4. Semester @ UWK, Austria

Who are the contact persons at UWK?

Kay Mühlmann

Mag. Kay Mühlmann is the initiator of the Transition Innovation and Sustainability Network of European Higher Education Institutions and Coordinator of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master of Excellence “Transition, Innovation and Sustainability Environments”. He is responsible for the organisation of the TISE Program. Furthermore he has a leading role in the establishment of the European Communications Institute, ECI (2018), in Athens Greece, a Synergy of Athena Research and Innovation Centers in Information and Communication Technologies, the National Technical University of Athens and Danube University with the goal to implement new transdisciplinary approaches in teaching and research for complex problem solving in societal contexts. 

TISE Program Director
Department for Knowledge and Communication Management
kay.muehlmann@donau-uni.ac.at

Dr. Liliya Satalkina is head of the TISE Secretariat and responsible for the administrative and organisational implementation of the TISE Program. She is a Post Doc Researcher at UWK with a focus on System Science and Innovation.

Program Manager of TISE
Department for Knowledge and Communication Management
liliya.satalkina@donau-uni.ac.at

Student Support

Student Service Center
The Infopoint of the University for Continuing Education Krems is the central contact point for students, alumni, lectures, and employees at Campus Krems.
Contact: scs@donau-uni.ac.at

Service Center for international relations
At the University for Continuing Education Krems, internationalization is of great significance and is supported by numerous international research and cooperation projects, collaborations, and exchange activities. Internationalization is to be found at all levels of the university.
Please find an overview of services and offers here: Service Center for International Relations – University for Continuing Education Krems (donau-uni.ac.at)

Visa Support
For Information regarding visa application etc in Austria please contact our colleague at Service Center for international relations:
Dr. des. Hélène Oberlé
Mobility and Inclusion Coordinator – Service Center for International Relations
helene.oberle@donau-uni.ac.at

Student Union

The student council offers service and advice and is responsible for representing the interests of students.
More Information can be found on their Website: https://www.oeh-duk.at/de/vertretung/sekretariat-2.html

Tel: +43 (0)2732 893-2045
E-Mail: buero@oeh-duk.at

Modules

At UWK a thematic emphasis is on the dynamics of (social) systems in transition and their environments (socio-cultural, socio-technical & socio-economical systems) as well as cross-boundary communication in this multiplex environment, system models and simulations as well as strategies of transdisciplinary methods and processes (“Systems Science and Transdisciplinarity”). The main goal is to integrate the previously obtained knowledge under a complexity science umbrella.

The following courses will be offered during the third semester in Krems:

  1. Complexity Science and Social System Theories
  2. System Models, Agents of Change & Coupled Systems in Transition
  3. Transdisciplinary Field Research Training (TFRT)
  4. Master’s Thesis

Master Thesis

The TISE master’s thesis meets scientific requirements, which means review of the scientific state of the art literature, combined with the realization of an empirical study. The problem to be addressed in the master thesis should describe a complex problem area and can be rooted in one or more of TISE disciplines (disciplinary thesis, interdisciplinary thesis, transdisciplinary thesis). However, as complex as the problem area might be, the thesis must be based on a clearly defined and focused research question.

Every thesis must have two supervisors from two different institutions, either Universities of Consortium or Associated partners. In addition to that students are free to consult with other scientists or (external) experts. Students should be ready to provide their preferences regarding the MT topics (or at least research areas) not later than by the mid. of the third semester. However, it is recommended not to start reflecting on the MT topic prior to the end of the second semester. Students are also invited to make suggestions regarding the potential supervisors. However, due to organizational reasons, the final decision regarding the supervisors is made only by the Consortium.

The MTs is designed to accompany the compilation and writing process of the thesis and give the possibility of feedback, reflection and discussion with supervisors and peers. Therefore, the attendance of the master’s thesis seminars is obligatory. Overall, there are four MT seminars that are arranged during the fourth semester, with the aim of exchange and mutual learning as well as continuous update of the work progress.

Content related issues of the MT:

  • Based on a clearly specified problem (theoretical or empirical) and suggestions on how to solve it
  • Must have a clearly defined research question
  • Analysis and critical interpretation of the scientific literature referring to the chosen issue in order to establish a state of the art; so that, through scientifically validated methodologies, the degree of knowledge about the chosen problem can be improved
  • Collection, analysis and processing/interpretation of data
  • Use research methods and tools for analysis appropriate for the considered problem
  • Must include a summary and interpretation of the results of the author’s research.