FAQ

I am an international student can I enroll my studies at Medical University?

You certainly can, as long as you meet the admission requirements.

For the admission to the PhD program will need to present following documents:

Registration form or application form (completed in full and signed)

Dissertation concept (completed in full and fully signed by all specified persons)

High school degree certificate

University degree certificates (BSc, MSc, diploma)

Eligibility certificate (if required)

Photo (passport size)

Signed CV

Photocopy of your passport

Proof of language proficiency

Applicants with non-EEA citizenship must also submit an Eligibility Certification issued by a student secretariat of a state-recognized university in the country / state in which the diploma / master's degree was issued. Your certificate of entitlement needs a current date of issue. An apostille is required for certificates from certain countries.

What are the basic requirements for registering for your studies?

The basic requirements for a PhD program are:

• completed master's or diploma studies in medicine or dentistry or
• completed scientific, technical or subject-relevant master's or diploma studies or
• completed Master's or Diploma studies in Medical Informatics or  
• Completed master's or diploma studies at a recognized university in Germany or abroad.
• very good knowledge of English, scolding and oral. Proof of language proficiency must be provided upon admission.
• Knowledge of German is desirable but not mandatory.  
• Supervisor agreement with a recognized supervisor
• Dissertation concept
• Financing by your supervisor

Details for admission to the degree programme can be found in our checklist.

How can I register to study?

Please send us your complete admission documents by email within the admission deadlines.

Here are the documents you need for admission:

Only complete applications for authorisation are dealt with. The dissertation concept ("concept of the doctoral thesis") must be completely electronically completed, stamped, dated and signed. Therefore, the documents must be submitted in German or English translation with the required authentications.

I am studying at another university how can I switch to MUW?

To switch to MUW, you must go through the regular admission process for the PhD programs. If you have already paid the ÖH fee at another Austrian university, you do not have to pay the fee again.

Is there an entrance examination for the doctorate?

No, there is no entrance examination for the PhD programme. The confirmation of a supervisor is the basis for a study place in the PhD program. There is no specific number of free study places per year.

I have completed my master's degree at MUW, can I apply for a doctoral programme?

Please send us your complete admission documents by email within the admission deadlines.

Here are the documents you need for admission:

Only complete applications for authorisation are dealt with. The dissertation concept ("concept of the doctoral thesis") must be completely electronically completed, stamped, dated and signed. Therefore, the documents must be submitted in German or English translation with the required authentications.

I have a completed doctoral program and would like to enroll in a PhD program is that possible?

For the PhD, you must have a purely scientific service contract, for which Dr. med. scient is possible to register in compliance with the admission documents

Do my documents need to be certified?

Original issued documents (maturity examination certificate, Bachelor's and Master's/diploma certificates, eligibility certification if applicable) from (e.g.) Austria, Germany and Switzerland do not need to be apostilled. For information regarding other countries, please refer to our list of countries. We always need the admission documents in German or English.

How long does it take to process my application?

We always try to process your request as quickly as possible, on average it takes between 3 and 6 working days from receipt of the documents to acceptance or rejection.

In which language do I have to submit my documents?

All documents must be submitted in German or English, otherwise they cannot be further processed by us. Please note that depending on the country of issue, some documents (maturity certificate, Bachelor's and Master's/Diploma certificate, Eligibility Certification) must be apostilled. The exact regulations can be found here.

In order to avoid a delay in your admission, please make sure that you have all the necessary documents and certifications in English or German available in a timely manner.

Do I have to be employed by MedUni Vienna to enrol?

For the PhD UN094 doctoral programme, only employment as a research assistant (over at least 30 hours per week) is required, but not as a clinically active doctor. Ideally, you will be employed via the specified third-party funded project – but this is not absolutely necessary.

Do I need to speak German?

Basically not, as the PhD program is held in English. If you are interested in a German course, you can find more information here. The Language Centre of The University of Vienna currently offers MedUni Vienna employees a discount for attending a language course.

How good does my English have to be?

You should have a very good command of spoken and written English so that you can exchange ideas with your colleagues about your work and everyday life and participate in lessons without obstacles. Your dissertation must also be written in English. English is the official working language in science, so at least a B2 language level must be present at the beginning of the study. There is the possibility to voluntarily improve the language level during your studies through further training.

In which language is the lesson conducted?

The courses are held in English.

In which language will I work?

In science, the working language worldwide is English. There is the possibility to participate in further training on a voluntary basis in order to improve your language skills.

Do I have to provide proof of language proficiency?

If English is not your first language, you must provide proof. Please enclose the documents with your enrolment documents, which proofs are recognized by the university, you can find out here.

My mother tongue is English, do I have to provide proof of language proficiency?

