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Application Deadline: May 26, 2024
Managing the Public Interest!
Are you interested in innovations in the social and health care sectors, as well as in organizations of public interest? Digitalization, sustainability, health literacy, prevention, poverty alleviation, and development cooperation are close to your heart?
Then, look forward to the practical-oriented study program Social, Health & Public Management, which combines entrepreneurial tools with scientific methods and ensures decision-making competence.
Moreover, the entire program places a strong emphasis on teamwork. It is particularly suited for individuals who seek to take responsibility in public office and to require relevant knowledge.
Campus Tour at the MCI
Welcome to MCI - The Entrepreneurial School®
As part of the bachelor's program in Social, Health & Public Management, you will acquire the social, legal, business and management-related skills you need to help shape and make decisions responsibly in private and public organizations and companies that are dedicated to key social issues.
These skills include organizational development and leadership skills, human resource management, sustainability, process management and intercultural competencies to overcome international and national challenges in governmental and non-governmental cooperations. In addition, topics such as combating poverty, equal opportunities, homelessness as well as teaching about digitalization, eGovernance and eHealth, health literacy, public health, prevention and care systems are covered.
Additionally, close links to practice and relevant stakeholders in social, health care and public management are part of the curriculum. You will benefit from a large number of internal and external lecturers throughout the program, who contribute with special knowledge and experience. In the first year of study, you can choose between online and face-to-face study, and from the third semester onwards, you will continue with face-to-face study. The online part will be completed together with students from the Business Administration Online study program, who we share the introductory phase with.
If you have any questions about the study program, please contact us.
Applications for admission are accepted on an ongoing basis via our online application platform. In the sense of your personal further planning, we recommend that you submit your application early.
Applicants are welcome to apply for multiple programs of study, as long as a plausible rationale is given.
Generally, admission to the program is available to the following persons:
Persons without a university entrance qualification but with relevant vocational qualifications must additionally sit entrance exams in German, English (Level II) and Mathematics (Level I). The level of the exams corresponds to that of a non-school university entrance qualification in social & economic sciences.
Persons in their last year at school wishing to apply for a place on the program before taking their final exams must include their most current school report with their application. Successful applicants must subsequently submit their school-leaving examination certificate before the start of the first semester.
In just two steps to your desired study program at MCI:
Step 1 – Online application: CV & motivation
A complete online application consists of a CV, a letter of motivation, information on educational background, qualifications, professional career, social achievements and academic as well as professional goals. We would like to know why you are applying to study at MCI.
You may apply for more than one degree program at the same time, provided you can conclusively explain your respective motivations in your letter of motivation.
Step 2 – Online admission interview
In the second step, all applicants will be invited to an online admission interview.
In this interview, we want to get to know you. We are particularly interested in your motivation to study at MCI as well as your professional and personal goals you want to achieve with the help of your studies.
Within three weeks after the admission interview, we will inform you about the admission decision.
After completing the initial two-semester introductory phase, from the third semester onwards, you will delve into the details of social, health care, and public management, including ethics and human rights, or digitization/eHealth/eGovernance, as well as intercultural competence and diversity.
The fourth semester emphasizes practical relevance and specialization in the areas of social, health care, or public management: you have the chance to work with partners in the field on real challenges and have the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience. This interdisciplinary semester has already been awarded with the Recognition Prize for Excellent Teaching (Ars Docendi) by the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Research.
The fifth semester focuses on internationality: either you study at one of our numerous partner universities abroad or you complete the international semester at MCI. If you decide to stay at MCI, you can also choose an interdisciplinary elective according to your interests. This is your chance to explore different perspectives and exchange ideas with students from other disciplines.
During the last semester, you will write your bachelor's thesis and undertake a professional internship, allowing you to put your acquired knowledge into practical use.
Semester Credit Units| ECTS-Credits
In the first year of the Bachelor's program Nonprofit, Social & Health Management, you can choose between full-time and online mode.
In the on-site mode, lectures and seminars take place on weekdays from Monday to Wednesday lunchtime, while blocked units allow for an intensive examination of individual topics.
In the online mode, mandatory online lectures take place twice a week in the evenings and students come to Innsbruck for on-site lectures on up to ten days per semester.
The remaining workload consists of preparation and follow-up of the lectures, independent work on content, group and project work.
