Modern local government has to answer to increasingly complex challenges and is faced with specific legal questions. It is therefore essential for managers of municipalities and outsourced organisations under municipal ownership to have a profound knowledge of the legal basics relevant to their day-to-day practice. In addition, they should have knowledge of business administration as well as soft skills such as team leadership and conflict resolution.
The Bachelor Professional Municipal Law and Municipal Management, which is offered in cooperation with the KDZ – Centre for Public Administration Research, imparts legal knowledge as well as skills in leadership, organisational development and human resources, which are tailored to the specific needs at municipal level.
The Bachelor Professional is not only beneficial for graduates’ careers, but also offers municipalities added value by supporting strategic personnel development. For current or future employees in the municipal sector, the degree programme enables them to pursue a career path that requires a university degree with the appropriate professional experience, even without a school-leaving certificate (“Matura”) or university entrance qualification.
Admission requirements
Either a relevant formal professional qualification or several years of relevant professional experience
Admission requirements
Admission procedure
Procedure of the admission process
Step 1: Please click on the “Apply online” button at the top of this page
Step 2: Please register, complete the online forms and upload the required documents.
- Letter of motivation (approximately half a DIN A4 page)
- Copy of passport or identity card (official photo ID)
- Birth certificate
- Curriculum vitae
- Proof of relevant formal professional qualification or proof of several years of relevant professional experience (e.g. references, appraisals)
Step 3: Invitation to an admission interview
Step 4: Signing the contract
An official confirmation of admission can only be issued once the study contract has been signed.
Registration deadline
Registration deadline: 1 September 2024 (we recommend registering early!)
Start of the courses 2 October 2024
Programme structure and content
1st semester
- State and Local Government from a historical, philosophical and theoretical perspective
- Introduction to legal thinking and working
- Constitutional Law I: Constitutional principles, state organisation and distribution of competences*
- Civil Law for Public Administration I: Civil Law Methodology, General Section of Civil Law, General Section of the Law of Obligations*
- Introduction to economics
- Introduction to business administration
- Introduction to social psychology
2nd semester
- Constitutional Law II: Fundamental Rights*
- Basics of electoral law
- Municipal law I
- Civil Law for Public Administration II: Contractual Obligations*
- Public Finance I: Introduction to the Law of Public Finance: Fundamentals and principles, fiscal equalisation and tax determination law
- Basic concepts of the sociology of law
- Fundamentals of Accounting I
- Basics of communication science and dialogue management
3rd semester
- General administrative law I: Fundamentals of substantive administrative law, administrative organisation and forms of action*
- Overview of the requirements under international and European law for the actions of the administration
- Municipal law II
- Basic principles of public service law
- Introduction to the law of services of general interest I
- Civil law for public administration III: Non-contractual obligations*
- Company law for public administration and interfaces with the internal organisation of public administration
- Public Finance II: Budget and Cash Law
- Accounting II
4th semester
- General Administrative Law II: Public-law contracts, arbitration and sovereign action, standardisation by the administration, private-law action by the administration, administrative enforcement, public property and facilities, road law, liability of the state and municipalities*.
- State, municipal and public-sector companies, outsourcing and privatisation, public-private partnerships, warranty obligations
- Administrative procedural law
- Judicial criminal law for public administration: Liability of municipal employees and the municipality
- Administrative criminal law
- Current issues of general administrative law
- Planning and plans (project development, financial planning, strategic and spatial planning)
- Introduction to the law of services of general interest II
- Civil law for public administration IV: Property law
- Public Finance III: Municipal Tax Law
5th semester
- Civil Law for Public Administration V: Introduction to Family and Inheritance Law
- Data protection law for public administration
- Spatial development, building and planning law I*
- Introduction to environmental law
- Public commercial law
- Introduction to child and youth welfare law
- Current issues of special administrative law
- Writing workshop notices and pleadings in administrative court proceedings
- Writing workshop Statutes and other administrative law standards
- Negotiation psychology
- Psychological crisis intervention
6th semester
- Spatial development, building and planning law II
- Introduction to social benefits law
- Elective subject: integration administration law, citizenship, migration and asylum law/school law, childcare law, law of retirement and nursing homes/civil protection and crisis management
- Smart cities and sustainability
- Leadership and team dynamics
- Bachelor-specific seminar
- Bachelor thesis
- Final oral examination
*plus tutorial
Objective
The programme is designed to enable students to understand and apply the law relevant to cities and municipalities in Austria. To this end, they are taught the necessary basics of the law in its national, European and international dimensions as well as the relevant economic and political context and its philosophical, historical and social foundations.
The programme also provides students with basic knowledge and skills in the area of psychosocial competences. Students learn how conflicts should be resolved, how team dynamics can be analysed and harnessed and how intercultural barriers can be overcome.
Occupational fields and career opportunities
Completion of the degree programme provides a sound academic education in the areas of municipal law and municipal management. Graduates are thus particularly qualified for managerial and responsible positions in municipal administration and public companies.
Tuition fees
Costs: EUR 5.500,- per semester
Account details
Sigmund Freud Privatuniversität Wien GmbH
IBAN: AT86 1813 0310 0096 0007
BIC/SWIFT-Code: BWFBATW1
Contact
Contact:
Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Teresa Weber, M.Sc.
Programme Director Bachelor Professional Municipal Law and Municipal Management
E-Mail
StudyServiceCentre of the Faculty of Law
Lassallestraße 3, 6th floor,
A – 1020 Vienna
Tel: 0043 1 4700 104
E-Mail: gemeinderecht@jus.sfu.ac.at
The KDZ-Zentrum für Verwaltungsforschung functions as cooperation partner for the Bachelor Professional Municipal Law and Management. The KDZ is a research, consulting and further education institute for cities and municipalities.
