1. Employability driving curricular
design:
“Complementary curricula” at the
UoV
Arthur Mettinger & Herbert Hrachovec
24.11.2008

2. The role of “employability” in UoV curricula
 “double function” of Bachelor degrees:
- foundation for specialization at Master level
- sustainable (long-term) employability for Austrian
and European labour market
 realization of flexible, modularized curricula that answer
students’ future needs:
- possibilities of “branching” inside curriculum
- additional knowledge & skills through
“complementary curricula” (CC)

3. Curricular structures at Bachelor level
Austrian law: 180 ECTS
Typology developed autonomously at University of Vienna:
180 ECTS used for one subject area only (sciences)
120-150 ECTS used for „major“ + 30-60 ECTS usable for
„complementary curricula“
(humanities, social sciences, educational
sciences, philosophy, …)

4. Design of CC: The curricular perspective
• CC are modularized „mini-curricula“ of 15/30 ECTS
• obey the same rules as all curricula at UoV:
- student-centred
- learning outcome oriented
- go through the same quality procedures as
„regular“ curricula
• targeted at „non-specialized“ students
• non-consecutive and consecutive
• reflect the rich variety of subjects offered at the UoV
• marked in DS

5. „The buffet“: the UoV‘s offer (52 CC)
• academic year 2007/08:
- economics, statistics, philosophy
• academic year 2008/09:
- „classic“ humanities & social sciences
- new interdisciplinary CC (cultural studies, media, ..)
• academic years 2009/10 ff:
- more narrow focus on employability
- discussions with stakeholders from university and
the labour market

6. Choice: The students‘ perspective
• free choice of CC according to interest and/or future
professional interest
• „Major“-curriculum may recommend CC but cannot prescribe
them
• offer of CC will be continually expanded in order to keep up
with recent developments and demands of the
labour market

7. Challenges
• how can the UoV best meet the students’ needs?
• how can the UoV best take the demands of the (European)
labour market into account?
• how can the UoV make use of CC for enhancing student mobility?
• which principles should the creation of new CC be based on?
• which criteria should be applied to give up CC?

8. Remarks on freedom and
employment prospects
Herbert Hrachovec
Department of Philosophy
University of Vienna

9. Outline
some legal history
troubles, improvements ?
comparisons

11. free choice

12. even more free choice

13. freedom and future job security
“Im Hinblick darauf, daß das Fach Philosophie eine
Sonderstellung im Vergleich zu allen anderen
Wissenschaften ein-nimmt, wurden für die freien
Wahlfächer keine spezifischen Empfehlungen
ausgesprochen. Den Studierenden soll dadurch auch die
Möglichkeit geboten werden, im Interesse künftiger
beruflicher Flexibilität Qualifikationen, die über das
Fach Philosophie hinaus gehen, in freier Entscheidung
zu erwerben.“

14. oops

15. BA philosophy Vienna

16. BA philosophy Graz
60 ECTS
(freie)
Wahlfächer

17. BA philosophy Salzburg