The Vienna University of Economics and Business (german: Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, WU) is a

public research university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national university ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria, the largest university focusing on business, management and economics in Europe. It has been ranked as one of the best business schools in Europe and received

Triple accreditation Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * In ...

(AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA). Vienna University of Economics and Business ranked 36th among more than 13,000 universities worldwide offering degrees in

Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

in the 2022

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

by subject.

History

WU was founded on 1 October 1898 as ''

k.u.k. The phrase Imperial and Royal (German: ''kaiserlich und königlich'', ), typically abbreviated as ''k. u. k.'', ''k. und k.'', ''k. & k.'' in German (the "und" is always spoken unabbreviated), ''cs. és k. (császári és királyi)'' in Hungari ...

Exportakademie'' (in English: Export Academy) to provide professional training to future businessmen and thus stimulate the

Austro-Hungarian empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

. From humble beginnings as a professional school, it quickly grew to become an important institution, which was awarded the status of a fully-fledged ''

Hochschule ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...

'' (an educational institution equivalent to a university, but specializing in a certain field such as technology or business or art) in 1919. At that time, it was renamed to ''Hochschule für Welthandel''. The course of studies leading to the academic degree of ''Diplomkaufmann'' provided training preparing for the export and banking businesses and was very practical, comprising courses in business administration, economics, law and others. In 1930, the Hochschule für Welthandel was granted the right to issue

doctoral degrees A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Hochschule für Welthandel increased its breadth in research. It started to become a very important institution in Austrian society at that time; most Austrian managers and many politicians received their university education here. From 1966 onward, it began to offer a more theoretical course of studies in economics. In 1975, it was renamed to ''Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien''. At the same time, the number of students began to increase dramatically. In 1983, it moved to a campus in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

's 9th District. Due to further increasing student numbers during the 1990s the campus became too small. As a result, new university grounds had to be built in Vienna's 2nd district. The new Campus WU opened in October 2013, next to the Vienna Fair Ground.

Leadership

In January 2015, Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger was elected rector of WU. She is the first woman in the history of the University to be elected rector. Her term began on 1 October 2015.

WU today

Today, WU has more than 20,000 students and over 400 researchers and lecturers, among those about 90 full professors. It increasingly draws students from outside Austria, mostly from

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

. Most of the faculty are of Austrian or German nationality.

New campus

WU Wien, Library and Learning Center Vienna 19-20 IMG 2131

The new location is dubbed "Campus WU" and had its groundbreaking ceremony in October 2009. Close to the

Prater The Prater () is a large public park in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, Austria. The Wurstelprater, an amusement park that is often simply called "Prater", lies in one corner of the Wiener Prater and includes the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel. Name The n ...

public park, and next to the exhibition centre of Vienna, the campus features 6 main building complexes resting on approximately 25 acres (10 ha). The master plan was created by BUSarchitektur under the guidance of the architect Laura P. Spinadel. The buildings of the campus are designed by architectural firms from Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Austria. The dominant element of the campus is the Library & Learning Center, which was planned by

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

. Construction began in June 2010 and paved the way for the largest campus for business sciences in Europe. With a total investment of 492 million Euros and a planned construction period of 3 years, the project was concluded in 2013. Campus WU is situated close to the public transport hub

Praterstern Praterstern is a major square in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna, Austria . The square features the column to Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff. Located and named after it are the Wien Praterstern railway station, and the connecting Prater ...

and is serviced by two stations of the underground line U2 and a number of buses. The LLC has five cores, each with a different complex geometry. The core walls are inclined at different angles and so are the corners which are also rounded with different radii. MEVA has developed and uses both standard and special formwork, or a combination of both, to meet the forming requirements for these complex building parts. Steel formwork, for example, is used for rounded corners if required for structural reasons. Trapezoidal areas of inclined cylindrical corner areas are poured with special Mammut 350 wall formwork panels and special designs of MEVA’s circular column formwork Circo are used for the tilted and rounded corners. The WU moved to the new site in September 2013, which is located at Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria.

Research

Researchers at WU work in the following fields: *

Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

and all its branches *

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, focus on

Business Communication Business communication is communication that is intended to help a business achieve a fundamental goal, through information sharing between employees as well as people outside the company. It includes the process of creating, sharing, listening, ...

