Cross-Disciplinary Strategies (BA and MA)

Online submission from January 11–27, 2023. Register for our digital information session on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 2–3pm (CET) at cds [​at​] uni-ak.ac.at.

The Institute of Arts and Society at the University of Applied Arts Vienna invites applicants for ‘Cross-Disciplinary Strategies. Applied Studies in Art, Science, Philosophy, and Global Challenges’ (CDS). The English language programs offer BA and MA students the opportunity to critically engage with contemporary challenges in an interdisciplinary setting, linking the approaches and methodologies of art, technology, the humanities, and social sciences. CDS prepares students for critical engagement with the major scientific, technological and social issues arising from an interconnected and contested global world. This engagement is informed by artistic strategies and art perception, which are a foundation for the shared disciplinary language of CDS.

Interested students can learn more about our program and download information folders on the application process here.

Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Eight semesters, 240 ECTS / English language competence (B2, CEFR) / Application information folder; Curriculum.

Over the last few years, the CDS BA program has developed into a strongly practice-oriented education that prepares students for critical engagement with major artistic, technological, and social issues arising from an interconnected and contested global world.

Annual topics focus on the courses offered and create a common conversation with opportunities for mutual learning across student years. The annual topics foreground pressing debates, including migration, work, growth, the environment, nutrition, and the possibilities and consequences of AI and Big Data. Through applied projects, students receive substantial training in practically implementing scientific and artistic works informed by theory, developed with appropriate research methods, and communicated through various formats to diverse audiences and partners.

The curriculum is suited for students wishing to develop a critical approach and collaborative skills applied in individual areas of knowledge in and beyond the arts. BA students from CDS often go on to master’s degrees. The program aims to support students to develop career possibilities in various fields, including political, scientific, and international institutions where complex problems demand interdisciplinary solutions.

Degree: Master of Arts (MA)
Four semesters, 120 ECTS / English language competence (B2, CEFR) / Application information folder; Curriculum.

The master’s program is centered on trans-disciplinary projects in which students research complex relationships, make these visible, and embed them in cooperative processes. Students learn to situate their topics in a broader societal context and, in addition, to communicate them using a range of methods and artistic strategies. For these projects, dialogue and collaboration with actors of civil society, art, science, politics, and the economy are supported and promoted.

MA courses at CDS are organized into three study areas: Science and Technology, Economics and Politics, and Artistic Strategies. Through the cross-cutting curriculum, master’s students are particularly sensitized to the epistemological foundations of knowledge systems, digital technologies and efforts toward a socially and ecologically sustainable future. Excursions, workshops, fieldwork, lectures, and close mentorship, prepare the master’s program graduates for an independent role in working within and between interest groups and across different specialist backgrounds.

Apply
Applications for both programs include an online application. After passing the first step, applicants receive a practical task and are invited to a personal interview in Vienna. Start your online application for both the BA and MA degrees here. In the case of any further questions, we are happy to receive your email to cds [​at​] uni-ak.ac.at!