General Information

The International Summer University WU (ISU^WU) program is an intensive short program, which provides in-ternational students with an excellent opportunity for international and multinational education. The ISU^WU is organized as three-week sessions (one three-week session in July and one three-week session in August) in Vienna and offers courses for both undergraduate and graduate students.

A large variety of business-related courses are taught by a team of experienced lecturers of WU and col-leagues from partner universities hailing from the entire globe. The main objective of the program is to deepen specific knowledge in business. Visiting local companies and solving practical case studies in intercultural groups complement the strong theoretical basis. An exciting social and cultural program effectively complements the summer university.

Courses are designed to be highly interactive and a priority is placed on group discussion and teamwork; students complete pre-course assignments in order to have the qualifications necessary to start the course on the same level. The team of instructors consists of WU lecturers as well as renowned, international guest lecturers.

Undergraduate Program (8 ECTS credits)

The undergraduate program consists of two intensive courses, which are taught consecutively over the course of 3 weeks, each course lasting one and a half weeks (Monday to Tuesday and Wednesday to Friday). These intensive courses are held in the mornings and total 8 ECTS-Credits.

The graduate program consists of three intensive courses, which are taught consecutively over the course of 3 weeks, each course lasting five days (Monday to Friday). These intensive courses are held in the mornings and total 9 ECTS-Credits.

Graduate Program (9 ECTS credits)

Courses cover topics related to International Business, International Marketing, International Human Resource Management and Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, Sustainable Management, Negotiation Management and Economics.

The ISU^WU academic program will be announced on the ISU^WU website in December 2021 or January 2022. For details as well as further information on the ISU^WU please visit: https://www.wu.ac.at/io/isuwu/

Social & Cultural Program

The ISU^WU offers social and cultural activities in order to provide students with opportunities for intercultural exchange between students and cultural enrichment through in- and outdoor activities in Vienna. These events allow students to get to know Vienna and make their stay there an unforgettable experience.

The activities include Opening and Closing Ceremonies, which are always an integral part of the ISU^WU. Traditionally, an International Cultural Evening is held each year, in which students bring their colleagues closer to their home country in many creative ways, including presentations, clothing, as well as food and drinks from their home countries.

Participants & Application Requirements

Around 150-200 students from over 25 countries participate in the ISU^WU every year. Participants who complete the program successfully receive an ISU^WU grade certificate.

Application requirements for the undergraduate program:

• Current enrollment in an undergraduate study program in business administration or related fields. By the time of participation in the program, students must have completed a minimum of one year of undergraduate education with a specific focus on business administration and related areas.
• Excellent English language skills

Application requirements for the graduate program:

• Current enrollment in a master’s or MBA program (or equivalent), with a focus on business administration/economics, and / or a bachelor degree in a business major by the time of participation in the program.
• Excellent English language skills

Scholarships for GBSN Students

Students studying at GBSN member schools in the following developing countries are invited to apply for a scholarship for the ISU^WU.

In 2022, WU is providing 5 scholarship positions. Each scholarship position includes a 500€ travel grant. Please note that in addition to the coverage of the program fee and the award of the travel grant, WU will provide students who receive the GBSN scholarship with housing near campus for the three-week program.

How to Apply for a Scholarship

An essay, according to the GBSN Scholarship Essay Guidelines, is required to apply for a GBSN Scholarship. Essays should be submitted together with the application documents when applying for the ISU^WU.

For general ISU^WU application information, see the section Application & Admission.

Applicants are selected for the scholarship based on the scholarship essay, the general quality of their application documents and their previous academic performance. The WU scholarship is non-recurring, i.e. students may only participate in ISU^WU once at this special rate. Moreover, the number of available scholarships is limited.

Essay Topic: Digitalization and its impact on emerging markets

Within the last few decades, the use of digital technologies has transformed the global economy. Especially in emerging markets, digital transformation offers many opportunities for local businesses. Please identify opportunities of digitalization for local businesses in your home country / in a specific emerging market and discuss them in your essay. Please also address potential threats of digitalization to local businesses or specific industries in your chosen country.

Please use relevant academic literature to support your opinion and quote the sources used. You can also include best practice examples from your country to support your opinion.
The WU scholarship for students is non-recurring, e.g. students may only participate in one 3-week-session at ISU^WU at this rate.

All essays will be subject to a plagiarism check and must be submitted by the application deadline of March 31, 2022. The essay has to be submitted together with the application documents when applying for the ISU^WU or the VSSoRE. Accepted document formats: .pdf.

Essay Guidelines

If you are eligible to apply for the WU scholarship, you must submit an essay that meets the following criteria:

• 800 – 1000 words, approx. 2 DIN-A4 pages
• use online and offline scholarly literature (DO NOT limit your research to the internet only)
• use in-text citations of several sources
• include a comprehensive reference list
• follow academic rules for citation and references (for guidelines see the Yale College Writing Center https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/using-sources or the Online Writing Lab of Purdue University https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/).
• include a title page with the title of the paper, author’s name and author’s home university
• submit your essay together with you application files by March 31, 2022 as a .pdf.

Please note that the essay is individual work and not group work! Additionally, the WU guidelines and data protection apply to the essay. All essays will be reviewed in detail and copy-and-paste plagiarism will not be accepted! Essays which do not meet the criteria listed above will not be considered.