme of study completed abroad is equivalent to the Austrian programme of study named in the application in terms of the outcome of the educational programme in its entirety. Random testing of knowledge in individual subjects or modules is permitted.

(2) If equivalence is given in principle and only certain supplementary qualifications are missing for full equivalence, the Director of Studies shall order the applicant to take examinations and/or prepare scientific papers or theses to establish full equivalence within a reasonable period of time to be specified in the decision. In order to take the prescribed examinations and/or to prepare scientific papers, the applicant shall be admitted as non-degree programme student by the Rectorate.

(3) The regulations concerning the recognition of examinations are not to be applied.

§ 31. Notification of nostrification

(1) The Director of Studies is to inform the applicant via notification of the nostrification. The notification is to specify the Austrian programme of study to which the foreign programme of study is equivalent and the Austrian academic degree the applicant may use in the place of the foreign academic degree as a result of nostrification. The nostrification shall be noted on the certificate presented as proof of the foreign degree. In deviation of §73 AVG, a decision on applications for nostrification shall be issued no later than three months after receipt of the complete documents.

(2) The Director of Studies is to revoke the nostrification with a notification if it was obtained by fraud through forged certificates.

(3) The fee for the nostrification of a foreign study programme is 150 Euros. This fee is to be paid in advance. The fee is not refunded if an application for nostrification is rejected or withdrawn.

Section 5

Leave of absence

§ 32. Leave of absence

(1) Upon requests, students are entitled to a leave of absence by notice for one or several semesters for the following reasons:

military, training or civilian service
illness that demonstrably impedes the progress of studies, or
pregnancy or
child-care obligations or similar care duties or
completion of a voluntary social year
temporary impairment in connection with a disability or
internship that is closely related to the content of the study programme, after receiving the opinion of the Dean of Studies.

(2) The following applies for a leave of absence:

Leave of absence must be applied for by the beginning of the respective semester at the latest.
In the case of unforeseen and unavoidable occurrence of a reason for leave of absence pursuant to par. 1 no. 2 to 4 and 6, leave of absence may also be applied for during the semester.
Academic achievements (in particular completed courses and examinations) up to the time of the leave of absence remain valid.

(3) The leave of absence shall be valid for all study programmes of the educational institution at which it was applied for and, in the case of jointly established study programmes, for all study programmes of the participating educational institutions. During the leave of absence, admission to the degree programme remains valid. Participation in courses, the taking of examinations and the submission and assessment of academic and artistic work is not permitted.

Section 6

Curriculum Commission

§ 33. Curriculum Commissions

(1) For the duration of its term, the Senate is to establish the following Curriculum Commissions:

a Curriculum Commission for each faculty for continuing education programmes and degree study programmes with the exception of secondary school teacher training programmes,
a Curriculum Commission for the whole university for secondary school teacher training programmes.

(2) For an interfaculty degree programme and an interfaculty continuing education programme, the Senate may, in special cases, establish an interfaculty Curriculum Commission for the duration of its term of office.

(3) The Curriculum Commission is to consist of two, three or four representatives from the following groups:

university professors,
continuing education professors and academic research/teaching staff,
students.
An interfaculty commission shall be composed by the Senate of representatives of the groups mentioned in no. 1 - 3, proposed by the Curriculum Commissions of the faculties concerned, in proportion to the participation of the faculties concerned in a planned interfaculty study programme. In determining the ratio, priority shall be given to the total number of representatives of the faculties concerned and not to their group membership within the meaning of no. 1 - 3, whereby the students shall in any case make up one quarter of the members.

(4) Representatives acc. to par. 3 no. 1 and 2 are deployed by the respective groups of the Senate. Student representatives are to be sent by the responsible body of the Austrian Students’ Union at the University of Innsbruck.

(5) The support their work, Curriculum Commissions may create working groups without decision-making powers. Par. 3 is to be applied accordingly.

(6) The Dean of Studies and the Continuing education Dean of Studies, assuming that they are not members of the Curriculum Commission, are to be invited to the meetings of the Curriculum Commission and its working groups as information providers with the right of petition.

(7) With a simple majority, the Curriculum Commission can decide to bring in other persons to provide information on points under discussion. These persons have neither a right of petition nor the right to vote.

(8) The Curriculum Commission is bound by the guidelines of the Senate (UA §25 par. 10).

(9) If, in an already ongoing procedure for the enactment or amendment of a curriculum pursuant to §§ 40-42, no final decision has been taken by a competent Curriculum Commission by the end of its term of office, the competent Curriculum Commission of the next term of office shall be responsible for deciding whether this procedure is to be continued. The provisions of §§ 40-42 shall apply unchanged in the event of continuation of the proceedings. The exercise of the responsibilities of the Rectorate and the Senate pursuant to sections 40-42 shall not be affected by a change of term of office in an ongoing procedure for the enactment or amendment of a curriculum.

Section 7

Curricula

§ 34. Term and diversification

(1) The term "curricula" used in this part of the statutes shall also include the curricula of diploma study programmes still in force, unless explicit reference is made to them.

(2) The curricula of Bachelor’s programmes must differ in content and scope by at least 120 ECTS-Credits (three-year Bachelor’s programmes) or at least 160 ECTS-Credits (four-year Bachelor’s programmes) and those of Master’s programmes by at least 80 ECTS-Credits from other Bachelor’s or Master’s programmes.

§ 35. Qualification profile

(1) The qualification profile is that part of the curriculum which describes which scientific and professional qualifications students acquire by completing the study programme in question. The qualification profile forms the basis for determining the learning outcomes of the individual modules.

§ 36. Modules

(1) The regular study programmes and continuing education programmes established acc. to UA §54 are subdivided into modules. This applies to those regular study programmes and continuing education programmes, the original version of the curricula of which have been published after 1 March 2006.

(2) Modules are thematic units comprising 5 ECTS-Credits. The scope may be increased in steps of 0.5 ECTS-Credits. In doctoral study programmes, continuing education programmes and the module supporting the writing of the Master’s Thesis acc. to 37 par. 7, a reduction in steps of 0.5 ECTS-Credits can also be made.

(3) A module extends over one semester. In the case of subject-related and/or didactic reasons, the Director of Studies may approve the extension over several semesters.

(4) Modules shall comprise at least two courses. The module supporting the Master’s Thesis acc. to §37 par. 7 as well as modules in doctoral study programmes and continuing education courses may be specified without course. Furthermore, only in particularly justified exceptional cases may modules be specified that do not include any or only one course.

(5) For each module must be listed:

a) name, contents, scope and concise description of the learning outcomes;
b) title, type and scope of the courses.

(6) Compulsory modules are those modules that are characteristic of a study programme and the learning outcomes of which are indispensable for achieving the qualification profile.

(7) Elective modules are the modules specified in the respective curriculum from which students can choose.

