Recommended path of study

Since the winter semester of 2020/2021, some fields of study have already been allocating places in courses with continuous assessment along the recommended path of study.

Places in courses with continuous assessment in those studies are not allocated by means of a points or preference system, but on the recommended path of study. In the coming semesters, further fields of study will be released for the allocation of places by means of the study path.

What is the recommended path of study?

The recommended path of study is part of your curriculum and divides it into semesters. It shows you in which semester and in which order you should ideally complete the individual modules of the curriculum, so that you can complete your degree programme as fast and efficiently as possible. Thus, the path of study serves as a guide: It indicates the best path through your degree programme based on content-related aspects and supports you in planning the individual semesters.

How is the path of study taken into account in the course registration system?

The path of study is a method that the course registration system uses to allocate places in courses of the University of Vienna (in the same manner as the point allocation system or the preference system). Places are allocated according to the recommended path of study: Students who follow this recommended path will more likely get a place.

In the recommended path of study, all courses from the second semester onwards have defined predecessors (for example, the predecessors of courses in the second semester are all courses from the first semester). The degree of completion of these predecessors is indicated in %. If 100 % is indicated next to a module, you have successfully completed all courses from the previous semesters.

Therefore, the information “Path of study: x %” indicates the degree of completion of courses of the previous semesters according to the recommended path of study. All registrations for courses with continuous assessment are ranked according to this percentage.

The higher your percentage, the better your chances to get a place in the course.

FAQ

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  • An example

    Paul and Anne are both students in a bachelor's programme at the University of Vienna. Paul is in his fifth semester and has successfully completed all modules of the first four semesters. Anne is still at the beginning of her studies. Therefore, she has only completed some modules of the first semester.

    Both want to register for a course with continuous assessment allocated to a module that is intended to be completed in the fifth semester of their degree programme. Paul wants to register because he needs the course to be able to complete his degree programme. Anne, on the other hand, wants to attend the course already now because she finds its contents interesting.

    If there are not enough places in the course for all students who registered, it would be more important for Paul to get a place. Otherwise, he would have to wait a semester, which would extend the duration of his studies. Anne actually wants to register too early for the course. She could also complete the course in one of the following semesters without having to extend the duration of her studies.

    Here, the degree of completion takes effect: Since Paul has successfully completed all the previous modules, he complies with the recommended path of study to 100 %. Therefore, his degree of completion is 100 %. Anne wants to attend a course from the fifth semester in an earlier semester, which means that she deviates from the recommended path. Her degree of completion is, therefore, less than 100 %. As a result, Paul would be given preference over Anne in the allocation of places.

  • Where can I see the degree of completion of the path of study?

    You can check the degree of completion of your path of study at any time in u:space (provided your studies have already been released for the recommended path of study):

    • in the record of examinations under Studies — Record of examinations
    • in the semester planner under Courses — Semester planner (only available for a selection of studies)
    • when registering for a course with continuous assessment
  • Do I also get a place in courses and exams if my degree of completion is less than 100 %?

    Of course. The recommended path of study is not an exclusion criterion in the allocation of places, but rather a possibility to rank registrations according to their urgency. If a sufficient number of places is available in a course, you will also get a place if your degree of completion is less than 100 %. However, your chances to get a place increase with your degree of completion.

  • Does a degree of completion of 100 % guarantee a place in the course?

    Of course, we always aim at providing sufficient places in courses and exams. However, in exceptional cases it may be that there are fewer places in a course with continuous assessment than students with a degree of completion of 100 % who want to register for it. Therefore, with a degree of completion of 100 %, your chances of getting a place are very high, but it is no absolute guarantee. In the exceptional cases mentioned above, some students may not get a place in a course even though their degree of completion is 100 %.

  • Does the path of study replace the prerequisite checks?

    No. The prerequisites of individual modules as stipulated in the curriculum are binding. They are not a recommendation like the path of study is. This means that you can only complete a module if you fulfil the prerequisites as stipulated in the curriculum, even if your degree of completion is 100 %.

  • How do the percentages come about?

    The percentages indicate the extent to which you have completed the courses from the previous semesters that are provided in the recommended path of study. From the 2nd semester onwards, courses always have a defined predecessor. If you have completed all predecessors, 100% will be displayed for the subsequent courses. If you have only completed parts of the courses planned for you in the recommended path of study, a lower percentage value is displayed, which is calculated individually on the basis of recommended path of study.