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Application Deadline: February 4, 2024
As a commencing student you may have many questions: What does the desired course of studies teach me? How do I apply? What are the requirements for admission to studying at MCI, and what is the application deadline? What are my career options after graduation? Below you will find all the answers and information you may need.
Graduates of the degree program are qualified to recognize social problems and provide scientifically sound and interdisciplinary solutions that are at once sustainable, effective, and efficient.
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Welcome to MCI - The Entrepreneurial School®
The Social Work Bachelor’s program offered by MCI trains students to become solution-oriented experts in regional and international social work displaying an awareness of respective issues in both thought and action.
Due to the altered framework conditions of society today, social professions have been undergoing a great shift. The ever-changing work environment, ecological and economic crises, as well as new lifestyles have created a whole range of new challenges. These have increased not only the demand for crisis intervention but also for preventive measures. Therefore, social workers with a professional, self-reliant, and results-oriented approach are required now more than ever.
Students in this Bachelor’s program are characterized by their strong interest in social topics and enthusiasm for working with other people. They are particularly keen to explore new ways of thinking and living as well as to support others in designing their own lives. They furthermore like to actively commit to improving the living situation of disadvantaged groups of persons and securing their rights. Open, respectful, and appreciative communication is a must. Further valuable skills and preconditions for a career in social work include empathy, the willingness to cooperate, a structured work approach, and the ability to cope with great pressure.
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.
MCI study programs stand out due to the quality of their content, tread a new educational path by adopting a scientific, practice-orientated and international approach. The close cooperation with partners from local, national or international social work agencies and integrative internships enable students to gain practical experience as early as in their Bachelor’s studies. In addition to providing expert knowledge, MCI places great importance on encouraging personal development and the development of social and intercultural competencies.
In addition to an academic qualification in action science and appropriate methods, the curriculum provides relevant knowledge of law, psychology, sociology, political sciences, and pedagogy. The students thus acquire an interdisciplinary perspective and learn how to link up and apply their theoretical knowledge of the different areas addressed in practice. The Social Work program also places a special focus on personal development and intercultural competencies. This is to prepare our graduates for a career in social work in an international context.
2 | 2
Semester Credit Units| ECTS-Credits
Full-time
The Bachelor program Management & Law is a full-time degree program. In full-time studies, lectures and seminars are held on weekdays, with blocked units allowing for an intensive immersion into individual topics.The classes usually take place from Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 12:15 and / or from 13:30 to 16:45. In exceptional cases, the times may vary and the lessons and / or examinations may take place outside the specified times or possibly on Saturdays.
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
One of the most essential components of MCI study programs is their international orientation. This is reflected not only in the curriculum and assigned projects, but also in the backgrounds of our faculty and students. Each program also includes the opportunity for students to spend a semester abroad at one of MCI’s many partner institutions.
At MCI, each program of study requires students to complete an integrative internship of at least 13 weeks at a national or international company. Students receive support from the respective department in organizing this internship and are supervised in coordination with the 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.
In the Bachelor’s degree program in Social Work, practical training has top priority. Carefully selected case studies from practice give students the opportunity to apply their newly acquired theoretical knowledge and reflect upon it with respective experts. This provides guidance both during on-campus classes and internships.
The four-week trial internship is designed to provide orientation during the transition from the first to the second semester. It allows students to gain an insight into relevant professional activities and structures.
Students will be familiarized with current social work issues, respective methods, and intervention planning. A particular focus is placed on the basic principles of professional behavior.
The trial internship helps students recognize the interconnectedness of the course contents in the everyday practice of a social worker and, thus, facilitates interdisciplinary and connected thinking.
During the fourth semester, students are required to complete an integrated 15-week internship in a national or international organization operating within to the social work sector. This is to allow students to put the previously acquired knowledge to practice while taking on ever more personal responsibility, while learning to work autonomously. The professional internship also provides orientation in the practical organizations and network of cooperative facilities of social work.
The mandatory internship can be completed either at home or abroad. Where professional, organizational, and language requirements are fulfilled, we explicitly encourage going on an internship abroad. Two programs are available for funding. For more information please see below.
Erasmus+ supports internships in all 28 EU member states as well as in the non-EU countries Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, and Macedonia, and in international partner countries. Erasmus+ provides grants from EUR 384 to EUR 435 per month. The amount may vary according to the living costs in the country of the internship. This can last from a minimum of two months to a maximum of twelve months.
