Master in Digital Society, Social Innovation and Global Citizenship

Master in Digital Society, Social Innovation and Global Citizenship is one of 8 English-taught Computer Science & IT programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 7 institutions. 8 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 1,453 a year. 5 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

DIGISOC is a joint Master's programme run by three European universities: the University of Innsbruck, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Italy and Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci in the Czech Republic. It is taught in English and leads to a Master of Science after 120 ECTS over four semesters of full-time study. At Innsbruck it sits in the Faculty of Economics and Statistics.

What you study

The programme mixes digital competencies with social science analysis and social innovation. Five thematic areas run through it:

• Digital transformation and societal change
• Social innovation and sustainable development
• Ethics, responsibility and governance of digital technologies
• Digital methods for the analysis of societal data
• International perspectives on digitalisation and global citizenship

Teaching is interdisciplinary: you look at societal challenges across disciplines and work on sustainable solutions. Alongside subject knowledge you build transversal skills such as critical and ethical thinking, analytical problem-solving, intercultural collaboration, and the ability to bring knowledge from different fields together in international contexts.

How the programme is organised

Courses are taught in English in hybrid formats. A central teaching element is the Collaboratorium for Blended International Hybrid Learning, which lets students work together across locations, including from their home university.

Mobility is compulsory but bundled so you are not travelling during ongoing teaching periods. At the start there is a joint Summer School with a five-day on-site phase at one of the partner universities. In the second semester you pick a second thematic Summer School, again with a five-day on-site phase. Other courses can be taken flexibly across locations.

The third semester is where you specialise, through elective modules with a thematic focus such as education, culture or communication. You can do these in hybrid format from your home university or on site at a partner university. In the fourth semester you apply your skills in an international practical or research setting, for example project work, an internship or service learning.

Who it suits

The programme is deliberately interdisciplinary, so it is open to graduates from different academic backgrounds. It suits people who want to understand how digital technologies change society and who want to shape that change towards inclusion, education and participation. The admission test looks for transversal academic competencies rather than subject-specific expert knowledge: analytical and critical thinking, interpreting complex texts and visual information, logical reasoning and evaluating arguments, and reflective engagement with societal and digital issues. If you want a purely technical computer science degree, this is not it. If you want to combine digital know-how with social science and a European perspective, it fits.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a completed Bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification, and English proficiency at a minimum of B2. The application process includes a central admission test. Applications go through the official DIGISOC website, not a central Austrian portal, so check that site for the application period and the dates and deadlines for admission.

Costs are set by the programme: a tuition fee is charged for DIGISOC and collected centrally by the University of Naples Federico II, and further contributions may apply, including a public regional tax, stamp duty and the Austrian Students' Union (ÖH) contribution. The programme offers its own scholarships, and the mobility phases are structured so you can apply for Erasmus+ funding. Details are on the programme website under Costs and Scholarships. The programme also runs online information sessions where you can ask questions.

The Joint Study Master‘s Programme in Digital Society, Social Innovation and Global Citizenship (DIGISOC) enables students to achieve essential expertise in fields of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity and social innovation, ultimately aiming to address global challenges in an increasingly digital world.

Dieses interdisziplinäre Masterstudium wurde von drei europäischen Universitäten gemeinsam entwickelt, implementiert und durchgeführt: Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italien, Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, Tschechische Republik und Universität Innsbruck. An der Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II sind Studierengebühren zu bezahlen.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here University of Innsbruck. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, 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.