(8) The performance assessment of a module (module examination) shall be carried out in one of the following ways:

For modules that exclusively consist of courses without continuous performance assessment by
a) course examinations or
b) an overall exam of the subject matter of all courses without continuous performance assessment or
c) an overall exam of the subject matter of several courses without continuous performance assessment and course examinations of the remaining courses without continuous performance assessment.
For modules consisting of one or several courses without continuous performance assessment and several courses with continuous performance assessment by
a) course examinations or
b) a course examination for every course with continuous performance assessment and an overall examination covering the matter of the courses without continuous performance evaluation. In such a case, the curriculum must specify whether the positive evaluation of one or several courses with continuous performance assessment is a prerequisite for registering for the overall examination; or
c) a course examination covering each course with continuous performance evaluation and one course without continuous performance evaluation as well as an overall examination covering the subject matter of the other courses without continuous performance evaluation. In such a case, the curriculum must specify whether the positive evaluation of one or several courses with continuous performance assessment is a prerequisite for registering for the overall examination;
For modules consisting of one or several courses without continuous performance evaluation and one course with continuous performance evaluation by
a) course examinations or
b) one course examination covering the course with continuous performance evaluation and one overall examination covering the subject matter of the courses of the module. In such a case, the positive evaluation of the course with continuous performance evaluation is a prerequisite for registering for the overall examination; or
c) a course examination covering the courses with continuous performance evaluation and an overall examination of the subject matter of the module’s courses without continuous performance evaluation. In such a case, the curriculum must specify whether the positive evaluation of the course with continuous performance evaluation is a prerequisite for registering for the overall examination;
For a module consisting only of a course without continuous performance evaluation by a course examination;
For a module consisting of exclusively one or several courses with continuous performance evaluation, by course examinations for these courses.

(9) Evaluation of a module that includes no courses shall be regulated in more detail in the curriculum.

§ 37. Content of curricula for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Diploma Programmes

(1) Curricula of Bachelor's and Master's programmes shall be divided into modules and designed in such a way that parts of the study programme can be completed abroad.

(2) Diploma programmes are to be divided into two or three sections, the duration of which is to be stated in the curriculum. The aim of the first section of the programme is to introduce the field and establish fundamental knowledge of it; the second and the third sections serve to deepen this knowledge and provide specialised training.

(3) The curriculum is to contain:

the qualification profile in accordance with the contents and learning outcomes of the curriculum;
the total number of ECTS-Credits and their distribution among the individual modules and the Diploma or Master’s Thesis. The ECTS-Credits are to be allocated to the Bachelor’s Thesis insofar as this is not done within the framework of the continuing educationd course (no. 7);
the number of contact time in semester hours;
for Bachelor’s and Diploma programmes, the structure of the Studies Induction and Orientation Stage;
the name, scope and content as well as concise descriptions of the learning outcomes of the modules as well as their status as compulsory or elective;
the title, the type, the scope and the number of ECTS-Credits as well as the courses’ allocation to modules;
specifications for the Bachelor’s Thesis;
specification for the topic of the Diploma or Master’s Thesis;
if the study programme is conducted jointly with another faculty or another educational institution pursuant to UA §54e, the assignment of the courses to the participating faculty or educational institution;
examination regulations, whereby in the case of curricula which refer to subjects, courses or modules of another curriculum, the examination regulations of the latter shall apply to examinations to be taken therefrom;
for the teaching training programme in the subject of “Physical Education” and for the study programme in sports Science, in which way the required supplementary examination to proof the physical-motoric suitability is to be taken;
the academic degree awarded and its abbreviation;
transitional regulations and coming into force.

(4) The curriculum is to indicate the allocation of the programme to one of the groups of study programmes as per UA §54, par. 1, in accordance with the resolution of the Rectorate.

(5) Moreover, the curriculum may specify:

distance-learning courses and the replacement of contact time (§7);
for courses with a justified restriction on the number of participants, the maximum number of participants and the procedure for the allocation of places;
the completion of an internship and details regarding suitable alternatives;
courses, exams, Diploma and Master’s Theses in a foreign language, in accordance with §3 par .1 and 2;
qualitative requirements for admission to Master’s programmes in accordance with UA §63a;
admission requirements for Master’s programmes in accordance with UA §63a;
a free selection of modules and/or courses acc. to par. 8 or 9 resp. or one or more Minors acc. to §45.

(6) To test and apply the acquired knowledge and skills in practice, the curricula may prescribe a module in the form of a relevant practical experience after completion of at least 30 ECTS-Credits. This module is to be established as elective module, unless there is a corresponding legal obligation. In the event of lack of practical training places suitable substitute forms are to be provided.

(7) The curricula of Master’s programmes may specify a module in the form of a final defence of the Master’s Thesis with a workload of 2.5 ECTS-Credits as well as a module supporting the writing of the Master’s Thesis. The method and type of performance assessment shall be regulated in the respective curricula.

(8) The curricula of Bachelor’s programmes may specify modules amounting to a maximum of 30 ECTS-Credits may be specified, for which students may freely choose courses and/or modules from the curricula of the Bachelor’s or Diploma programmes established at the University of Innsbruck pursuant to UA §54 par 1. The registration prerequisites specified by the respective curricula are to be met.

(9) The curricula of Master’s programmes may specify modules amounting to a maximum of 30 ECTS-Credits, for which students may freely choose courses and/or modules from the curricula of the Master’s or Diploma programmes established at the University of Innsbruck pursuant to UA §54 par. 1. The registration prerequisites specified by the respective curricula are to be met.

§ 38. Content of curricula for Doctoral study programmes

(1) Doctoral study programmes are not divided into sections.

(2) In any case, the curricula shall specify:

the qualification profile in accordance with the contents and objectives of the curriculum,
the duration
the amount of contact time in semester hours,
specification of the modules (name, learning outcomes, specification of the contents of the courses, evaluation criteria, workload in ECTS-Credits),
more detailed provisions on the topic and type of the Dissertation, whereby the workload should be comparable to 120 to 150 ECTS-Credits,
if the study programme is conducted jointly with other educational institutions pursuant to UA §54e, the assignment of the courses to the participating educational institutions,
the examination regulations, whereby in the case of curricula which refer to subjects, courses or modules of another curriculum, the examination regulations of the latter shall apply to examinations taken therefrom,
the academic degree to be awarded and its abbreviation,
the transitional regulations and the coming into force.

(3) The curriculum must include a module in the form of a final public defense of the Dissertation (defensio). This is to take place in the form of an oral exam before an examination board consisting of at least three examiners.

(4) The curriculum of the study programme is to include the allocation of the study programme to one of the groups pursuant to UA §54 par. 1 on the basis of the decision of the Rectorate.

(5) The curriculum may also specify:

distance-learning units or the replacement of contact hours (§7),
for courses with an objectively justified limited number of participants, the number of possible participants (maximum number of participants) as well as the procedure for the allocation of places,
courses, examinations and dissertations in a foreign language pursuant to §3 par. 1 and 2,
qualitative prerequisites for being admitted to the doctoral study programme.