Socioeconomics Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern society, societies social progress, progress, economic stagnation ...

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

Statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...

Economic History Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and ins ...

and

Economic Geography Economic geography is the subfield of human geography which studies economic activity and factors affecting them. It can also be considered a subfield or method in economics. There are four branches of economic geography. There is, primary secto ...

With students in Austria being free to choose at which university they enroll, WU has become the most popular business and economics university in Vienna and in Austria.

Studies

Due to its large size, WU is able to offer a very broad range of electives which is probably unparalleled anywhere in the German speaking region. Beginning in Fall 2006, WU began to modify its study programs to a bachelor/master/doctor system in order to align them with the Bologna Process. English-taught master's programs: * Digital Economy * Economics * International Management ( CEMS) * Marketing *

Quantitative Finance Mathematical finance, also known as quantitative finance and financial mathematics, is a field of applied mathematics, concerned with mathematical modeling of financial markets. In general, there exist two separate branches of finance that require ...

* Socio-Ecological Economics and Policy * Strategy, Innovation and Management Control * Supply Chain Management As at any Austrian or German university, scholars can also achieve a

Habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

at WU. Furthermore, several courses in continuing education are offered (e.g. in marketing and sales, tourism management, logistics & supply chain management).

International Office (IO)

The International Office (IO)
of the Vienna University of Economics and Business is a service institution for students, staff and faculty of this university. As a team, the International Office (IO) administers international exchange and creates new opportunities for internationalization in studying and teaching. Thanks to numerous partnerships and worldwide cooperations, many paths are open to members of Vienna University of Economics and Business. In addition to the semester abroad, double degree programs, international summer universities and Erasmus funding for internships abroad are also possible. Short study programs, such as Central Europe Connect (CEC), and online learning initiatives can also be found in the portfolio of the International Office (IO).

Rankings and Accreditations

In 2009 Vienna University of Economics and Business was ranked as one of the best business schools in the German-speaking countries according to Handelsblatt and in 2011 it was ranked 21st in the list of the 392 worldwide leading higher education institutions by the Mines ParisTech: Professional Ranking of World Universities. The study obtained the higher education career of the CEOs of the world's leading 500 companies. WU was ranked 42nd in the "European Business School Ranking 2014" by Financial Times. The Global Executive MBA Program by WU Executive Academy was ranked 44th in the "Executive MBA Ranking 2015" by Financial Times. The university's master in international management program was ranked 8th in the "Masters in Management Ranking 2016" by Financial Times. The university is part of the respected consortium of Europe's leading schools and corporate partners – Community of European Management Schools ( CEMS). WU has achieved accreditation from the London-based

Association of MBAs The Association of MBAs (AMBA) is a global organisation founded in 1967 which focuses primarily on international business school accreditation and membership. Roles Based in London, AMBA is one of the three main global accreditation bodies in ...

(AMBA), Brussels-based

EQUIS The EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) is an international school accreditation system. It specializes in higher education institutions of management and business administration, run by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD ...

and Tampa-based

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, is an American professional organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to ...

(AACSB International). Only 72 business universities worldwide can claim triple crown accreditation by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA. In September 2020 the Master Program Strategy, Innovation and Management Control achieved the 10th place in the QS Masters in Management Ranking making it the highest ranked Management Master program in the German speaking region.

Notable faculty

* Gustaf Neumann *

Christoph Badelt Christoph Badelt (born 26 February 1951) is the current director of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research and professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He was the Vienna University of Economics and Business's vice-chancel ...

Christoph Grabenwarter Christoph Grabenwarter (born 4 August 1966) is an Austrian legal scholar and professor, currently serving as the President of the Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its ...

Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger (born 1964) is an Austrian academic. She was the first female professor for Gender and Diversity in Organizations of Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). Early life Hanappi-Egger was educated at Vienna Universi ...

* Manfred M. Fischer *Renate Meyer *

Ewald Nowotny Ewald Nowotny () (born June 28, 1944, in Vienna) is an Austrian economist and social democratic politician and former governor of Austria's central bank Oesterreichische Nationalbank. He was also a member of the European Central Bank’s governing ...

Bodo Schlegelmilch Bodo B. Schlegelmilch is Chair of the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and Business Graduate Association (BGA) as well as Professor and Chair of the Institute for International Marketing at WU, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austr ...