From the second year onwards, the program is offered in attendance mode only.
Our interdisciplinary electives provide you with the opportunity to tailor your academic journey to your own interests and goals.
Interdisciplinary electives are cross-curricular courses on current trends and developments.
They allow you to discuss topics from different perspectives and interact with students and faculty from other disciplines.
During your studies you have the unique chance to choose such a course from a wide range of topics within the following focus areas:
The electives offer the opportunity to deepen your own interests and broaden your horizons. Join us as we enter a world of learning, exploration, and growth! Read more.
Graduates of the program are conferred the academic title of Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, in short BA or B.A. This is attested by a leaving certificate, the Bachelor diploma, the international diploma supplement, and further documents where relevant. MCI Alumni are entitled to combine their academic degree with the brand “MCI” to provide trust and orientation in an increasingly intransparent international education market. Example: BSc (MCI). Source: GZ BMWF-52.330/0195-I/6/2013
During the fourth semester, you have the opportunity to choose elective courses from the fields of social, health care, or public management in order to further enhance your skills through immersive engagement with practical projects and partners. Upon completion of the fourth semester, you will receive a certificate confirming your acquired competencies in the areas of social, health, or public management.
In this specialization, you will receive input on socially relevant problem areas and the actors and organizations who address these problems. Key topics include organizational development and management, sustainability, process management, efficient and targeted administration and international challenges for governmental and non-governmental cooperation. Alongside this, there will be a practical project in collaboration with partners from the public sector.
In this specialization, you will receive insights into topics such as poverty alleviation, equal opportunities, international solidarity systems, various social management concepts, eGovernance, and homelessness.. It is important to understand the contexts of those social phenomena in order to solve societal challenges sustainably. Additionally, you will engage in a joint practical project with partners from the social sector.
This specialization covers various aspects related to health care, such as Public Health, focusing on improving the health of the entire population while considering contextual conditions. Other topics addressed include prevention, digitization, eHealth, primary care, and personnel management. Complementing these studies is a practical project conducted in partnership with stakeholders from the healthcare sector.
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID: Recognizing the growing significance of mental health in the workplace, this program offers essential training. As part of the Social, Health Care & Public Management curriculum, participants attain the accredited "Mental Health First Aid" certification. Graduates are equipped to identify early signs of mental health issues in colleagues, making meaningful contributions to (workplace) health care. The program, increasingly demanded by organizations/ employers, integrates practical experience through Service Learning, providing students with exposure to diverse organizations in the social, health care and public management sectors.
Students receive this certificate upon the completion of diverse courses within the study program, addressing themes such as corporate and organizational transformation, innovations in the social, health and public management sectors, business ethics, project and stakeholder management. Emphasizing the social responsibility of organizations in both local and global contexts, the curriculum explores strategies for navigating a perpetually evolving world. This certification acknowledges competencies gained in "Transformation and Innovation Management," skills that are highly valued in the social, health care and public management sectors.
Here, students accumulate ECTS through Practical Experience. In collaboration with Caritas Tirol, the Social, Health & Public Management program has recently introduced Service Learning as a component of the curriculum. This innovative addition not only provides an enriching learning experience but also opens up diverse opportunities for professional development.
In order to ensure the transfer of learning and to enable students to develop relevant competencies, MCI has defined clear cross-curricular learning goals. These describe, in detail, the knowledge and skills acquired by our graduates on completion of their studies at MCI.
Information Literacy
Our graduates can find, evaluate, and responsibly use information from a variety of (digital) sources.
Responsible Decision Making
Inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, our graduates can make decisions that are ecologically sustainable, economically responsible, and socially equitable.
Entrepreneurship
Our graduates demonstrate proficiency in applying entrepreneurial thinking and strategies to identify market opportunities, solve complex problems, and create innovative solutions, considering ethical issues.
Internationality is an essential component at MCI. This is reflected not only in the curriculum and assigned projects, but also in the backgrounds of our faculty and students. As part of an MCI study program, students have the opportunity to spend a semester at one of our numerous partner universities. Students who choose the international semester at MCI instead of a stay abroad have the opportunity to select an interdisciplinary elective according to their interests.
At the beginning of the 4th semester, students have the opportunity to take part in an excursion to a neighboring European country in order to compare the challenges of social, health care and public management in Austria with those in another European country.