Section 8

Procedures for the establishment and discontinuation of regular study programmes and for the enactment or amendment of curricula

§ 39. Establishment and discontinuation of regular study programmes

(1) The Rectorate shall establish or discontinue regular study programmes within the framework of the development plan.

(2) A justified application for the establishment or discontinuation of regular study programmes may be submitted to the Rectorate by the Dean in cooperation with the Dean of Studies and the Curriculum Commission of the faculty or faculties concerned. The Rectorate does not have to comply with the application. The Rectorate may also initiate the establishment of discontinuation of regular study programmes without such an application. When discontinuing a degree programme, the Rectorate shall, if possible, reach agreement with the Senate.

(3) When deciding on the establishment or discontinuation of regular study programmes, particular consideration shall be given to the following circumstances:

compatibility with the performance agreement and development plan,
the contribution to the development of sciences and to the training and promotion of young scientists,
innovative qualities,
the requirements of professional access as well as acceptance by professional associations and the public sector;
implications for resources (financial feasibility).

(4) The decision on the establishment of joint study programmes and jointly established study programmes shall be based on the agreement of the Rectorate with the participating educational institutions, as agreed with the Senate.

(5) The Rectorate shall immediately notify the Curriculum Commission of the faculty concerned or the Curriculum Commissions of the faculties concerned of the establishment or discontinuation of a regular study programme.

§ 40. Enactment of the curriculum of a newly established regular study programme

(1) The Curriculum Commission of the faculty concerned has to inform the Senate of a planned enactment of a curriculum of a newly established regular degree programme at least eighteen months before the intended entry into force. A statement by the Dean and the Dean of Studies of the faculty concerned shall be attached to the notification. The Rectorate shall be informed simultaneously with the Senate of the planned preparation of the curriculum of a newly established regular study programme. In the case of joint study programmes and jointly established study programmes, the Rectorate shall immediately forward the agreement of the Rectorate with the participating educational institutions to the Senate.

(2) If the project concerns the enactment of the curriculum of a newly established interfaculty study programme, the notification pursuant to para. 1 shall be made by the curriculum committees of the faculties concerned. Upon receipt of the notification, the Senate shall immediately establish an interfaculty Curriculum Commission, to which the following paragraphs shall apply mutatis mutandis.

(3) The Rectorate is entitled to initiate the enactment of the curriculum of a newly established regular study programme. In this case, the Rectorate shall submit its proposal, which may not, however, contain any content-related specifications, to the competent Curriculum Commission or, in the case of an interfaculty degree programme, to the Curriculum Commissions of the faculties concerned, and at the same time inform the Senate of its proposal. If the Rectorate's proposal relates to an interfaculty degree programme, the Senate shall immediately appoint an interfaculty Curriculum Commission to deal with the proposal. The Curriculum Commission is obliged to deal with the proposal within six months of its submission, but is not obliged to act on it. It shall inform the Senate and the Rectorate of the result of its deliberations without delay, but no later than the expiry of this period. Insofar as the Curriculum Commission intends to follow the proposal, the procedure shall be carried out in accordance with the following provisions.

(4) The Senate shall examine without delay, but within two weeks at the latest, whether the planned project qualifies as the enactment of the curriculum of a newly established regular study programme or whether the Curriculum Commission should choose a different procedure.

(5) After the Senate has confirmed that the planned project is the enactment of the curriculum of a newly established study programme, the Curriculum Commission shall discuss and decide on the draft curriculum. It shall immediately forward it to the following bodies for their comments:

the Rectorate,
the University Council,
the Senate
the Director of Studies,
the Deans of Studies of all faculties,
the Deans of all faculties,
Equal Opportunities Working Party,
the Students’ Union,
curricula of theological study programmes to the responsible church authorities,
curricula of teacher training programmes to the quality assurance council for teacher education,
the works council for the scientific staff,
the trade associations.

The respective written statement must be submitted within two months of the submission of the draft curriculum.

(6) A recommended course of study (60 ECTS-Credits per academic year or 30 ECTS-Credits per semester) shall be attached to the draft curriculum when it is submitted for comment pursuant to par. 5.

(7) The Curriculum Commission shall also attach to the draft curriculum to be submitted to the Rectorate and the Senate a statement by the Dean and the Dean of Studies of the faculty or faculties concerned regarding the resource implications, presented on the basis of the uniform financial calculation scheme for curricula to be determined by the Rectorate.

(8) After the procedure according to para. 5 has been carried out, the Curriculum Commission shall finally decide on the curriculum in compliance with the legal provisions and the provisions of the statutes and taking into account the comments received.

(9) After the final resolution by the Curriculum Commission, the curriculum shall be submitted to the Senate for approval of the resolution together with the comments received pursuant to par. 5.

(10) Before approving the decision of the Curriculum Commission, the Senate shall submit the curriculum to the Rectorate. The Rectorate may prohibit the curriculum within one month if it contradicts the development plan or cannot be covered or if it doesn’t meet the guidelines for the structural design of curricula. The prohibition may take place within six months if an expert opinion commissioned by the Rectorate without delay and drawn up in accordance with internationally recognised scientific criteria comes to the conclusion that the content of the curriculum is insufficient with regard to scientific and artistic professional preparation and qualification for professional activities requiring the application of scientific and artistic knowledge and methods. When prohibiting a curriculum and commissioning an expert opinion, the Rectorate shall, if possible, reach agreement with the Senate.

(11) The Senate shall reject the decision of the Curriculum Commission, if it

has been drawn up in the wrong composition,
has been reached in disregard of procedural rules, compliance with which could have led the Curriculum Committee to a different decision, and/or
conflicts with applicable laws and regulations, including Senate directives.

(12) Provided that no prohibition is issued by the Rectorate pursuant to par. 10 and there is no reason for a rejection pursuant to par. 11, the Senate shall approve the curriculum and immediately publish it in the official bulletin.

§ 41. Fundamental amendments to curricula of a regular study programmes

(1) A fundamental amendment of a curriculum of a regular study programme shall be any change that is not a minor change within the meaning of §42 par. 1.

(2) The planned fundamental amendment can also take the form a new enactment of the entire curriculum of a regular study programme.

(3) The planned fundamental amendment of the curriculum of a regular study programme shall be notified to the Senate by the Curriculum Commission of the faculty concerned. A statement by the Dean or the Dean of Studies of the faculty concerned shall be attached to the notification. The Rectorate shall be informed simultaneously with the Senate of the planned fundamental changes to the curriculum of a regular study programme. In the case of joint study programmes and jointly established studies, the Rectorate shall immediately forward to the Senate the agreement of the Rectorate with the participating educational institutions.

(4) In the case of an interfaculty degree programme for which no interfaculty Curriculum Commission has been established so far, the notification pursuant to par. 3 shall be made by the Curriculum Commissions of the faculties concerned. Otherwise, the notification shall be made by the Interfaculty Curriculum Commission. In both cases, the notification shall be accompanied by statements of the Deans and the Deans of Studies of the faculties concerned.