Further details and information about requirements and conditions can be found at:
https://bildung.erasmusplus.at/de/hochschulbildung/studierende-und-graduierte/#c7461
Applications can be made through the MCI International Relations Office. Relevant information is provided during the second semester in respective information sessions and events. If you are interested in applying for an Erasmus+ grant, please contact International Relations Manager Kerstin Maier:
Mag.a Kerstin Maier
International Relations Manager
Email: kerstin.maier@mci.edu
Provide link to: https://international.mci.edu/de/erasmus
The GSD Program is funded by the Austrian Development Agency and available to social work students at Austrian universities and universities of applied sciences. The aim of the program is to facilitate the qualitative, professional, and well-founded preparation for, and follow-up to, internships in countries of the global South. Tailored workshops are offered to prepare interns on the socio-political, social and cultural, as well as professional levels. In cases where no other form of financial support is available, extra funding of up to EUR 700 from the project budget may be granted for internships.
The requirements for funding include a minimum internship duration of 15 weeks, relevant language skills, and a strong commitment to prepare for, and follow up on, the internship experience.
Interested students should apply through the relevant department, which organizes respective information sessions during the second semester of studies.
Contact:Bastian Oechsle, BA MATeaching & Research Assistantbastian.oechsle@mci.eduTel: +43 512 2700-3424
Do you manage, or work at, a psychosocial facility and offer internships for social work students?
We greatly appreciate the provision of internship opportunities and are happy to inform our students about possible vacancies. The easiest way to pass on the relevant information to suitable candidates is through online postings.
Please submit a brief description of the vacancy or vacancies in PDF or Word format, including your company logo as well as answers to the following questions:
The qualifications acquired in the MCI in the area of criminal offenders and the knowledge based on the theories of social work support me in my daily work.
Stefan Thaler, Graduate, Probation Officer and Mediator of Charitable Benefits, NEUSTART Vorarlberg
The degree in social work prepared me very well for my professional life. I particularly appreciated the practical orientation at MCI. In addition, I now benefit greatly from the various aspects and focus areas (legal, educational, social, economic, etc.) that were set in the program.
Martina Tschug, Graduate of Social Work, vocational training assistant at Arbas work assistance
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 research and development strategy of the Social Work study program includes a variety of focus areas corresponding to current issues. The overall aim of our research is to ensure the quality of social work as a profession in order to support people in their everyday lives.
Our research is conducted by way of applied research and development projects in cooperation with partners from social work practice and in the context of specific internal research projects carried out by our full-time lecturers. Students may become involved in such research projects as part of workshops or practical assignments. They thus acquire a knowledge of basic and evaluation research, applying both quantitative and qualitative methods. In the case of interdisciplinary cooperation, research and development projects are implemented in conjunction with other study programs, depending on the topic. This is to keep our research on the scientific and practical problems of social work up to date, especially with regard to social, societal, political, and legal changes. We also aim to give participants the opportunity to gain practical experience even before completion of the program.
• AK - Arbeiterkammer Tirol • Diözese Innsbruck • Innsbrucker Soziale Dienste • Europäische Kommission • Landesschulrat Tirol • Neustart • Land Tirol • Tiroler Wissenschaftsfonds • Gesundheits- & Sozialsprengel • AMS- Arbeitsmarktservice Tirol • Kinderschutz Tirol • Verein für Obdachlose • TirolKliniken • Kinder- und Jugendhilfe Schwaz • Kinder- und Jugendhilfe Innsbruck ...
Studying at MCI is an investment in a successful future. Through close cooperation with industry and the practical orientation of all courses, MCI graduates are in particularly high demand on the job market and have several job offers even before graduation.
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 Social Work, Social Policy & Management is 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.
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.
We offer 50 places of study per academic year for this course. The ratio of applicants to study places is 6:1 each year.
A full recognition of the program is not possible. Credits for individual courses or qualifications can be awarded after admission only. The respective application form must be submitted before the beginning of the semester in which a course from which you seek to be exempted takes place.
The interview takes place online. Please reserve the relevant dates (see application deadlines). The exact dates and times will be communicated to you immediately after the conclusion of the application period.Under the heading "Application & Admission" you will find all important information about the admission process: https://www.mci.edu/en/study/application-and-admission
Professional experience, an internship in social work, or the completion of a voluntary year in social service would increase the chance of a successful application.
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:
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.
The Bachelor’s Degree program in Social Work is a full-time course. As lectures are held on weekdays between 9 am and 5 pm and as attendance is mandatory, there is only a limited possibility of combining this course of study with work. It also includes several projects, team assignments, internships, and a semester abroad, all of which are time consuming.
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.
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.
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.
The Social Work program includes the following subject areas:
In principle, yes. The final decision as to whether your course can be recognized or not lies with the respective foreign institution or company.
