Academic Calendar

Fall Semester (Winter semester at BOKU):

Students would only attend in the fall if they are attending for the full academic year due to the exam schedule. 

Semester Begins: Late September

Semester End: Late February

Spring Semester (Summer semester at BOKU):

Semester Begins: Late February/Beginning of March

Semester End: Late June (depending on class schedule, students may be able to depart a couple of weeks earlier; however this is not guaranteed). 

For exact program dates, reference the full academic calendar.

Courses

Exchange students may take classes at any level at BOKU, as long as they have the pre-requisites. Students are allowed to take any course of any program. BOKU Vienna offers more than 300 courses in English. It is easier to find Masters level classes in English (8 of the Master Programs are taught entirely in English). Many CALS students opt to take classes at the Masters level. If you have any major or distribution requirements that require you to complete a minimum of three credit to fulfill that requirement, it is important to discuss with your academic/faculty advisor about being able to meet that requirement if one of the courses taken at BOKU will not meet the full three credits (i.e. course that is worth 3 ECTS is only 1.5 US credits).

Studying at Austrian universities is very different from studying at Cornell. Students are free in what courses they take and how many courses they take. 30 ECTS credit points are considered a full work load per semester, and CALS students are required to take at least 30. Course selection takes place in Vienna as course for upcoming semesters will only be online shortly prior to the start of the semester. Students can also expect to take more courses at BOKU to reach their credit needs; however, you would not be taking all of your courses at one time. Some of the lower credit classes are only offered for 3 weeks sometimes. It will depend on the class. 

Particular study areas of interest to CALS students include: Soil, plants & animals; Space, landscape & infrastructure; Water, climate & environment; Forests & timber; Alternative biomaterials & bio energy; Agricultural sciences; Food Sciences; Biotechnology.

You can search for courses in the course catalog here. If you plan to take course in English, be sure to note this in the search filters.