(5) The Rectorate is entitled to initiate the fundamental change of the curriculum of a regular study programme. In this case, the Rectorate shall submit its proposal, which may not, however, contain any content-related specifications, to the competent Curriculum Commission and at the same time inform the Senate of its proposal. If the Rectorate's proposal relates to an interfaculty degree programme, the Interfaculty Curriculum Commission already established for this purpose or to be established by the Senate without delay shall deal with the proposal. The Curriculum Commission is obliged to deal with the proposal within six months but is not obliged to act on it. It shall inform the Senate and the Rectorate of the result of its deliberations without delay, at the latest, however, after the expiry of this period. If the Curriculum Commission intends to follow the proposal, the procedure shall be carried out in accordance with the following provisions.

(6) The Senate shall examine without delay, but within two weeks at the latest, whether the planned project qualifies as a fundamental change to the curriculum of an already established regular study programme or whether the Curriculum Commission should choose a different procedure pursuant to §40 or §42.

(7) If the Senate confirms that the planned project is a fundamental change to the curriculum of an already established interfaculty ordinary degree programme for which an Interfaculty Curriculum Commission has not yet been established, it shall immediately establish such a commission, to which the following paragraphs shall apply mutatis mutandis.

(8) After the Senate has confirmed that the planned project is a fundamental change to the curriculum of an already established regular study programme, the Curriculum Commission shall discuss and decide on the fundamental changes to the curriculum. It shall immediately forward it to the following bodies for their comments:

the Rectorate,
the University Council,
the Senate,
the Director of Studies,
the Dean of Studies of the faculties concerned,
the Dean of the faculties concerned
the Equal Opportunities Working Party,
the Students’ Union,
curricula of theological study programmes to the responsible church authorities,
curricula of teacher training programmes to the quality assurance council for teacher education,
the works council for the scientific staff,

The respective written statement must be submitted within two months of the submission of the fundamental changes to the curriculum.

(9) A recommended course of study (60 ECTS-Credits per academic year or 30 ECTS-Credits per semester) shall be attached to the draft of the fundamental changes to the curriculum when it is submitted for comment pursuant to par. 8.

(10) The Curriculum Commission shall also attach to the draft of the fundamental change in the curriculum to be submitted to the Rectorate and the Senate a statement by the Dean and the Dean of Studies of the faculty or faculties concerned regarding the resource implications, presented on the basis of the uniform calculation scheme for curricula to be determined by the Rectorate.

(11) After the procedure according to par. 8 has been carried out, the Curriculum Commission shall finally decide on the fundamental changes to the curriculum in compliance with the legal provisions and the provisions of the statutes and taking into account the comments received.

(12) After the final adoption of the resolution by the Curriculum Commission, the fundamental amendment to the curriculum shall be submitted to the Senate for approval of the resolution together with the comments received pursuant to par. 8.

(13) Before approving the decision of the Curriculum Commission, the Senate shall submit the fundamental amendments to the curriculum to the Rectorate. The Rectorate may prohibit the amendment to the curriculum within one month if it contradicts the development plan or cannot be covered or if it doesn’t meet the guidelines for the structural design of curricula. The prohibition may take place within six months if an expert opinion commissioned by the Rectorate without delay and drawn up in accordance with internationally recognised scientific criteria comes to the conclusion that the content of the curriculum is insufficient with regard to scientific and artistic professional preparation and qualification for professional activities requiring the application of scientific and artistic knowledge and methods. When prohibiting the fundamental amendments to a curriculum and commissioning an expert opinion, the Rectorate shall, if possible, reach agreement with the Senate.

(14) The Senate shall reject the decision of the Curriculum Commission, if it

has been drawn up in the wrong composition,
has been reached in disregard of procedural rules, compliance with which could have led the Curriculum Committee to a different decision, and/or
conflicts with applicable laws and regulations, including Senate directives.

(15) Provided that no prohibition is issued by the Rectorate pursuant to par. 13 and there is no reason for a rejection pursuant to par. 14, the Senate shall approve the curriculum and immediately publish it in the official bulletin.

(16) On the proposal of the Dean of Studies of the faculty or faculties concerned, the Director of Studies shall publish a list of equivalence with regards to the recognition of examinations already passed according to the previously valid curriculum in the university bulletin.

§ 42. Minor amendments to curricula of regular study programmes

(1) Minor amendments to curricula of regular study programmes are changes to the curriculum that

don’t introduce new compulsory modules/compulsory subjects and no compulsory internships,
don’t repeal compulsory modules/compulsory subjects,
don’t change the semester hours or ECTS-Credits of any compulsory module/compulsory subject by more than 50%,
don’t affect more than 20% of the ECTS-Credits of an entire curriculum,
offer equality of courses with regards to their content,
constitute no major changes to the examination regulations,
that do not affect the Studies Induction and Orientation Stage,
that have no or only minor financial effects and
don’t lead to a or only a minor extra expense in the administration or
if amendments are concerned that are required due to the changes or new enactment of another curriculum, the curriculum concerned refers to.

(2) The planned minor amendment of the curriculum of a regular study programme shall be notified to the Senate by the Curriculum Commission of the faculty concerned. A statement by the Dean or the Dean of Studies of the faculty concerned shall be attached to the notification. The Rectorate shall be informed simultaneously with the Senate of the planned minor changes to the curriculum of a regular study programme. In the case of joint study programmes and jointly established studies, the Rectorate shall immediately forward to the Senate the agreement of the Rectorate with the participating educational institutions.

(3) In the case of an interfaculty degree programme for which no interfaculty Curriculum Commission has been established so far, the notification pursuant to par. 2 shall be made by the Curriculum Commissions of the faculties concerned. Otherwise, the notification shall be made by the Interfaculty Curriculum Commission. In both cases, the notification shall be accompanied by statements of the Deans and the Deans of Studies of the faculties concerned.

(4) The Rectorate is entitled to initiate the minor change of the curriculum of a regular study programme. In this case, the Rectorate shall submit its proposal, which may not, however, contain any content-related specifications, to the competent Curriculum Commission and at the same time inform the Senate of its proposal. If the Rectorate's proposal relates to an interfaculty degree programme, the interfaculty Curriculum Commission already established for this purpose or to be established by the Senate without delay shall deal with the proposal. The Curriculum Commission is obliged to deal with the proposal within six months but is not obliged to act on it. It shall inform the Senate and the Rectorate of the result of its deliberations without delay, at the latest, however, after the expiry of this period. If the Curriculum Commission intends to follow the proposal, the procedure shall be carried out in accordance with the following provisions.

(5) The Senate shall examine without delay, but within two weeks at the latest, whether the planned project qualifies as a minor change to the curriculum of an already established regular study programme or whether the Curriculum Commission should choose a different procedure pursuant to §41.

