Universities of applied sciences, that is what universities of applied sciences want to call themselves in the future. The reason: “It is already common practice in Germany and we will not fall by the wayside in Austria,” says FHK General Secretary Kurt Koleznik. The Ministry of Education is open to this.
The colleges are struggling with their name right before their 30th anniversary. In many cases they are still called technical schools, says Koleznik. The term university would therefore express a higher value. In addition, there is no longer a pure focus on the subject at the universities of applied sciences. “We need a change here to be successful internationally.”
In Switzerland and Germany, the name Fachhochschule has long since been abandoned for precisely these reasons. Based on the English “University of Applied Sciences”, the term “Universities of Applied Sciences” or simply “University” – possibly supplemented with a focus, for example “University of Applied Sciences” – has long been used there.
Must – not optional
The FHK now also wants to see this name reflected in the local law on universities of applied sciences. However, this should not be a must, but an optional stipulation, not to force any of the 21 FHs to rename them. Some colleges already advertise their offerings with the label “Hogeschool”.
The Ministry of Education is not averse to the request
A renaming, as in Germany, was proposed a few years ago, but there was no consensus among the universities of applied sciences at that time. “But if the colleges decide to change their names, we are of course still open to that and will implement that in one of the next amendments if need be.”
Source: Krone
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