Clive Spash Clive L. Spash is an ecological economist. He currently holds the Chair of Public Policy and Governance at Vienna University of Economics and Business, appointed in 2010. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Environmental Values. ...

Wolfgang Lutz Wolfgang Lutz (born 10 December 1956) is an Austrian demographer specializing in demographic analysis and population projection. He founded the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital in 2010 – a collaboration between IIAS ...

* Gabriel Felbermayr

Notable alumni

;Politicians *

Thomas Klestil Thomas Klestil (; 4 November 1932 – 6 July 2004) was an Austrian diplomat and politician who served as President of Austria from 1992 to his death in 2004. He was elected in 1992 and re-elected into office in 1998. Biography until 1992 Born ...

(1932–2004), Austrian President (1992–2004) *

Franz Vranitzky Franz Vranitzky (; born 4 October 1937) is an Austrian politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), he was Chancellor of Austria from 1986 to 1997. Early life and career As the son of a foundryman, Vranitzky was born in ...

(1937– ), Austrian Chancellor (1986–1997) *

Ferdinand Lacina Ferdinand Lacina (born 31 December 1942) is an Austrian politician. He served as finance minister from 1986 to 1995. Early life Lacina was born on 31 December 1942. He is a graduate of Vienna University of Economics and Business. He was among th ...

(1942– ), Austrian Finance Minister (1986–1995) *

Hannes Androsch Johannes "Hannes" Androsch (born 18 April 1938) is an Austrian entrepreneur and consultant; a former Social Democrat top politician who served as an Austrian Finance Minister from 1970 to 1981 and additionally as vice chancellor from 1976 to 1981; ...

(1938– ), Austrian Finance Minister (1970–1981) and Vice-Chancellor (1976–1981) *

Christoph Chorherr Christoph Chorherr (born 9 December 1960, Vienna) is an Austrian politician. From 1996 until December 1997 he was federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party. From 1979-86 he studied economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Busine ...

(1960– ), Green Party Spokesperson (1996–1997) *

Madeleine Petrovic Madeleine Petrovic (; born 25 June 1956) is an Austrian politician. From 1994 to 1996 she was federal spokesperson of the Austrian Green Party. She attended Austrian gymnasium which she finished 1974, and studied law at the University of Vienna, ...

(1956– ), Green Party Spokesperson (1994–1996) *

Wolf Klinz Wolf Klinz (born 13 September 1941 in Vienna) is a German politician. He served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) with the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP), part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), from 20 ...

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(2004–present) *

Petra Steger Petra Steger (born 4 October 1987) is an Austrian politician and member of the National Council for the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). She is also a former professional basketball player. She was educated at the Vienna University of Economics ...

, Freedom Party of Austria member of the National Council *

Christoph Meineke Christoph Meineke (born March 13, 1979 in Hanover) is a German non-party politician and since January 2007 the first directly elected strong mayor of the municipality of Wennigsen (Deister). Career In September 2006, Meineke became the youngest ...

(1979– ), Mayor * Andreas Salcher (1960– ) *

Sixtus Lanner Sixtus Lanner (12 May 1934 – 13 July 2022) was an Austrian farmer, engineer, and politician who served in the National Council of Austria as a member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). Lanner served in parliament for a total of 25 years f ...

(1934–2022), Austrian MP * Ilona Graenitz (1943–2022), Austrian MP and MEP ;Entrepreneurs and managers *

Max Auschnitt Max Carol Auschnitt,Cerasela Moldoveanu, "În căutarea lui Schwartz... Contribuția evreilor la Războiul de Întregire Națională a României (1916–1919)", in ''Revista de Istorie Militară'', Issues 5–6/2017, p. 90 also known as Ausschnitt ...

(1888–1957), Chairman of Iron Domains and Factory and Titan-Nădrag-Călan *

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (born 13 November 1944) is an Austrian businessman. He is the chairman emeritus, former chairman and CEO of the Nestlé Group, and former chairman of Formula One Group, Formula One. Early life Brabeck-Letmathe was born in ...