No, the first language does not have to be proven in principle.

What happens if I miss the registration deadline?

After you have missed the registration deadline, you will unfortunately have to wait until the general admission deadline in the next semester. However, you can already send us the documents for admission by email.

What are the deadlines?

The current deadlines can be found here in our academic calendar

What is a ÖH fee and do I have to pay it?

ÖH is the abbreviation for "Austrian Students' Union", the ÖH contribution finances the student representation at all Austrian universities. With the ÖH contribution, they are also insured against accidents and liability.

Are there tuition fees and what are the costs?

The tuition fee depends on the one hand on a valid residence permit, on the other hand on the duration of study (tuition fee obligation from the 9th semester). The ÖH fee is to be paid every semester in order to have an upright study relationship.

Is it possible to waive tuition fees?

A temporary exemption from the tuition fee exists for regular students of a master's or doctoral program for the duration of the standard period of study plus two tolerance semesters. For non-EEU/EEA citizens, the presentation of a residence permit (e.g. VISA D, Red-White-Red Card) is required. All further information can be found here.

Further possibilities for exemption or refund can be found here.

How can I finance my studies?

Your studies must be completed in parallel with an employment relevant to social law – which is sometimes interwoven with your dissertation – and you should contact your supervisor for gainful employment.

What is my PhD salary?

Our PhD students are remunerated in accordance with the collective agreement B1.

Are there any funding and how can I apply?

You can find the funding and scholarship opportunities here on our homepage.

Can I pursue my doctorate alongside a profession?

Yes, but it must be possible for you to actively pursue your studies. The PhD programme is a full-time course of study and provides for face-to-face teaching.

I forgot to pay my tuition fees, what now?

Please contact phd@meduniwien.ac.at as soon as you notice that you are exmatriculated. In the worst case, you will have to allow yourself to study again in the following semester, this can only be decided in individual cases.

How do I register my dissertation topic?

By submitting the Thesis Proposals incl. Thesis Registration, you register your dissertation topic. These documents must be submitted by the end of the second semester. Please pay attention to the complete signatures (the signature of the Deputy Curriculum Directorate will be obtained by the Study Department!).

How long do I have to write my dissertation?

The minimum duration of study is six semesters, but there is no maximum duration of study, you are not limited in time.

Do I still have to be employed by MUW while writing the work?

No, you don't have to.

Does the topic of the dissertation have to coincide with the topic of the supervisor's agreement?

No, it doesn't have to and a change is not unusual, as long as the topic does not change fundamentally, you do not have to submit a new proposal.

How can I block my topic and title for other students?

Send an "application for blocking" when uploading the dissertation, after which your work can be blocked for up to 5 years.

How can I deregister from my studies?

Write a short e-mail from your student e-mail address and announce that you want to finish your studies. Alternatively, you simply no longer pay the ÖH/tuition fee, and you will be automatically exmatriculated.

How can I change my thematic programme?

If you want to change the thematic program within the UN094 program, we ask you to send an e-mail to phd@meduniwien.ac.at, with both program coordinators in cc, you do not have to change the supervisor.

Can I stop my studies or take a leave of absence?

A leave of absence is possible, further information can be found here on our homepage, it is not possible to put your studies on hold, but you can exmatriculate and re-admit yourself at a later date; Your services will be retained.

I am studying at another university how can I switch to MUW?

You have to go through the normal admission process, if you have already paid the ÖH fee at another university, you do not have to pay it again with us.

Submission and review of dissertation and defensio

As soon as you have completed your dissertation, you submit it to the MedCampus, which will be sent by us for plagiarism check and then forwarded to an internal and an external reviewer. As soon as an expert opinion arrives, you will receive it from us. After two positive reviews are available, we put together an examination committee with which you independently plan your rigorosum.

This process takes an average of between 6-11 weeks.

How should the doctoral thesis be designed?

For information on formatting, please refer to the Outline thesis.

How can I be sure that my courses are recognised abroad?

In addition to the other rules regarding your doctoral studies at MedUni Vienna, the following points must be considered so that your period of study/courses abroad can be credited:

You are registered at MedUni Vienna for the entire duration of your doctoral studies

They have already successfully completed all prepedeutics and more than 40% of all courses.

You are writing your dissertation with an accredited supervisor at MedUni Vienna and have already registered your dissertation.

Basic courses, journal clubs and dissertation courses held by doctoral students cannot be credited.

Congress visits cannot be credited.

The courses must be offered as part of a doctoral programme.

Courses can only be credited if the courses are listed in the university calendar with a designated number of ECTS hours. The successful completion must be proven with an official certificate, signed by the teaching staff.

All documents must be submitted in the original and with official translation in English or German to the Study Department.