As part of their studies, students complete an integrative work placement of at least 13 weeks. Therefore, students can choose domestic or international companies. The internship is organizationally supported by the degree program and supervised in coordination with the respective company.
Our department and the MCI Career Center regularly provide up-to-date information about internship positions and the situation on the labor market in general.
Students who have previously been engaged in a regulated professional role either before starting or during their academic journey may qualify for (partial) exemption from fulfilling their own internship requirement upon submission of an application.
In order to apply, the professional engagement must align with the broader professional scope of the Social, Health Care & Public Management study program. Furthermore, the learning objectives linked to the internship semester must have been either fully or partially attained.
Mentoring Program
As part of a mentoring program, students have the opportunity to adapt to the current requirements of the modern working world during their studies and to enrich the theoretical knowledge they have acquired with experience and tips from mentors from relevant industries.
How to kick-start your career in the nonprofit sector: the Bachelor’s degree program in Nonprofit, Social & Health Care Management offered by MCI provides you with all the methods and tools required to make competent decisions and act professionally in your future job.
Felix De Zordo, BA; graduate of Nonprofit, Social & Health Care Management
As an organization, we had the opportunity to get an insight into the great module Fundamentals of Political and Communication Sciences" in the Bachelor Degree program Nonprofit, Social & Health Management. We are really impressed by what the students get to see in these courses - it is a great opportunity for them to try out and experience the theory-practice transfer. The final product, which was created by the students for our organization, shows that the concept works very well.
Mag.a Kathrin Heis, MA, Geschäftsleitung Plattform Asyl
Our goal is a world that is fit for the future in terms of the interaction between ecology, economy and social issues. The Bachelor Degree program Nonprofit, Social & Health Management prepares students for these challenges through sound theoretical instruction and practical training, and encourages them to find innovative solutions. We as Klimabündnis Tirol are happy to contribute to projects and courses with our knowledge on climate protection, climate change adaptation and sustainability and in return we receive valuable stimuli for our work.
Andrä Stigger, Geschäftsführung Klimabündnis Tirol
At the Entrepreneurial School®, providing a consistent link between science and practice has top priority. Therefore, we provide our students plenty of opportunity to put their newly acquired knowledge to practice, even during their studies. The collaboration with companies and organizations of different sizes and sectors forms one of the cornerstones of the MCI concept. Such cooperative work does not only benefit our students, but also, to a large extent our partners.
The department has a strong emphasis on research at the interface of multiple disciplines and development of practical solutions in health and social care. In its scholarly efforts the interdisciplinary faculty of the department and its network brings in a variety of academic backgrounds into the department’s R&D strategy such as Economics, Business and Management, Medicine, Political Science, Sociology, Social Work, Information Technology, Statistics, Psychology, Ethics and Law. Central to the department’s applied research activities are the focus on implementation research and the close cooperation with our research partners.
• Hauptverband der österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger • Tiroler Gebietskrankenkasse • Land Tirol • Diakonie Rosenheim • IfS - Institut für Sozialdienste Vorarlberg, Austria • Dachverband der Patienten/innen-Selbsthilfe Tirol • Europäisches Forum Alpbach • Caritas Tirol • Die Beraterinnen • AMS - Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich • BFI Tirol Bildungs GmbH • Arbeiterkammer Tirol
With a degree in Social, Health & Public Management, various career opportunities open up for you in national and international organizations of public interest, responsible companies, start-ups, and social enterprises. The program prepares you optimally for professional activities in the following areas:
Click here to gain more insights into the fields of work of our graduates.
MCI Alumni & Friends provides a dynamic service platform promoting contacts, image, professional careers, and personal development of MCI and its graduates. We are delighted with all the graduates who choose to stay in touch even long after completion of their studies, and allowing us to be a part of their various careers:
A number of applicants interested in this degree program have also expressed interest in the following bachelor program.
It is possible to apply for more than one degree program at the same time if you present your motives in a meaningful explanation.
The MCI offers a number of internationally oriented Master's courses. The master program in International Health & Social Management and the European Master in Health Economics & Management are aimed directly at the graduates of this bachelor program. The completion of a master's degree qualifies for the relevant doctoral studies.
Yes, it is possible and it is even recommended that you apply before obtaining your school-leaving certificate in order to secure one of the limited places in your desired course of study. Please include your most recent certificates available in your application. Should your application be successful, the relevant school-leaving certificate may be submitted at a later date.
