Mag. Dr. Petra Bernhardt
Head of Programs Political Management, Leadership, Politics and Management, Digitization, Politics and Communication
Frequently searched
The Master's course ends on 31 August 2024.
Digitization poses special challenges for us as a society, company or administration. Technological developments in recent years have increased the complexity and in many cases require new solutions. This also affects the political and administrative system, which finds itself under increasing pressure. That is why the Master degree program for advanced professional training is about combining political expertise, technical knowledge and communication know-how in order to effectively promote communication and control processes in our society.
Master of Arts in Politics and Communication (MA)
Tuition fee
Once-off payment € 16.300,-
Alternative models for rates1
+ ÖH premium per semester
Application winter semester 2023/24
Currently no application possible
24
1 Alternativmodell für Semesterraten finden Sie unter "Kosten"
You already work in a political environment, have strong communication skills and are very open to technological developments. Communication and digitization are not just a matter of course for you, much more you see great potential here, for example in making politics and administration easier to access for citizens. You find it exciting to combine topics. Your ability to think in a networked manner is very helpful in doing so.
You will build a sustainable network from day one of your studies.
We invite you to join us in linking topics and thinking in a completely new way.
Decision-makers and experts in their field will teach you at our university.
Do you still have questions about the study?
Make an appointment with dpk@fh-campuswien.ac.at for a personal consultation via Zoom with the Head of the Program.
Regulation for the admission of third country citizens (PDF 233 KB)
Information for applicants with non-Austrian (school) certificates (PDF 145 KB)
To apply you will require the following documents:
Please note:
It is not possible to save incomplete online applications. You must complete your application in one session.
The admission procedure is a two-step process. In the first step, all the formal requirements are examined. In addition, the curriculum vitae and the letter of motivation are important elements that provide information about your previous performance. If the basic eligibility for acceptance is fulfilled, applicants will be invited to an admission interview. This interview is conducted on the basis of a structured guideline and (for applicants without a degree) also serves to review basic scientific knowledge about special tasks (including interpretation of research results and statistics, scientific writing, etc.). In order to ensure the inter-subjectivity of the results, the admission interview is conducted by an admission committee, which includes at least two people from the core team of the Competence Center.
A commission decides on the suitability of applicants in individual cases.
This option assumes that you are certain to complete and pay for the entire degree course (four semesters). The fees of € 16.300,- are due in full at the start of the degree program.
Once-off payment of € 16.300,-
Due about four weeks prior to the start of the first degree program semester.
This option allows you to pay your tuition fees in four installments of € 4.275,- each. The tuition fees must be paid in full, even should you terminate your degree program prematurely.
Installment per semester: € 4.275,- (full amount: € 17.100,-)
In each case due about four weeks prior to the start of the semester
This option takes into account the option of terminating the studies after any semester, which is the best option for those who prefer keeping open their options for early termination.
First, second and third semester, each € 5.000,-
Fourth semester € 2.900,- (total amount € 17.900,-)
In each case due about four weeks prior to the start of the semester.
Grants may be applied for for Master courses and for academic courses and seminars.
For information on supporting bodies, please refer to Grants and Bursaries.
The in-depth exploration of the topics of digitization, communication and politics represents a unique selling point in the higher education sector. With this Master degree program for advanced professional training, FH Campus Wien offers you a unique program for experts in the political-administrative system, in politically related fields, the media sector, in press offices, agencies and departments for strategic use of IT. The program makes it possible to combine your professional experience with well-founded scientific know-how and to pursue current research in the area of applied political sciences.
As a university and an experienced provider of further education, FH Campus Wien guarantees quality and non-partisanship. This non-partisanship exists in a living claim to work impartially with all democratically legitimate interest groups of the Republic of Austria.
Numerous teachers come as top specialists and managers from the political system, public administration and public sector related companies, the media sector, IT or, for example, PR/public affairs sector. You contribute current topics from your successful professional practice. Like your fellow students, these form part of your non-partisan personal network. Practical relevance is also guaranteed at our Campus Lectures, public lecture evenings with prominent experts, that FH Campus Wien regularly invites you to join.
The Master degree program for advanced professional training in Digitization, Politics and Communication emphasizes the need to think, develop and plan strategic areas that are currently often considered separately, namely communication, technology, politics and business. Over the next few years, experts and decision-makers in public and political institutions as well as large private companies will be needed, who are able to work together to develop these areas in the context of advancing digitization while also taking ethical considerations into account.