(6) If the Senate confirms that the planned project is a minor change to the curriculum of an already established interfaculty ordinary degree programme for which an interfaculty Curriculum Commission has not yet been established, it shall immediately establish such a commission, to which the following paragraphs shall apply mutatis mutandis.

(7) Once the Senate has confirmed that the planned project is a minor change to the curriculum of a regular study programme, the Curriculum Commission shall discuss and decide on the draft of the minor change to the curriculum and submit it to the Senate, the Rectorate and the Director of Studies within a month for a written statement, which shall be made within one month. In addition, the draft of the minor amendment to the curriculum of an existing regular theological study programme shall be submitted to the respective competent church authority for written comment.

(8) The draft of the minor amendment to the curriculum shall be accompanied by the opinion of the Dean and the Dean of Studies of the faculty or faculties concerned with regard to the resource implications, when it is submitted for comment pursuant to par. 7.

(9) After conducting the procedure acc. to par. 7, the Curriculum Commission shall finally decide on the minor amendment of the curriculum in compliance with the legal provisions and the provisions of the statutes and taking into account the comments received.

(10) After the final adoption of the resolution by the Curriculum Committee, the minor amendment to the curriculum shall be submitted to the Senate for approval of the resolution together with the comments received pursuant to par. 7.

(11) Before approving the decision of the Curriculum Commission, the Senate shall submit the minor amendment to the Rectorate. The Rectorate may prohibit the minor changes to the curriculum within one month if they contradict the development plan or cannot be covered, or if they contradict the guidelines for the structural design of curricula. The prohibition may be effected within six months if an expert opinion commissioned by the Rectorate without delay and drawn up in accordance with internationally recognised scientific criteria concludes that the content of the minor change is insufficient with regard to scientific and artistic professional training and qualification for professional activities requiring the application of scientific and artistic knowledge and methods. When prohibiting the minor amendment of a curriculum and commissioning an expert opinion, the Rectorate shall, if possible, reach agreement with the Senate.

(12) The Senate shall reject the decision of the Curriculum Commission, if it

has been drawn up in the wrong composition,
has been reached in disregard of procedural rules, compliance with which could have led the Curriculum Committee to a different decision, and/or
conflicts with applicable laws and regulations, including Senate directives.

(13) Provided that no prohibition is issued by the Rectorate pursuant to par. 11 and there is no reason for a rejection pursuant to par. 12, the Senate shall approve the curriculum and immediately publish it in the official bulletin.

(14) On the proposal of the Dean of Studies of the faculty or faculties concerned, the Director of Studies shall publish a list of equivalence with regards to the recognition of examinations taken according to the previously valid curriculum in the university bulletin.

§ 43. Re-announcement of the curriculum of a regular study programme

(1) The competent Curriculum Commission shall be authorised to reissue curricula by publication the university bulletin.

(2) In the announcement about the re-publication,

outdated terminology may be corrected and obsolete spellings adapted to the new spelling;
references to other legislation which no longer correspond to the state of the law and other inconsistencies may be corrected.
provisions that have been repealed or otherwise rendered obsolete by subsequent legislations may be determined to be no longer valid.
short titles and letter abbreviations for the titles may be set;
the designations of the §, paragraphs, subparagraphs and the like may be changed accordingly in the event of failure or incorporation of individual provisions, and references thereto within the text of the legal provision may also be corrected accordingly;
transitional provisions as well as previous versions of the curriculum that are still applicable may be summarised, indicating their scope of application.

(3) Unless expressly stipulated otherwise, the re-announced curriculum and the other regulations contained in the announcement shall enter into force at the end of the day of announcement.

§ 44. Transitional provisions in the case of changes to or discontinuation of curricula or regular study programmes

(1) A minor amendment to the curriculum (§42) shall be applied to all students as of its entry into force, with the proviso that completion of the degree programme in accordance with the previous curriculum shall be permitted until 31 October of the respective year. Students must not suffer any disadvantage as a result of the change. Corresponding lists of equivalences shall be announced in the official bulletin by the head of the university study programme on the proposal of the Dean of Studies of the faculty or faculties concerned. Elective modules already completed shall remain valid.A fundamental change in the curriculum (§41) applies to all students who begin the study programme after its entry into force. Degree students, who started their studies before the entry into force shall be entitled to complete their studies in accordance with the previous curriculum within a reasonable period of time to be specified in the curriculum, which shall in any case comprise the duration of the study programme plus two semesters. Students are entitled to submit to the new curriculum at any time. Corresponding lists of equivalences shall be announced in the official bulletin by the Director of Studies on the proposal of the Dean of Studies of the faculty or faculties concerned.

(2) The discontinuation of a regular study programme shall be permitted as of 30 September of each year and shall be announced by the Rectorate in the official bulletin before 1 July of the same year. In this context, a reasonable period of time, which shall in any case comprise the duration of the studies plus two semesters, shall be provided within which the completion of the studies is still possible.

Section 9.

Minors

§ 45. Minors

(1) Minors (Complementary Subject Areas) are fixed modules corresponding to 30 ECTS-Credits that complement a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Diploma programme with contents of other disciplines/study programmes. They can be set as an alternative option to freely selectable modules and/or courses and replace them in whole or in part.

(2) Minors (Complementary Subject Areas) are to be divided into modules and can contain compulsory and/or elective modules. They can be offered for either Bachelor's or Master's studies. A simultaneous opening for Bachelor's and Master's studies is only permitted in justified exceptional cases.

(3) The examination regulations with regard to the examinations to be taken within the framework of a Minor shall, in the case of elective packages based on another curriculum, be governed by the examination regulations laid down in the latter; in the case of extra-curricular Minors, the examination regulations shall be governed by the curriculum incorporating the Minor.

(4) Minors shall be submitted to the Rectorate and the Senate by the Curriculum Commission of the faculty offering the respective Minor. Within two months of submission, the Rectorate shall examine the financial viability and the Senate shall examine whether the Minor complies with applicable laws and regulations, including Senate directives. If there is positive confirmation in both cases, the Curriculum Commission decides on the Minor.

(5) The entire range of Minors available for the following academic year shall be announced by the Senate at the end of January each year in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin. The Minors contained therein must be offered in their entirety at least once in the two following academic years at the latest. If a Minor is not offered in its entirety within the academic year following the announcement and is extended by one or two semesters with the approval of the Director of Studies, it must be announced once more for the following academic year.

(6) Unless in the curricula of Bachelor's, Master's or Diploma programmes that specify one or more elective packages, no individual selection of one or more Minors is made according to its or their designation in the respective current announcement in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin, the specification of one or more Minors refers to all Minors listed in the respective current announcement in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin.

Section 10

Continuing Education Programmes

§ 46. Types of university continuing education programmes

(1) Continuing university education programmes can be set up as continuing education bachelor’s programme, as continuing education master’s programme, as university study programme or university course.

(2) The workload for continuing education bachelor’s programmes amounts to 180 ECTS-Credits and for continuing education master’s programmes 120 ECTS-Credits. In exceptional cases, the workload for an continuing education master’s programme may be less ECTS-Credits if it is comparable in scope and requirements to several foreign master’s programmes that come into question in terms of subject matter.