Students in the program have options: they can choose within the curriculum, but also outside of it, between modules, specializations, supplementary events, elective subjects, courses, etc. But not only that: the semester abroad with its numerous partner universities, the professional internship as well as the project and thesis assignments provide choices and opportunities for shaping the study experience, making it an individualized journey.
Multiple applications are welcome as long as a plausible reason is provided in your cover letter. If you are admitted to two or more study programs, you are required to inform us of your final decision by the conclusion of the application procedures. If you have applied for two or more study programs, you will have to take the written entrance examination only once.
The Bachelor’s program Social, Health & Public Management provides students to choose between an online study at the bachelor’s program Business Administration Online or a face-to-face study within the Social, Health & Public Management program during their first year. The face-to-face program is planned to accommodate students with job-friendly schedules, with classes held from Monday to Wednesday noon. However, it is still a full-time program with a workload that corresponds to the semester periods.
The Social, Health & Public Management program is a business course. It is designed to prepare students for a career in the administration or management of organizations, mainly – but not exclusively – in the social, health and public management sector.
We offer 60 places of study per academic year.
The entire admission process can be completed online. This means that you can also participate in the admission process from abroad. However, please make sure you have a sufficiently good internet connection.
Lectures and seminars in full-time courses are held on weekdays. To facilitate a more intense discussion of individual topics, some lessons may also be organized in blocks. Classes usually take place Monday to Friday between 9am and 4.45pm.
In the online mode of the program, classes are held in the evening. There may be up to three 90-minute online classes per week. Additionally, up to ten on-campus sessions per semester are organized either at the beginning, halfway through, or at the end of the respective semester.
Attendance is mandatory in all classes. If you miss 25% of a course or more, this will have an effect on your final grade.
Exemption from mandatory attendance may be granted if a valid reason is given (e.g. sickness, visit to authorities or other personal reasons). Please submit your written request including relevant proof to the department for approval.
For citizens of the following countries, the tuition fee is 363 euros per semester plus a fee for compulsory membership to the Austrian National Union of Students:
EU citizens,
EEA and Swiss citizens, and
non-EU citizens who, according to § 2 of the University of Applied Sciences Studies Act, are subject to § 1 of the Regulation on Eligible Groups of Persons (see Federal Law Gazette II No. 340/2013, in its current version).
For students of non-EU countries not considered eligible according to above regulations, the tuition fee is as follows:
Your application documents regarding nationality will be assessed in detail as part of your admission procedure. Scholarships are available for applicants from non-EU countries and can be applied for as part of your online application.
Students of this study program have the choice within their curriculum, but also as part of their extracurricular activities, to choose between modules, specializations, additional courses, electives, etc. Additionally, the semester abroad at one of our numerous partner universities, the internship, as well as projects and final papers, enable our students to make their study program a truly unique experience.
Yes. Applications for recognition of previously acquired qualifications must be submitted to the relevant head of department at the beginning of your studies. Recognition of previous experience / qualifications is only granted for individual classes within the program.
The allocation of students to the Social Management, Health Care Management, and Public Management courses takes place in the third semester.
The mandatory internship can be completed either nationally or internationally. Students are free to choose a preferred organization or institution. We will also inform you of further suitable internship positions in due time. Students with relevant professional experience may receive partial credit towards the professional internship.
Upon completion of the bachelor’s program, you are qualified to take up a master’s program at any higher education institution, provided you also fulfill all other relevant admission requirements.
The following master’s programs are available to you at MCI:
Since study places are continuously allocated in each admission round, we recommend participating in the admission process as early as possible. Applicants with above-average performance in the admission process will receive an immediate acceptance after evaluation (within 14 days). All other applicants remain on the waiting list until the end of the admission process. In case of rejections of already admitted students, there is a chance of obtaining a study place until the start of the semester.
Our goal is to support our students as best as possible to complete the bachelor's program within six semesters. We are also very proud that our dropout rate is no higher than in on-campus programs. However, we understand that there are valid reasons that may make it difficult to successfully continue the studies – for example, if life circumstances change and a new job requires more time commitment. Therefore, it is possible to temporarily interrupt your studies and resume them at a later time. Please contact the study program early in this case.
