PhD in Digital Transformation in Learning

This is a four-year PhD run jointly by IT:U and JKU's Linz School of Education. It looks at how digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence, are changing when, what and how people learn in higher education and at work. You study in Linz, the programme is taught in English, and it carries 240 ECTS.

What you study

The programme mixes IT:U's interdisciplinary teaching and learning labs with JKU's Linz School of Education. You build skills in computational thinking, design-based research and interdisciplinary research, and you learn to develop and test how emerging technologies can support active learning. Supervisors come from fields such as psychology, pedagogy, physics and computer science, and you can explore perspectives like STEM education, instructional design and professional learning. Electives let you tailor the programme in areas such as data science, machine learning and AI literacy. You also learn to spot research gaps and societal problems and to tackle them across disciplines.

How the programme is organised

Year 1 has core modules (20 ECTS), a project module (10 ECTS) and a research lab module (30 ECTS), ending with a PhD proposal presentation at the start of Year 2. From Year 2 to Year 4 you teach as a project assistant, take an interdisciplinary research seminar (30 ECTS, 5 per term) and work on your PhD thesis (150 ECTS). The thesis is submitted and defended at the end of Year 4. Teaching methods include project-based learning, research methodology training, interdisciplinary collaboration, learning labs, and formats such as competitions and hackathons. A programme committee of professors from IT:U, JKU and other international researchers guides you through the programme.

Who it suits

You need a degree equivalent to a master's in a field related to your project. The page says backgrounds can vary from psychology to computer science to medicine, so any field is fine if you meet the other requirements. What matters is a strong interest in active learning and technology-driven solutions, curiosity about computational methods and intelligent learning systems, and fluent English with academic writing skills. You should be ready to work independently and in a team, and to analyse digital solutions such as conversational agents and learning analytics.

Admission, language and next steps

Teaching is in English. Applications go directly to IT:U, not through a central portal, and the programme's own page gives the application period. The start date shown is 1 October 2026, and applications are closed at the time of writing. You will be employed at IT:U for the whole PhD, and the page lists a gross salary, a free KlimaTicket OÖ for public transport in Upper Austria, and coffee and snacks. For visa questions, application status or general study questions, the page points to the FAQ and to the Student Administration Team and Student Support. The curriculum download and supervisory committee are linked from the programme page.

IT:U’s PhD program Digital Transformation in Learning explores how digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are reshaping education and learning processes. Students investigate the impact of AI on education, social and cognitive aspects of learning, and the role of technology in shaping future educational systems.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here IT:U Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. 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.