(3) Continuing university education programmes that are set up as university study programme have to have a workload of at least 16 ECTS-Credits.

(4) Continuing university education offers that are set up as university course have to have a workload between at least 5 and a maximum of 15 ECTS-Credits. In exceptional cases that are objectively justified and justifiable with regard to the criteria specified in §47 par. 1 to 3, the workload may be less than 5 ECTS-Credits.

(5) Continuing university education offers can be offered and carried out in cooperation with a non-university legal entity for economic and organisational support. Continuing education offers for which the academic degrees of “Bachelor Professional” or “Master Professional” are awarded, extended cooperation with a non-university educational institution is required.

In this case, notwithstanding the competence of the curriculum commissions to enact and amend the curricula of such continuing university offers, contracts shall be concluded, in particular concerning the specification of the services to be provided by the participating institutions, the implementation and the financing, the negotiations of which shall be continuously reported to the senate and shall be submitted to the senate for its opinion prior to their conclusion. These contracts are to be published on the websites of the participating institutions without reference to individuals and without disclosing private sources of funding or company and business secrets.

(6) Continuing education offers can also be offered and carried out as joint study programmes (§51) and during the lecture-free period.

§ 47. Establishment and discontinuation of continuing education offers

(1) Continuing education programmes are established by the Rectorate, provided that

that the continuing education programmes serve the university’s task of further or continuing education,
the activities of regular degree programmes and research are not impaired (utilisation of resources),
that there is demand for the kind of education,
the cost-covering implementation of the continuing education programmes is guaranteed and
the subject-relevant competence of the head of the offer is given.

(2) In addition, in establishing continuing education programmes, consideration shall be given to ensuring that the proposed university continuing education programmes meets the following criteria:

a transfer of knowledge through research-led teaching as well as
making a contribution to the profiling and networking of the university.

(3) In addition, the following criteria can be considered for setting up continuing education programmes:

the guarantee of practice-oriented education at university level as well as
promoting the professional flexibility of graduates.

(4) Continuing education offers shall be discontinued by the Rectorate.

(5) The establishment and discontinuation of continuing education offers shall be announced by the university bulletin without delay.

§ 48. Enactment and amendment of the curriculum of a university continuing education programme established as continuing education bachelor’s programme or an extraorinary master’s programme

(1) The curriculum of a new university course established as an continuing education bachelor's degree or continuing education master's degree shall be enacted in accordance to §40 par. 1 to 5 as well as par. 7 to 12. The draft curriculum must be accompanied by a financing plan from the Curriculum Commission, which shows that the continuing education programme will cover its costs.
On the basis of this financing plan, the Rectorate shall examine the financial coverage and shall determine the course fee after approval of the curriculum by the Senate.

(2) The fundamental changes to the curriculum of continuing education programme established as an continuing education bachelor’s programme or continuing education master’s programme shall be made in accordance with §41 par. 1 to 8 and par. 10 to 16. If the change has financial implications, the Curriculum Commission must include an adjusted financing plan with the draft of the change, which shows that the changed continuing education programme will cover its costs. On the basis of this financing plan, the Rector's Office shall examine the financial coverability and determine the programme fee after approval of the fundamental change in the curriculum by the Senate.

(3) Minor changes to the curriculum of a continuing education programme established as continuing education bachelor’s or continuing education master’s programme are carried out acc. to §42.
If the change has financial implications, the Curriculum Commission must include an adjusted financing plan with the draft of the change, which shows that the changed continuing education programme will cover its costs. On the basis of this financing plan, the Rector's Office shall examine the financial coverability and determine the programme fee after approval of the fundamental change in the curriculum by the Senate.

(4) The curriculum or the amendment of the curriculum of a continuing university education programme established as continuing education bachelor’s or master’s programme shall enter into force one month after publication in the university bulletin.

(5) If the costs of a continuing university education programme established as an continuing education bachelor’s or master’s programme change while the curriculum remains unchanged, the Rectorate may re-determine the course fee upon the proposal of the Director of the continuing university education programme.

§ 48a. Enactment and amendment of a curriculum of a university continuing education programme

(1) The planned enactment or amendment of the curriculum of a continuing education programme shall be notified to the Senate by the Curriculum Committee of the faculty concerned. The planned enactment or amendment of the curriculum of a continuing university education programme shall be notified to the Senate by the Curriculum Committee of the faculty concerned. The Rectorate shall be informed of the planned enactment or amendment of the curriculum at the same time as the Senate. The notification shall be accompanied by a statement from the Dean of Studies of the faculty concerned. In the case of joint study programmes or jointly established study programmes, the agreement of the Rectorate with the participating educational institutions shall be submitted to the Senate by the Rectorate without delay.

(2) The Senate shall examine without delay, but within two weeks at the latest, whether the planned project qualifies as an enactment or amendment of the curriculum of a continuing university education programme.

(3) The Rectorate is entitled to initiate the enactment or amendment of the curriculum of continuing university education programmes. In this case, the Rectorate shall submit its proposal, which may not, however, contain any content-related specifications, to the competent Curriculum Commission and at the same time inform the Senate of its proposal. The Curriculum Commission is obliged to deal with the proposal within six months but is not obliged to follow it. It shall inform the Senate and the Rectorate of the outcome of its deliberations without delay, but no later than the expiry of this period. Provided that the Curriculum Commission intends to follow the proposal, the procedure shall be carried out in accordance with the following provisions.

(4) After receiving confirmation from the Senate that the planned project is the enactment or amendment of the curriculum of a continuing university education programme, the Curriculum Commission deliberates and adopts the draft curriculum or its amendment. The draft curriculum or the amendment to the curriculum must be accompanied by a financing plan from the Curriculum Commission, which shows that the continuing university education programme will cover its costs.

(5) The draft curriculum or its amendment prepared by the Curriculum Commission shall be sent to the following bodies for comments within a period to be determined by the Curriculum Commission:

the Rectorate,
the University Council,
the Senate,
the Director of Studies,
the Deans and Study Deans of the concerned faculties,
the Equal Opportunities Working Party,
the Students’ Union,
curricula of theological continuing education programme to the responsible church authority.

(6) After completion of the procedure acc. to par. 5, the Curriculum Commission shall make a final decision on the curriculum or its amendment in compliance with the legal provisions of the statutes and taking into account the comments received.

(7) After the final adoption of the resolution by the Curriculum Commission, the curriculum or its amendment shall be submitted to the Senate for approval of the resolution together with the comments received acc. to par. 5.