During your studies, you will also take advantage of synergies with the already established Master degree program for advanced professional training in Leadership, Politics and Management, which provide added value for developing skills in the areas of digital leadership, organizational development and “digital democracy”.
The aim is to further develop and combine political expertise, technical knowledge and communication know-how in a single competence profile. Theoretical knowledge combined with the reflection of your own experiences, workshops for developing ideas and practical settings for experiencing, testing and refining your skills accompanied by experienced practitioners and ethics experts.
You will increasingly focus on applied political science, integrated communication, information technologies, citizen participation and the area of tension between technology and society in order to make your contribution to realizing digital potential. Ethics and law play a central role in the curriculum and underlie all subject areas.
- Models of comprehensive social transformations (industrialization, market economy, globalization, ...)
- Digitalization as a driver of transformations (lifeworlds, knowledge, communication, power)
- Theory on the emergence of cultural technologies and the social embedding of innovations
- Transformation of the (analoguous) political world, new forms of governmentality
- Possibilities for action and policies in the face of this development
Module exam
Lecture, discussions, group work, team teaching
German
- Introduction to the structure and main institutions of the Austrian political system and that of the European Union
- Constitution, the Parliament, the party and electoral system, the government as well as the Europeanization of Austrian politics
- Development of the European Union and its institutions
- Legislative process in Austria as well as the legislative procedures within the EU
Module exam
E-Learning
German
- Most important terms in the field of "Open Government"
- Open data, open processes and open services as the three central areas of Open Government
- Possible approaches and models for implementing OG in organizations
- Theoretical participation models with a focus on eParticipation
- Open Government Data as a basis: handling of data, preparation, explanation of terms (e.g. CSV, shape files, geodata, etc.)
- Building on this, "Telling stories with data": interactive visualizations as an example of content marketing. How to generate valuable information, new knowledge and important insights from data?
- Various best practice examples from the DACH-LI countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein)
- New forms of interactive communication with stakeholders to improve political decision-making processes
- Definitions of terms around Big Data and NoSQL
- Cloud service levels
- Technical basics
- Overview of NoSQL technologies
- Opportunities and risks of the technology
- Fields of application
Module exam
Inverted classroom, lecture, discussion, case studies, group work
German
- Theoretical introduction to empirical social research
- Research procedure
- Differentiation of methodological approaches
- Basics of selected methods of data collection and evaluation
Module exam
Lecture, group work
German
- Introduction to the practice of ethical judgement and argumentation
- Practice in reflection and self-reflection
- Development of different ethical approaches and perspectives on issues and constructive or productive development of justified decisions and actions
- Argumentation and competent communication of relevant content
- Case discussions for the formation and strengthening of the ability to reflect, judge and argue in a professional and interpersonal context
- Pprocess- and procedure-oriented preparation for discourse and dialog competences
Module exam
Lecture, discussions, reflection
German
- Digital technology, number representation and binary systems
- Algorithms, principle and problems of computability
- Computer structures, hardware design and operating systems
- Computer science in economy and industry
- Computer science in society
- Basics of complexity research
Module exam
Lecture, presentations, discussions, group work, team teaching
German
- Reflection on one's own communication style
- Models and approaches from psychology and communication science
Module exam
Discussion, reflection, exercise
German
- Subject area and theories of communication policy
- Holistic planning approach, identification of communication goals and target group analysis
- Task profile and most important tools of a press spokesperson
- Common mistakes and best practices (using concrete examples)
- Importance of digitalisation for journalism
- How to conduct journalistic research and the use of relevant research tools
- Different text and image genres
Module exam
Lecture, excursions, discussions, group work, team teaching
German
- IT networks (definition, structure and different types), data communication, OSI reference model, transmission, transport and application protocols, protocol switching.
