Master in Executive Management

Master in Executive Management is one of 32 English-taught Business Administration programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 19 institutions. 29 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 727 to EUR 1,453; this programme lists EUR 727 a year. 18 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

This is a part-time, English-taught Master of Arts in Business at FHWien der WKW, a university of applied sciences in Vienna. It runs over four semesters (120 ECTS) and takes a generalist view of management: the aim is to turn specialists into business all-rounders who can see how the parts of a company fit together.

What you study

The curriculum rests on four pillars: strategic management (management models, international trends, strategic controlling, change management), organisational growth (expansion strategies in Austria and abroad, growth processes, innovation management, business planning), organisational restructuring (crisis prevention and identification, company restructuring, turnaround management) and leadership behaviour (social skills, team development, leadership, conflict management).

Courses are grouped into modules. In the first semester you take Professional Purposes (teambuilding, business negotiations, business research), International Economics and Economic Policy, and three of six bridging or elective courses: General Management and Strategy Fundamentals, Accounting and Financial Management, Strategic HR and Project Management, Business Ethics and Sustainability, Resource and Export Management, or Strategic and International Marketing. Later semesters bring Leadership and Change Management, Sustainable Management, European Business Law and Compliance Management, Performance Management, Strategic Transformation, Innovation and Technology Management, Corporate Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions, International Cooperations, Business Simulation, Turnaround Management and Crisis Communication, and Interdisciplinary Reflections. The master's thesis is spread across three semesters, ending with the final examination.

One teaching method stands out: the programme uses the MOC Harvard method (Microeconomics of Competitiveness). Teaching is module-based, with topic blocks leading to one integrated exam at the end rather than many small tests.

How the programme is organised

It is part-time. Classes usually fall on two to three days a week: Thursday evenings, Friday from 14:50, and all day Saturday. Resit exams are possible on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 16:00. Teaching takes place at wko campus wien, Währinger Gürtel 97, 1180 Vienna, near the U6 station Währinger Straße/Volksoper. A study-abroad semester is possible in the third semester, also as a summer school. The programme starts every winter term in September, with 68 places per year.

Who it suits

The programme is built for people who already know some business administration and want a broader view. That includes graduates of specialised business degrees such as real estate, finance or marketing who want wider career options, self-employed people who want to spot crisis risks early, and graduates of non-business fields such as technology, natural sciences or law who have worked in a business environment and need management knowledge. It suits people aiming for the next step up the career ladder.

Admission, language and next steps

Teaching is entirely in English. There is a specific admissions procedure for this programme, and you apply directly to FHWien der WKW; the institution's own page lists the requirements, the procedure and the application period. As a university of applied sciences it sets its own tuition fee, shown on its page. Brush-up courses (fit4fh) are available for master's students to refresh prior knowledge.

Graduates of this program are equipped with all the necessary skills to manage companies that want to exploit their growth potential internationally. Emphasis in this English-language Master’s program is placed on the strategic management of organizational growth and restructuring processes.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here FHWien der WKW. Universities of applied sciences set their own application periods and admission procedures, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: Admission procedure. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.