Required coursework

Table of Contents

How many ECTS credits are required in the doctoral programme?

The total workload of a doctoral programme at TU Wien is 180 ECTS, of which 162 ECTS are the dissertation, and 18 are courses (curricular part). The choice of the courses has to be agreed on with the supervisor and has to be approved by the dean of studies (ideally in advance). It is advisible to discuss the choice with both parties to avoid problems.

Are there any restrictions regarding the courses?

Yes:

You cannot choose any course that you have already used for another programme.
There are seperate requirements for each field of study/faculty. See the guidelines for the curricular part.

You can choose any course (see: academic programmes) as long as your supervisor and the Dean of Academic Affairs approve.

Note: If you are a student and an employee at a doctoral school, there can be further restriction. This can lead to more than 18 ECTS worth of courses.

Is the Privatissimum (exclusive tutorium) part of the curricular part?

Not always.

The Dean of Academic Affairs has to approve your choice of courses. There are different guidelines for each field of study regarding the number of credits that are classificated as seminary (SE) or privatisima (PV). The guidelines are usually announced on the homepage of the according faculty/dean’s office. They are also summarized here.

Can I include courses that I completed before enrolling in the doctoral programme in my selection?

Yes, as long as you did not use them in order to obtain another degree.

Are there any courses on scientific working?

Yes.

Make sure to discuss the choice with your supervisor and add them to your Theses-Agreement.

TU Wien also offers a variety of courses as part of its Internal Continuing Education programme. These courses do not award ECTS credits and are only open to TU Wien employees. If you are not a TU Wien employee, you can still contact the course’s instructor for admission.

Some useful courses may be:
WINA+
Good Scientific Practice und Plagiatsprävention
Effective scientific writing
EndNote – Zitieren und Literaturverwaltung leicht gemacht
MS Office Excel Grundlagen
MS Office Excel Fortgeschritten
Improving Your Scientific Papers
Kostenfreies Open-Access-Publizieren
Open Access, free of charge

General Science/Research related courses targeted at PhD students:
184.778 VU Research and Career Planning for Doctoral Students (3.0 ECTS)
195.080 VU Philosophy of Science (3.0 ECTS)
195.079 VU Fundamental Research Methods for PhD Students (3.0 ECTS)

Writing:
308.877 VU How to write a scientific paper (2.0 ECTS)
163.103 VU The Craft of Scientific Writing (3.0 ECTS)

LaTeX:
101.463 VU Computer mathematics (5.5 ECTS)
242.022 SE EDP in Civil Engineering (2.5 ECTS)

Matlab/Julia:
242.031 SE Programming in Civil Engineering (3.0 ECTS)
389.171 SE Digital Communications Seminar (3.0 ECTS)
105.679 VU Programming with MATLAB (2.0 ECTS)

Maple:
101.463 VU Computer mathematics (5.5 ECTS)

Python:
101.463 VU Computer mathematics (5.5 ECTS)
362.153 SE Scientific Programming in Python (2.0 ECTS)
142.351 UE Statistical Methods of Data Analysis (3.0 ECTS)
317.530 VU Fundamentals in Programming for MB, WIMB and VT (4.0 ECTS)
184.791 UE Introduction to the Fundamentals of Programming for Students and Refugees (6.0 ECTS)

Matplotlib:
362.153 SE Scientific Programming in Python (2.0 ECTS)

JavaScript:
126.101 VU Programming cartographic tasks (3.0 ECTS)

Java:
185.A05 VU Advanced Functional Programming (3.0 ECTS)
185.A91 VU Introduction to Programming 1 (5.5 ECTS)

C/C++:
101.275 VU Introduction to Programming (6.0 ECTS)
360.016 VU Programming 1 (4.0 ECTS)
360.017 VU Programming 2 (4.0 ECTS)
184.791 UE Introduction to the Fundamentals of Programming for Students and Refugees (6.0 ECTS)

Fortran:
138.089 VU Scientific Computing (3.0 ECTS)
138.094 VU Numerical methods and simulation (6.0 ECTS)

Programming general:
185.208 VU Programming Languages (3.0 ECTS)
259.350 VU Programming for Architects (3.0 ECTS)

Image Processiong:
122.422 VO Digital Image Processing in Surveying and Geoinformation (1.5 ECTS)

CAD:
242.023 SE CAD in Civil Engineering (2.0 ECTS) 2
42.024 SE CAD in Building Construction (2.0 ECTS)
242.025 SE CAD in Structural Engineering (2.0 ECTS)

Presentation:
242.016 SE Presentations I (for Civil Engineers) (3.0 ECTS)
242.017 SE Presentations II (for Civil Engineers) (3.0 ECTS)

Finite Elements:
202.653 VU Finite Elements Methods (4.0 ECTS)
202.660 VU Finite Element Methods 2 (4.0 ECTS)

Excel:
242.022 SE EDP in Civil Engineering (2.5 ECTS)
242.020 SE Excel Advanced for Engineers (2.0 ECTS)

MS Project:
242.022 SE EDP in Civil Engineering (2.5 ECTS)