- Security strategy according to the IT-Grundschutz / BSI standard, data protection, legal regulations
Module exam
Lecture, presentations, discussions, group work
German
- Organizational cultures and leadership styles in systematic and historical perspective
- Policy cycle as an instrument of policy field analysis, phase model and micro-analyses
- Actor-centered approach from administrative research
- Distinction between "the political" and "the policy" (policy)
- Invitation of relevant persons from political offices and the administration
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
- Dealing with complexity and complex systems
- Basics of management cybernetics
- Basics of organizational cybernetics
- Organizational theories - systems theory and constructivism
- Principles of learning organizations
- Cybernetic management according to Fredmund Malik
- High Reliability Organization Theory by Karl Weick
- VOPA+ model by Thorsten Petry
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
- Discussion with an expert or public figure on a current socio-political topic of the department
- Exchange with the expert and graduates as well as students of all years in the network of the department "Applied Political Science"
Module exam
Lecture, discussion
German
- Opinion market "Internet": Overview and outlook
- News vs. campaign circle
- Communication and campaign core development
- Socio-demographic vs. socio-cultural factors
- Use of emotions in visual communication
- Independent implementation of different text and image genres
Module exam
Lecture, discussions, group work, team teaching
German
- Basic skills of scientific reasoning and writing
- Dealing with different types of scientific texts
- Literature research, application and correct citation
- Scientific writing, different types of scientific texts
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
- Historical development of social research
- Definition of science
- Basics of selected theories of science
- Scientific observation
- Differentiation of scientific thinking from everyday thinking
- Good scientific practice
Module exam
Lecture, discussions, presentation
German
- Ethical issues related to AI, scope and limits of use.
- Consciousness, Thought - Digitality; introduction to current research approaches
- Structural change of the public sphere - consequences for policy making
- Power, control, domination from the perspective of digitalization
- Freedom, privacy, law under digital auspices
Module exam
Lecture, group work, exercises, team teaching
German
- Truth and lies in digital communication; populism on the Net
- Distinguishing between deliberative, technocratic and authoritarian politics
- Rationality of democratic processes
- Civic Tech and Liquid Democracy: new forms of political participation and action
- Representation, mandate and debate in the context of digitalization; new negotiation of social compromises
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
- Core elements in cross-media storytelling (conception, analysis, planning, creation, and control).
- Storytelling and the interaction between "senders" and "receivers"
- Storytelling in practice; development of application examples
- Typical plots and archetypes of stories
- Different types of texts for different target groups
- "Emotion-driven storytelling"
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises based on picture examples, group work, team teaching
German
- Distinction between public relations and public affairs
- Topic-specific SWOT analysis
- Agenda setting
- Lobbying techniques and public affairs instruments
- Case studies from the field of technology and digital economy
Module exam
Lecture, group discussion, group work
German
- Information systems are a central and indispensable part of the IT landscape of companies and public authorities
- Fundamentals and architectures of information systems
- Business and technical basics of data management
- Basics of data modelling (functional, logical and physical data models)
- Data warehouse concepts, basics of business analytics technologies
- Quality assurance for data applications
- Requirements engineering
- Project-based implementation of relevant use cases
Module exam
Lecture, presentations, discussions, group work
German
- Independent development of core elements of an integrated communication strategy
- Concept of integrated communication, core elements of an integrated communication strategy, processes for developing strategies and measures for individual communication instruments
- Methods for determining a communication budget, approach to integrated communication control
Module exam
Lecture, case studies, news room simulation, practical exercises
German
- Success-intelligent acting and communicating in different (challenging) situations
- Professional self-marketing on the job
- Linking students' professional knowledge and personality so that they can react optimally to people and situations and act in a self-determined manner
Module exam
Feedback loops, practical exercises, reflection
German
- System-oriented management theory
- Cybernetic management models for coping with complexity
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
- Overview of the most important qualitative research methods (observation, interview, structural data research)
- Overview of the most important evaluation methods in qualitative social research (content analysis, hermeneutic text interpretation)
- Premises and principles of interpretative social research
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
Quantitative Methods:
- History, premises, and principles of quantitative social research
- Basic statistical methods in the social sciences
- Research questions and designs
- Hypothesis formation and operationalization
- Basics of data analysis and data collection
- Fundamentals of probability theory
Qualitative Methods:
- History, premises, and principles of interpretive social research
- Overview of the most important qualitative methods in empirical social research
- Access to the research field, organization of the research process, and quality standards within qualitative research
- Research fields and development of research questions
Module exam
Lecture, group work
German
- Basics of data analysis and data collection
- Fundamentals of probability theory
- Conditional probabilities and independence
- Measuring association and correlation
- The concept of random variables
- Quantitative data collection
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
- EU primary law
- Secondary law
- Federal constitutional law