(8) Before approving the decision of the Curriculum Commission, the Senate shall submit the curriculum or its amendment to the Rectorate. The Rectorate may prohibit the curriculum or its amendment within one month, if it is inconsistent with the development plan or is not or is not coverable, or if it is inconsistent with the guidelines for the structural design of curricula. Financial coverability shall be examined by the Rectorate on the basis of the financing plan. The prohibition may take place within six months if an expert opinion commissioned by the Rectorate, without delay and drawn up in accordance with internationally recognized scientific criteria, concludes that the content of the curriculum or its amendment is insufficient with regard to scientific professional preparation and qualification for professional activities requiring the application of scientific knowledge and methods. When prohibiting the fundamental change and commissioning an expert opinion, the Rectorate shall, if possible, reach agreement with the Senate.

(9) The Senate shall remand the decision of the Curriculum Committee if it

has been taken in the wrong formation,
has been reached in disregard of procedural rules, compliance with which would have enabled the Curriculum Committee to reach a different decision, and/or
conflicts with applicable laws and regulations, including directives of the Senate.

(10) Provided that no prohibition pursuant to par. 8 is issued by the Rectorate and there are no grounds for a referral pursuant to par. 9, the Senate shall approve the curriculum or its amendment and shall promptly announce it in its bulletin. The curriculum or its amendment shall come into force one month after its publication.

(11) In the absence of specific provisions in these regulations, the procedure acc. to §41 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

(12) The Rectorate determines the course fee after approval of the curriculum or its amendment by the Senate. If the costs of a continuing education programme change while the curriculum remains unchanged, the Rectorate may, on the proposal of the Programme Director of the Continuing Education Programme, fix a new fee.

§ 48b. Enactment and amendment of a curriculum of a university course

(1) The Curriculum Commission deliberates and adopts the draft curriculum of a university course or its amendment. The draft of the curriculum or its amendment shall be accompanied by a financing plan on the part of the Curriculum Commission, which shall show that the university course will cover its costs. If, according to the draft, a university course is to comprise a workload of less than 5 ECTS-Credits, the draft shall be accompanied by a justification in the sense of §46 par. 4.

(2) The Rectorate is entitled to initiate the enactment or amendment of the curriculum of university course. In this case, the Rectorate shall submit its proposal, which may not, however, contain any content-related specifications, to the competent Curriculum Commission and at the same time inform the Senate of its proposal. The Curriculum Commission is obliged to deal with the proposal within six months but is not obliged to follow it. It shall inform the Senate and the Rectorate of the outcome of its deliberations without delay, but no later than the expiry of this period. Provided that the Curriculum Commission intends to follow the proposal, the procedure shall be carried out in accordance with the following provisions.

(3) The draft curriculum or the amendments prepared by the Curriculum Commission acc. to par. 1 or par. 2 shall be sent to the following bodies for comments within a period to be determined by the Curriculum Commission:

the Rectorate,
the Senate,
the Deans and Study Deans of the concerned faculties,
curricula of theological continuing education offers to the responsible church authority.

(4) After completion of the procedure acc. to par. 3, the Curriculum Commission shall make a final decision on the curriculum or its amendment without delay in compliance with the legal provisions and the provisions of the statutes and taking into account the comments received.

(5) After the final adoption of the resolution by the Curriculum Commission, the curriculum or its amendment shall be submitted to the Senate for approval of the resolution together with the comments received acc. to par. 3.

(6) Before approving the decision of the Curriculum Commission, the Senate shall submit the curriculum or its amendment to the Rectorate. The Rectorate may prohibit the curriculum or its amendment within one month, if it is inconsistent with the development plan or is not or is not coverable, or if it is inconsistent with the guidelines for the structural design of curricula. Financial coverability shall be examined by the Rectorate based on the financing plan. The prohibition may take place within six months if an expert opinion commissioned by the Rectorate, without delay and drawn up in accordance with internationally recognized scientific criteria, concludes that the content of the curriculum or its amendment is insufficient with regard to scientific professional preparation and qualification for professional activities requiring the application of scientific knowledge and methods. When prohibiting the fundamental change and commissioning an expert opinion, the Rectorate shall, if possible, reach agreement with the Senate.

(7) The Senate shall remand the decision of the Curriculum Committee if it

has been taken in the wrong formation,
has been reached in disregard of procedural rules, compliance with which would have enabled the Curriculum Committee to reach a different decision, and/or
conflicts with applicable laws and regulations, including directives of the Senate.

(8) Provided that no prohibition pursuant to par. 6 is issued by the Rectorate and there are no grounds for a referral pursuant to par. 7, the Senate shall approve the curriculum or its amendment and shall promptly announce it in its bulletin. The curriculum or its amendment shall come into force one month after its publication.

(9) The Rectorate determines the course fee after approval of the curriculum or its amendment by the Senate. If the costs of a university course change while the curriculum remains unchanged, the Rectorate may, on the proposal of the Head of the University Course, fix a new fee.

§ 49. Content of curricula of continuing education programmes

(1) The curriculum of an continuing education bachelor’s programme, an continuing education master’s programme and an university continuing education programme has to specify:

the qualification profile of the graduates of the respective continuing university education programme,
the prerequisites for the admission acc. to §70 Universities Act,
the duration and structure of the respective continuing education programme,
the total number of ECTS-Credits as well as their assignment to the individual modules and to a possibly required written paper,
the amount of attendance hours in semester hours,
the name, a brief description of the content, the scope and the concise description of the learning outcomes of the modules and their determination as a compulsory or elective module,
the title, the type and scope of the courses, the number of ECTS-Credits and the assignment of the courses to the modules,
if the respective continuing education offer is conducted jointly with other higher education or non-university legal entities pursuant to §56 Universities Act, the allocation of the courses to the legal entities involved,
more detailed provisions on the written work, if any, required,
the examination regulations,
the academic degree to be awarded to graduates of an continuing education bachelor’s programme or an continuing education master’s programme pursuant to §87a Universities Act for graduates of a university continuing education programme covering at least 60 ECTS-Credits, as well as
the transitional provision in case of amendments to the curriculum.

(2) The curriculum of the university course has to specify:

the qualification profile of the graduates of the university course,
the preconditions for the admission acc. to §70 Universities Act,
the duration and structure of the education course,
the total number of ECTS-Credits as well as their assignment to the individual modules and to a possibly required written paper,
the amount of attendance hours in semester hours,
if there are modules, the name, a brief description of the content, the scope and the concise description of the learning outcomes of the modules, as well as their determination as compulsory or elective modules,
the title, the type and scope of the courses, the number of ECTS-Credits and the assignment of the courses to the modules,
if the respective university course is conducted jointly with other higher education or non-university legal entities pursuant to §56 Universities Act, the allocation of the courses to the legal entities involved,
more detailed provisions on the written work, if any, required,
the examination regulations
transitional regulations in case of amendments to the curriculum.

(3) In addition, the curriculum of a continuing education programme may also specify:

distance-learning units,
the teaching of courses entirely by means of electronic communication,
proof of special prior knowledge for course registration,
determination of courses and examinations in a foreign language pursuant to §3 par. 6,
the passing of a practice and appropriate alternative forms,
the compulsory or recommended sequence of taking the modules and the courses within the modules,
a maximum duration of study that is to cover the minimum designated period of study plus at least two semesters.

