Why study Biotechnology? - A united presentation of the FH-Life Science degree programmes

The heads of the Life Science degree programmes at the Austrian universities of applied sciences, which, during the past few years, have offered successful bachelor, master and diploma degree programmes in various Life Science fields, have united in a close cooperation and in the platform “FH-BIOFORUM”.

 

With this step, not commonplace within the education sector, the nine degree programme heads - who might usually be perceived as competitors - want to achieve the following goals:

• To better inform pupils and FH-applicants about the Austrian FH-education possibilities in the Life Science sector and develop the positive differences to the traditional universities and make them more visible to the public (e.g.: individual supervision, proximity to the job market, QM education, management and social skills-promoting subjects).
• To purposefully target and facilitate the attraction of investors via custom-made education and to support the industry and start-ups and thereby actively convey one of the most important internationally regarded location factors.
• To further develop the quality standards in education and modularise programmes, in order to facilitate the possibility that students can change to a different FH or one of their international partners.
• To improve the perception of the FHs in education and research areas via high quality standards, participation in doctorate programs (the long-term aim is that the FHs will be allowed to offer and award doctorates) and cooperation in international research, by the organisation of joint (national and international) scientific meetings.

First concrete results and activities

A compilation of the specialisations, common areas and characteristics of each of the Austrian FH degree programmes with the following contents:

• Perception of the field Biotech
• Focus of the degree programme/characteristics
• Curricula
• Qualification profiles of the Bachelors and Masters
• R&D fields
• Spectrum of R&D methods (for cooperation)
• The production of a “decision tree” as an aid for pupils and other interested parties who are interested in Life Science degree programmes at Austrian FHs.

More information about the degree programmes at the FH Campus Wien:

Bioengineering

Molecular Biotechnology