- Civil and criminal law framework
- Media law
- European and Austrian data protection, data security and intellectual property law
- Legal basis of public and private broadcasting, audiovisual media services and information society services
- Most important ECJ, ECtHR, Constitutional Court and Supreme Court decisions on IT and media law
- Legal research and citation
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
- Differentiation Security & Safety
- Basics of cryptography
- Basic principles and techniques of preventing and averting IT security risks
- Current technologies as well as strengths and weaknesses of procedures and architectures in the field of IT security
- Support tools in the area of IT security
- Current events in IT security
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, group work
German
- Organizations and companies: Maintaining contact with supporters, members, employees or customers with the aim of being able to activate them for actions if necessary
- Ways and means for target group oriented contacting
- Methodical approaches for platform-independent use
- Adaptation and optimization of messages for the respective channels and target groups
- Creation and evaluation of content
Module exam
Lecture, analysis, discussion, practical exercises, team teaching
German
- Definitions of the term digitalization
- Technologies of digitalization
- Fields of application of various technologies
- Technological environment
- Methods of implementation and selection of technologies
- Legal aspects of digitalization
Module exam
Lecture, presentation, discussions, team teaching
German
Lector: Dozent Univ.Lektor Dr. Andreas Klein, Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Andreas Schnider, Mag. Wolfgang Tomaschitz
- Introduction to models of evidence-based policy-making (potentials, limits, dangers)
- On the social embedding of knowledge and innovation (from good evidence to good governance of evidence)
- Epistemization of policy, knowledge and power, democratization of knowledge
- Models of cooperative and consultative processing of knowledge, polycentric power structures
- Basics of applied network analysis in the political system
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
Lector: Dipl.-Vw. Klemens Himpele, Paul Schmidinger, MA
- Democracy-political contexts in digitalization projects
- Socio-political issues in the field of digitalization or the use of technologies
- Technology in its social context
- Current discussions on network policy
Module exam
Lecture, presentation, discussion, team teaching
German
Lector: Mag.a Dr.in Petra Bernhardt, Maximilian Freissler, MA.
- Practical application of qualitative data collection methods
- Practical application of qualitative evaluation methods
- Formulation of the presentation of results of a qualitative evaluation
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
Lector: Mag.a Dr.in Petra Bernhardt, Maximilian Freissler, MA.
- Descriptive data analysis with SPSS
- Inferential statistical evaluation with SPSS
- Formulating the presentation of results of a quantitative evaluation
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
Lector: Paul Schmidinger, MA
- Collection and analysis of large amounts of data
- Exploring the cultural, ethical and socio-technical challenges
- Critical engagement with Big Data, data science, data ethics, privacy, fake news
- Contribution of data systems and algorithms to solving societal problems
- Data practices: Ways in which data is collected, transformed, analyzed, and trusted
- "Data driven decision making": information visualization and modeling. What is data and what does its reliability mean? What kinds of questions can data-driven methods ask and answer? What does data tell us about the world, and how do we construct methods and models to understand social phenomena or even change things in society?
Module exam
Lectures, discussions, presentation, team teaching
German
Lector: Mag.a Dr.in Petra Bernhardt, Mag.phil. Ursula Juno
- Storytelling and examples of use (stories for journalists, politics, the stock market community, companies and their brands, etc.)
- Storytelling and visualization methods
- Transformation process and transformation potential of stories in different channel structures
- Recognition of manipulations, future options and new technologies
- Impact of stories in different media and communication channels
- Best and "Bad" Practices: Analysis and discussion of storytelling based on successful and failed examples.
- Creation of briefings for external or internal service providers
- Development and implementation of a visual strategy
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
Lector: Mag.a Dr.in Petra Bernhardt, Maximilian Freissler, MA.
- Planning and design of research projects and the individual considerations necessary for them
- Discussion of the research design
- Networking of existing knowledge about empirical social research, discussion of advantages and disadvantages of different approaches
- Conception of empirical research work
- Reflection on the planned research work
- Narrowing down the field of research
- Formulation of the research questions for the master thesis
- Definition of research goal and research object
- Definition of research methods
- Critical reflection on possible ethical problems
- Structure of the master's thesis
Module exam
Lecture, group work, discussion, team teaching
German
Lector: Dipl. Ing. Harald Leitenmüller
- Weak AIs
- Strong AIs
- Machine Learning
- Deep Learning
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, group work
German
Lector: Verena Nowotny, MA
- Definition of crisis communication - basics of crisis communication
- Real-time simulation: Scenario training (crisis simulator) Creating a situation assessment and defining and implementing possible measures
- Strategy and tactics in crisis situations
- Communication under pressure, dealing with social media
- Special features, challenges in crisis communication
- Preparation for possible crisis scenarios
- Analysis and discussion of crisis situations, common mistakes (using concrete examples), best practices (using concrete examples)
- Stakeholder analysis, scenario analysis, development of wordings, provision of resources
Module exam
Lecture, case studies, scenario training
German
Lector: Mag.phil. Daniela Soykan-Tober
- Professional management of discussions and specialist discourse
- Presentation
- Successful handling of eristic attacks
- Solution-oriented basic attitude
- Communicating competence
Module exam
Exercise, feedback loops
German
Lector: Maximilian Freissler, MA.