§ 50 Appointment of the head of continuing education offer

The Rectorate shall, on proposal of the Dean and in cooperation with the Dean of Studies of the faculty or the faculties concerned, order a programme/course director from among the academic university staff, as a rule with venia docendi, in accordance with §27 par. 2 Universities Act. The order shall be announced immediately in the official university bulletin.

Section 11

Joint study programmes and jointly established study programmes

§ 51. Joint study programmes

(1) Joint study programmes are studies which are carried out and completed on the basis of agreements between the University of Innsbruck and one or more universities, teacher training colleges, universities of applied sciences, private universities or foreign recognised post-secondary educational institutions. A joint study programme may lead to a joint degree, whereby a joint certificate on the award of the joint academic degree shall be issued. A joint programme of study may lead to a double degree, in which case two degree awarding certificates shall be issued. A joint programme of study may lead to a multiple degree, in which case several degree awarding certificates shall be issued.

(2) The joint study programme shall be established by the Rectorate. The following circumstances in particular shall be taken into account in the decision:

the compatibility with the development plan and the performance agreement,
the demand for the joint study programme,
the compatibility of the institutions involved with regard to the essential provisions of the UA and the statutes of the University of Innsbruck and
resource implications (staffing and space requirements, financial coverage).

(3) The agreement on the implementation of the joint study programme, in particular on the specification of the services to be rendered by the students concerned at the participating educational institutions and on the financing shall be concluded by the Rectorate on the basis of the UA and the statutes of the University of Innsbruck. In addition, the essential framework conditions for the implementation of the joint study programme shall be defined. If necessary, regulations deviating from the UA may be made, taking into account §§2 (guiding principle) and 59 (rights and duties of students) UA as well as the regulations of the statutes, provided that the joint study programme is not only carried out by universities pursuant to UA §6 par 1 and teacher training colleges pursuant to §1 par 1 and 2 of the Higher Education Act 2005 (Hochschulgesetz) - HG (Civil Law Code I No. 30/2006 as amended by Civil Law Code I No. 232/2021).

(4) The Rectorate shall submit the application for the preparation of the curriculum to the Senate. With regard to the procedure for drawing up the curriculum and the content of the curriculum, §§35, 36, 37, 40, 41 and 42 shall apply.

(5) The curriculum may specify modules covering a number of ECTS-Credits deviating from §36 par. 2 and types of courses not provided for in §6 par. 2, provided that they are stipulated at the partner institutions and their adoption is legally required for the cooperation.

(6) The curriculum or cooperation agreement may stipulate that students can propose another supervisor for the Master's or Diploma Thesis from one of the participating educational institutions. Furthermore, it may be stipulated that the Master’s or Diploma Thesis is to be assessed by another professionally suitable person pursuant to §25 par. 2 no. 4, 5 and 6. In this case, §26 par. 8 and 9 shall apply mutatis mutandis. The third assessor shall in any case be a professionally qualified member of the academic staff of the University of Innsbruck pursuant to §25 par. 1 and 2, no. 1 to 3.

§ 52. Jointly established study programmes

(1) Jointly established study programmes are studies which are carried out on the basis of an agreements between one or more Austrian universities, teacher training colleges, providers of degree programmes at universities of applied science or private universities, whereby an identical curriculum shall be issued.

(2) Jointly established study programmes shall be established by the Rectorate. When deciding whether a study programme is to be conducted jointly with other educational institutions, particular consideration shall be given to the following circumstances:

the compatibility with the development plan and the performance agreement,
the demand for the jointly established study programme,
the compatibility of the institutions involved with regard to the essential provisions of the UA and the statues of the University of Innsbruck,
the resource implications (financial cover).

(3) The agreement, in particular on the implementation as well as the division of work and resources of a jointly established study programme, shall be concluded by the Rectorate on the basis of the UG and the statutes of the University of Innsbruck.

Section 12

Final regulations

§ 53. Coming into force and coming out of force

(1) This part of the statutes comes into force on 1 March 2022.

(2) §3 par. 5 shall enter into force at the end of the day on which it is published in the university bulletin.

(3) With the entry into force of this part of the statutes, the part of the statutes entitled “Study Law Regulations”, published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin on 22 December 2003, Issue 14, No. 97, in the version of the University of Innsbruck Bulletin published on 28 June 2021, Issue 88, No. 894, shall cease to have effect.

(4) The changes as published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin of 23 November 2022, Issue 9, No. 121 comes into effect at the end of the day of its publication.

(5) The amendment as published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin of 13 April 2023, Issue 28, No. 434 comes into force at the end of the day of its announcement. At the same time, the regulations for continuing education programmes at the University of Innsbruck, resolution of the Rectorate of 9 November 2016 and the resolution of the Senate of 24 November 2016 expire.

§ 54. Transitional regulations

(1) The regulations relating to the procedures for enacting, amending or revoking curricula for regular study programmes (§§40 – 42), the enactment or amendment of Minors (§45) and the enactment or amendment of curricula for continuing education programmes (§47) shall apply as of 1 July 2022.

(2) The regulations concerning the publication of scientific papers acc. to §25 par. 7, first sentence and §27 are to be applied as of 1 November 2023. Until that point in time, scientific papers are to be handed in in written and electronic form to the Director of Studies.

(3) The following regulations of this part of the statutes are only to be applied as of 1 October 2022:

§2 par. 1 relating to the structure of the academic year;
§18 par. 1 sentence 2 relating to a further attempt of the last examination of the study programme;
§32 par. 2 relating to the leave of absence;
§51 par. 2 relating to joint study programmes.

(4) The curricula in effect at the time when this section of the Statues comes into force, shall be amended no later than 1 October 2027 to conform to this section of the Statues.

(5) Continuing education programmes pursuant to §56 Universities Act, as amended prior to 1 October 2021, which provide for the awarding of the master’s degree pursuant to §87a par. 1 Universities Act, as amended prior to 1 October 2021, may be established until 30 September 2023. If no curriculum in accordance with the provisions of §48, 48a or 48b is issued by 1 March 2024 for a continuing education programme established as “university course” on the basis of the guidelines for continuing education programmes at the University of Innsbruck, resolution of the Rectorate of 9 November 2016 and resolution of the Senate of 24 November 2016, it shall be deemed suspended. However, if such a continuing education programme is in progress on 1 March 2024, it may be completed once.

(6) For the procedures in progress on 13 April 2023 for the enactment or amendment of curricula, §47 of the study law regulations, in the version as published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin of 23 November 2022, Issue 9, No. 121, shall apply.

Publications in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin

Original version published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin of 10 February 2022, Issue 17, No 277

Modification published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin of 23 November 2022, Issue 9, No 121

Modification published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin of 22 February 2023, Issue 22, No 337

Modification published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin of 13 April 2023, Issue 28, No 434

Modification published in the University of Innsbruck Bulletin of 19 July 2023, Issue 58, No. 665