Abstract
The study about continuing higher education (CHE) in Austria shows findings on three levels: on the system level, the institutional level and the programme level. On the system level it discusses definitions of CHE and gives information about providers, the higher education framework and the role of CHE in Austria. On the institutional level it presents information about organisational structures and management of CHE. In addition to that it deals with questions about quality assurance, public relations / marketing / advertising, funding and future prospects. On the programme level it gives information about the course structure, content and duration. Further it discusses the question of academic vs. vocational orientation of courses and displays provisions for specific target groups. Finally topics like how to identify needs, formal aspects of CHE provisions, staff motivation and partnerships are presented. The study ends in conclusions and challenges.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The questionnaire completed by Danube University Krems was not used, since the overall results would have been distorted by this institution’s exclusive focus on continuing higher education.
- 2.
One of the seven private universities that we contacted has since failed to be reaccredited.
- 3.
Two of the institutions reported that the relevant structures did not yet exist. At one, no continuing higher education provision is currently available. Another institution refused to participate on the grounds that it had concerns regarding the academic rigour of the higher education institution carrying out the study.
- 4.
Danube University Krems.
- 5.
It could be argued that medical universities really belong with the “traditional universities”; however, in this study they were included in a separate category.
- 6.
At the time, there were 12 universities in Austria. Since then, the latest batch of higher education reforms has led to three Faculties of Medicine being given independent status as Universities of Medicine. Furthermore, the arts academies and art colleges became Universities of the Arts as a result of the 1998 KUOG Act. Finally, the 2004 DUK Act changed the status of Danube University Krems to a Continuing Education University.
- 7.
Until 2005, AUCEN operated as an informal network whose membership included all the universities in Austria. Since October 2005, AUCEN has been registered as an official association.
- 8.
- 9.
Consequently, the “university-style courses” (Lehrgänge universitären Charakters) that could previously be provided by non-university educational institutions in partnership with university lecturers and that were approved by the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture (Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur – BMBWK) are being phased out. It was, therefore, decided to exclude courses of this type that are still running from the present study.
- 10.
These data do not include other continuing higher education formats.
- 11.
This has been confirmed by the study on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) in the context of tertiary education, undertaken by the Department for Continuing Education Research and Educational Management (Department für Weiterbildungsforschung und Bildungsmanagement) in conjunction with the Institute for Advanced Studies (Institut für Höhere Studien- IHS).
- 12.
Thirty-two were exclusively part-time courses, while 29 were run on a full- and part-time basis.
- 13.
This information was obtained from a telephone survey conducted by the Council of Fachhochschulen (Fachhochschulrat) in the winter of 2005. The survey results were very kindly made available to our researchers.
- 14.
Approximately 3.7% gained access to Fachhochschulen through the Berufsreifeprüfung, 1.6% through the Studienberechtigungsprüfung, 0.8% through secondary TVE schools (Berufsbildende Mittlere Schulen – BMS), 2.3% through an apprenticeship certificate, 0.16 via industrial master schools (Werkmeisterschulen) and 3.4% via other access routes.
- 15.
Indeed, the progress report on the implementation of the Bologna Declaration in Austria refers exclusively to continuing higher education provision in the section on lifelong learning (BMBWK, 2005a, p. 44).
- 16.
The assumption that this would be the case was catered for in the questionnaire by allowing multiple responses.
- 17.
The MCI is in a unique position, in that following its creation, a Fachhochschule was created as a result of the Fachhochschulen Act that opened up the possibility of setting up higher education courses.
- 18.
The private company is wholly owned by the University of Graz.
- 19.
Multiple answers were permitted.
- 20.
Multiple answers were permitted.
- 21.
For example, we are just beginning to develop continuing education activities, we haven’t yet set up a central office, we have only just started to establish a central office.
- 22.
The “Public Health” Masters course is a continuing education course at the Medical University of Graz.
- 23.
Multiple answers were permitted.