- What is social network analysis?
- Centrality measures and their calculation
- Basics of social system simulation
- Computer-aided modeling of social behavior
- Visualization of networks and other complex data
- Research designs in the context of complex methods
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, exercises
German
Lector: Dozent Univ.Lektor Dr. Andreas Klein, Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Andreas Schnider, Mag. Maria Seifert-Gasteiger
- Digital competence of executives
- Change of companies and business models in digitalization
- Agile Mindset, Innovation and Transformation
- Mistakes and learnings in digitalization
- Innovation management
Module exam
Lecture, exercise
German
Lector: FH-Prof. Mag. Dr. Peter Grabner, Dozent Univ.Lektor Dr. Andreas Klein, Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Andreas Schnider
- Changes in expectations of leadership
- Characteristics of digital leadership
- Leadership approaches and tools in the digital economy
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, group work, team teaching
German
Lector: Mag.a Dr.in Petra Bernhardt
- Discussion with an expert or public figure on a current socio-political topic of the department
- Exchange with the expert and graduates as well as students of all years in the network of the department "Applied Political Science"
Module exam
Lecture, discussion
German
Lector: Laura Stromberger, MA
- Elements of a successful mobilization campaign
- Campaign planning and campaign craft
- Methods for systematizing campaign processes
- Effective mobilization
- Case studies
- Current developments in campaigning in the national and international context
- Segmenting target groups for a different approach based on the Ladder of Engagement
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, group work under supervision, team teaching
German
- Independent processing of a subject-relevant topic at a scientific level
- Research, data collection and evaluation
- Writing of the master's thesis
Module exam
Individual work (independent work)
German
Lector: Mag.a Dr.in Petra Bernhardt, Maximilian Freissler, MA.
- Support with questions regarding the research and writing process of the master's thesis
- Presentation of progress with subsequent feedback from students and teachers
- Feedback on work progress in topic-relevant small groups, peer groups
- Supervision of independent work on a subject-relevant topic at a scientific level by a supervisor
Module exam
Lecture, discussion, presentation in small groups
German
Lector: Mag.a Dr.in Petra Bernhardt, Maximilian Freissler, MA.
- Consolidation of the basic principles of scientific reasoning and writing
- Reading, understanding and interpreting relevant texts
- Literature research
- Formal methods of scientific reasoning and writing
- Students present the current development of their master's thesis at regular intervals and present it for discussion in the plenum
Module exam
Presentation
German
- Presentation of the master's thesis to the examination board
- Examination questions on the master's thesis itself as well as an examination subject related to the subject of the master's thesis or a subject to which a cross-connection can be established.
- Examination discussion about other study-related contents
Module exam
Independent work
German
Program type
From the 1st semester, blended learning for some courses (class attendance phases and e-learning phases)
Times
In blocks over weekends, Friday to Monday, one to two blocks per month.
As a graduate of this program, a wide range of occupational fields and career opportunities are open to you. Find out here where your path can take you.
As a graduate, you will enjoy a wide range of professional opportunities: You will pursue a career in public administration, in companies, in political (sub) organizations, in parliament, in media companies, in PR/public affairs agencies, in interest groups, NGOs and NPOs, or in teaching and research in social and political science.
For example, you will work in ministry cabinets, offices of political decision-makers at the EU, federal, state, district and community level, lead the development and implementation of integrated cross-media communication strategies or as a campaign manager in politics or in politically related fields. With your competence profile, you will also be in high demand in the area of tension between technology and society, for example in the strategy department of a technology company. As a communications expert or with a managerial position in the media environment, you benefit from the special combination of these topics.
We work closely with renowned companies in commerce and industry, with universities, institutions and schools. This guarantees you contacts for internships, employment or participation in research and development. You can find information about our cooperation activities and much more at Campusnetzwerk. It's well worth visiting the site as it may direct you to a new job or interesting event held by our cooperation partners!
Head of Programs Political Management, Leadership, Politics and Management, Digitization, Politics and Communication
Favoritenstraße 226, B.3.07b
1100 Vienna
+43 1 606 68 77-2742
+43 1 606 68 77-2749
dpk@fh-campuswien.ac.at
meltem.sirin@fh-campuswien.ac.at
Office hours during the semester
by agreement