Types of degree programmes

Since the amendment to the Fachhochschule Studies Act (Fachhochschul-Studiengesetz, FHStG) of 1 May 2002 has been passed, there have been three different types of degree programmes in the Austrian FH sector:

• FH Bachelor's degree programmes (6 semesters);
• FH Master's degree programmes (2-4 semesters);
• FH diploma degree programmes (8-10 semesters).
  

The introduction of Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in the Austrian Fachhochschule sector replaces and complements the one-phase higher-education concept, which is designed to cover a variety of fields on an academic basis and is rooted in the educational tradition of the German-speaking countries, by a system of a tiered higher education with different qualification levels. This introduction is an important step forward towards the internationalisation of the courses offered and the integration of the entire FH sector into the European higher-education system.

One-phase and tiered models co-exist in the FH sector. The course-providing bodies decide whether or not they wish to introduce the tiered system. The first FH Bachelor's degree programmes started in the academic year 2003/04; the first Master's degree programmes in the academic year 2004/05. In the academic year 2004/05 already a third of all FH programmes is offered in the tiered system (BaMa system).

All three types of degree programmes have the educational mandate to provide a practice-based vocational education at a higher-education level. This means they provide higher-education courses that lead to a degree qualifying the student for a profession.

Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes are degree programmes that are complete in themselves and have their own goals as regards qualifications. The challenge for content and curriculum is to sensibly divide the traditional degree programmes in two tiers that have their own vocational qualification goals but are related to each other.