Double Degree Program: Between the Midnight Sun and the Viennese Way of Life 

With the Double Degree Program, students can complete a year abroad while earning a degree in their field of study at the UAS Technikum Wien and at a second, international institution of higher education. The UAS Technikum Wien is currently involved in the Double Degree Program with seven partner institutions around the globe. From universities and universities of applied sciences in Sweden, Argentina, the Czech Republic, Italy, Russia and Finland, 17 international students are expected at UAS Technikum Wien in the academic year 21/22. As the latest addition, Lapland University of Applied Sciences (Lapland UAS) has been on board the Double Degree Program since the winter semester 2020/21. At the partner university in Kemi, four students from the UAS Technikum Wien are currently completing the final year of their bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Conversely, two Finnish participants are studying for their double degree in Urban Renewable Energy Technologies at the Technikum. They report on their experiences as follows:

Jonas Barck during a trip to Lake Hallstatt.

Getting to know other countries and cultures

“We chose to depart on the double-degree exchange because our third year of studies is starting to be close to graduation and we wouldn’t have much opportunity to have such an experience later”, Tuomas Berg and Jonas Barck tell us. The possibility to experience other cultures and countries is something that probably won’t be possible later in life. A great benefit that will definitely be helpful after graduation is having a degree in both countries, the two are convinced. Despite an initial “culture shock,“ Berg and Barck quickly got used to life in the city and the Viennese way of life. The Austrian teaching system was also unfamiliar to the two at first. “It just works a little differently than in Finland – not worse, but different,” explain the two students, who however quickly adapted to their new learning environment.

Tuomas Berg against the wintry backdrop of Lake Hallstatt.

Studying in Corona times

Although the entire year was “tough” for everyone due to the Corona pandemic, the online daily university activities worked surprisingly well, the two Finns tell us. And even without student events, they were able to make many new international friends and had the opportunity to travel around Austria and to visit its sights.

Since most field trips were cancelled due to the pandemic, Berg and Barck found the on-site laboratory exercises the most interesting during their study visit: “Thanks to the extensive equipment at Energybase, we were able to gain many new experiences.”

The Finnish students were particularly impressed by the culture, history and sights that Austria has to offer. What also excites them is that “everything from vineyards to mountains can be reached within a few hours. If you ever need a change of scenery from the city to the countryside, it’s really easy and quick.” In any case, in addition to their excursions to Hallstatt and Linz, the two will especially remember their many newfound friends.

In the Finnish winter, the sun is often just above the horizon.

A study year in the far north

Spending an entire academic year abroad – and not just a few months, as often the case: For UAS Technikum Wien students Nicole Körner, Markus Mayer, Markus Sieberer and Hansi Strobel, this was one of the reasons for opting for a Double Degree at Lapland UAS in Kemi. The four were also attracted by the opportunity to get to know a different culture, as well as Finnish nature – and even the harsh Nordic climate: “A real winter with temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees, long days in summer, long nights in winter – and no sunlight at all for a month!”

At first, however, the four students had to get used to the differently structured courses at the partner institution compared to the home institution. There are hardly any lectures, for example, and only a few of them are online, the group reports. On the other hand, the students could work independently on their practical projects, scientific papers and bachelor’s projects according to a self-created schedule. Despite Corona, the UAS was always open and freely accessible. In Finland, the Corona situation is generally very good, especially in Lapland, the four report: “Except for voluntary wearing of masks indoors, you don’t notice anything of a pandemic here.”

Nicole Körner, Markus Mayer, Markus Sieberer and Hansi Strobel wanted to spend a whole academic year abroad.

Free work with benefits

The Finnish students are all in “online mode,” however. For their projects, however, the double-degree group can work independently in the labs at any time – and even enjoy some benefits: “We have the feeling that as double-degree students we have a kind of special status here, because we have keys to all the labs and equipment and can basically get in everywhere day and night. ‘Normal’ students don’t have that access. So they completely trust us here.” Körner, Mayer, Sieberer and Strobel find the opportunity to work completely independently in the laboratories at the Finnish university particularly positive.

In addition to the newly learned CAD programmes, the four students also count three different 3D printing technologies among the technical highlights that they have been able to get to know during their exchange year so far. What should also not be missing from this list: first place in Kemi’s Snow Sculpturing Contest 2021!

However, making new contacts has proven to be a bit complicated. “Kemi unfortunately seems to be extinct and it is difficult if not impossible to meet Finns. Also, the only nightclub in Kemi closed in October, causing some student events to be canceled.” So, except for the other “exchange students” and the student tutor, the four were not able to meet as many new people as they had hoped.

Northern Lights and Polar Sea Hiking

The long Finnish winter also gave the Viennese students a bit of a hard time: “After a few weeks of missing sunlight, it became a bit exhausting with the darkness. But from the end of January it was better again!” Apart from that, the quartet reported enthusiastically about their experiences in Lapland. What they want to take home as special memories? The northern lights, all the snow, the winter sports activities and hiking across the frozen sea (“it seems like an infinite white field”) – and also their resistance to the cold (minus 32 degrees Celsius!). Before heading back home at the end of the semester, though, they’re eager to do a few things that wouldn’t be quite so easy to do in Vienna: Swim through the harbor on an ice floe, drive a snowmobile, and run a very special half marathon – in June, at night, in the midnight sunshine.

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Are you interested in a double degree as part of your studies at the UAS Technikum Wien? Currently, seven study programs offer this possibility. For more information please contact your study program.

Urban Renewable Energy Systems with Lapland University of Applied Sciences

Software Engineering with Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires

Software Engineering with Università degli Studi di Guglielmo Marconi

Medical Engineering and eHealth with Brno University of Technology

Information Systems Management with National Research University Higher School of Economics

Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine with Linköping University

Sports Equipment Technology with Mid Sweden University