References
AUCEN. (2002). Mission Statement universitäre Weiterbildung. Retrieved 2006/03/16, from http://www.aucen.ac.at under “Fachbereiche”
BMBWK (Federal Ministry for Education Science and Culture). (2004). OECD Country Note on Adult Learning II (OECD Report). Vienna.
BMBWK (Federal Ministry for Education Science and Culture). (2005a). Bericht über den Stand der Umsetzung der Bologna-Erklärung in Österreich 2005, Berichtszeitraum 2000–2004.
BMBWK (Federal Ministry for Education Science and Culture). (2005b). Universitätsbericht 2005 (Vol. 1). Vienna.
BMBWK (Federal Ministry for Education Science and Culture). (2005c). Universitätsbericht 2005 (Vol. 2). Vienna
Danube University Krems. (2006). Tätigkeitsbericht 2005. Krems.
FHR (Council of Fachhochschulen). (2004). Bericht des Fachhochschulrates 2004. Retrieved 2007/10/22, from http://www.fhr.ac.at/fhr_inhalt/00_dokumente/jb2004.pdf
FHR (Council of Fachhochschulen). (2006). Statistische Auswertungen. Retrieved 2006/07/26, from http://www.fhr.ac.at/fhr_inhalt/01_ueber_uns/statistische_auswertungen.htm
FHStG – Fachhochschul-Studiengesetz. (2006). Bundesgesetz über Fachhochschul-Studiengänge. Retrieved 2006/03/16, from http://www.bmbwk.gv.at/universitaeten/recht/gesetze/fhstg/Gesetz_Fachhochschul-Stu4169.xml
Filla, W. (2001). Wissenschaft für alle – ein Widerspruch? Bevölkerungsnaher Wissenstransfer in der Wiener Moderne. Ein historisches Volkshochschulmodell, Schriftenreihe des Verbandes Österreichischer Volkshochschulen (Vol. 11). Innsbruck-Vienna-Munich.
Filla, W. (2006). Universitätsausdehnungsbewegung als europäische Bewegung. In E. Cendon, D. Marth, & H. Vogt (Eds.), Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung im Hochschulraum Europa, Beiträge 44. (pp. 229–242). Hamburg: DGWF e.V.
Lassnigg, L., & Unger, M. (2006). Fachhochschulen –Made in Austria, Ein Review des neuen Hochschulsektors. Münster, Vienna.
UG (Universitätsgesetz). (2002). Bundesgesetz über die Organisation der Universitäten und ihre Studien Retrieved 2006/03/16, from http://www.bmbwk.gv.at/universitaeten/recht/gesetze/ug02/Universitaetsgesetz_2002_inh.xml
UniAkkG (Universitäts-Akkreditierungsgesetz). (2006). Bundesgesetz über die Akkreditierung von Bildungseinrichtungen als Privatuniversitäten. Retrieved 2006/03/16, from http://www.bmbwk.gv.at/uni-versitaeten/recht/gesetze/uniakkg/uniakkg3332.xml
University of Graz. (2006). Weiterbildungsprogramm 2006. Graz.
Waxenegger, A. (2006). Was kann Organisationsentwicklung im Hinblick auf die Institutionalisierung der wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildung leisten – am Beispiel des Zentrums für Weiterbildung der Universität Graz. In E. Cendon, D. Marth, & H. Vogt (Eds.), Wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung im Hochschulraum Europa. Beiträge 44. DGWF e.V. (pp. 203–210). Hamburg.
Wolter, A. (2003). Weiterbildung als akademisches Aufgabenfeld – Auf dem Wege zu einer Kernfunktion des Hochschulsystems? Hans-Dietrich Raapke zum 75. Geburtstag gewidmet. Written version of a presentation given at the annual meeting of the Working Group on University Adult Learning (Arbeitskreis Universitäre Erwachsenenbildung – AUE).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pellert, A., Cendon, E. (2009). Continuing Higher Education in Austria. In: Knust, M., Hanft, A. (eds) Continuing Higher Education and Lifelong Learning. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9676-1_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9676-1_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9675-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9676-1
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)