(1944– ), Chairman and CEO Nestlé AG * Oskar Deutsch (born 1963), entrepreneur and President of the Jewish Community of Vienna * Hikmet Ersek (1954– ), CEO Western Union *

Hans-Peter Haselsteiner Hans Peter Haselsteiner (born 1 February 1944, in Wörgl) is an Austrian industrialist and former politician. Education After his Matura, Hans Peter Haselsteiner studied business economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, f ...

(1944– ), CEO Strabag SE *

Peter Löscher Peter Löscher (born 17 September 1957 in Villach, Austria) is an Austrian manager who was the CEO of Siemens from 2007 until 2013. As of 2017, Löscher remains as the only CEO to be hired from outside the conglomerate in the 170-year history o ...

(1957– ), CEO Siemens AG (2007–2013) *

Dietrich Mateschitz Dietrich Mateschitz (; 20 May 1944 – 22 October 2022) was an Austrian billionaire businessman. He was the co-founder and 49% owner of Red Bull GmbH. In April 2022, Mateschitz's net worth was estimated at US$27.4 billion. Mateschitz worked in ...

(1944–2022), Founder & CEO Red Bull *

Wolfgang Porsche Wolfgang Heinz Porsche (born Stuttgart 10 May 1943) is a German-Austrian manager and a member of the Porsche family. He is a shareholder and chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE as well as of Porsche AG. He is the yo ...

(1943– ), Chairman of

Porsche AG Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

Porsche SE Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE (), is a German multinational corporation primarily known as a holding company of Volkswagen Group with investments in the automotive industry. Porsche SE is headquartered in Zuffenh ...

and

Volkswagen AG Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...

supervisory boards *

Claus Raidl Claus (sometimes Clas) is both a given name and a German, Danish, and Dutch surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (1907–1944), a German officer who, along with others, attempted to assassina ...

(1942– ), former CEO

Böhler-Uddeholm Böhler-Uddeholm is an Austrian company specialized in producing tool steel and special forgings. It was formed in 1991 as a result of a merger between the Austrian parastatal Böhler and of Uddeholms AB of Sweden. The company has production s ...

, President

Oesterreichische Nationalbank The Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) is the central bank of Austria and, as such, an integral part of both the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the Eurozone. It started operations on , replacing the Austro-Hungarian Bank of which ...

* Christopher Schläffer (1969– ), CDO

VEON VEON Ltd. (formerly VimpelCom Ltd.) is a Dutch-domiciled multinational telecommunication services company. It predominantly operates services in the regions of Asia, Africa and Europe. It is the 13th largest mobile network operator in the world ...

Erman Ilıcak Erman Ilıcak (born 1967) is a Turkish businessman, and president of Rönesans Holding. Biography Completed secondary education and high school education in TED Ankara College in 1985. Graduated from Middle East Technical University's Depart ...

, President of

Rönesans Holding Rönesans Holding is a Turkish contracting and investment company operating in construction, real estate development, energy, industrial facilities and health. The company operates in Turkey, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Mi ...

, ranked 1st in Forbes Turkey’s “100 Wealthiest Turks” list in 2019. ;Diplomats * Zygmunt Vetulani (1894–1941), Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Baghdad and Rio de Janeiro ;Historians *

Juan Friede Juan Friede Alter (Wlava, Russian Empire, 17 February 1901 - Bogotá, Colombia, 28 June 1990) was a Ukrainian-Colombian historian of Jewish descent who is recognised as one of the most important writers about Colombian history, the Spanish conq ...

(1901–1990), Muisca scholar and historian of ColombiaHistoriadores internacionales influyentes en Colombia
–

Banco de la República The Bank of the Republic ( es, Banco de la República) is the central bank of Colombia. It was initially established under the regeneration era in 1880. Its main modern functions, under the new Colombian constitution were detailed by Congress a ...

;Public Institutions *

Maria Schaumayer Maria Schaumayer (7 October 1931 Graz – 28 January 2013 Vienna ) was an Austrian economist and politician ( ÖVP ). From 1990 to 1995, she was President of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank. She was the first woman to hold this position. In 1996 ...

(1931–2013), President

(1990–1995)

Notes

External links

Official Website

WU Executive Academy

FT Ranking 2009

Handelsblatt Ranking 2009
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Leopoldstadt Universities and colleges in Vienna Business schools in Austria Educational institutions established in 1898 1898 establishments in Austria