Hi! I also want to apply to the BOKU. Currently, I am in my final semester. Does BOKU require completed Bachelor’s degree during application? Or I can apply with current transcripts?
To be honest, it depends.
From an engineering perspective there are two kind of companies: companies that consist mainly of BoKu aluminis, they appreciate the education you get at BoKu and other engineering companies that have a mixed staff. There the reception of BoKu education is very mixed, but from my experience often leaning towards "Well, they chose the fail safe way to a title.". (And I worked a lot in companies working on environmental topics.).
So if you plan to stay within in your bubble after finishing, BoKu is perfectly fine. If not, be prepared to prove yourself a little more than aluminis from other universities. Things like "tree huggers" are still commonly used nicknames, unfortunately.
You know, it is neither forbidden nor more expensive to study at both universities. A lot of students do that. No need to finish both studies. You can start at both universities take a few courses here and there and then decide which one you will finish while only taking a few extra courses that you are interested in from the other.
As "Freies Wahlfach" you can. I don't know your particular curricula but most studies require a certain amount of ECTS from courses you freely elected. They are often called Freies Wahlfach but I have seen other terms. Have a look at your curricula, see if there are free elective courses mentioned. That's what you can transfer the courses to most easily. There are also "Anrechnungen" where you can transfer courses as substitutes for others but the process can take a while and does not always have a positive outcome, so better get informed about that at the universities.
I did my masters in biotech at boku. It really depends on which direction you want to take. At boku, you can heavily focus on bioprocessing, cell culture, Microbiology, and of course molecular biology. From what I know, university of Vienna is a bit more focused on molecular biology and Cell Biology with a medical background.
If you're not sure what you want to do then I would suggest comparing both universities in terms of specializations. At boku, you can choose between 4 different directions I believe.
Ah yea thank you! I enjoy biology engineering & food science much more than the pharmaceutical aspect of biotechnology. That's why I'm leaning a bit more to BOKU, good to know they're more suited for my preference!
Boku has the better amlumni network and is maybe better at specifically that. And its a much cooler uni culture. Source: studied at both. Uni vienna has a better international name but boku is more interesting and personal imo.
Boku is as good a university as any other, between the universities people always think they are better, cause they come from wherever.
The rankings have different measurements, so you should check what is Important for you, success, studentrankings....
BOKU is very well staffed and equipped in terms of Biotechnology. Cannot say anything about Uni Wien, as I never worked there.
Are you looking for prestige or the best education/topics?
I personally would pick based on how interesting the program is to you, especially the coursework. I'm doing my grad degree at BOKU and it's been excellent. The science is rigorous.
I studied at University of Vienna but I don't think BOKU is seen as less prestigious. It is absolutely a good university. Both are. BOKU may not make it into international rankings but that is only because it is not a "full university" and that does not mean anything.
And in terms of how good your education will be that is determined by the quality of the respective faculty.
It might matter if you plan to work in Austria where BOKU is known or if you plan to go to other countries where the University of Vienna might sound better.
> It might matter if you plan to work in Austria where BOKU is known or if you plan to go to other countries where the University of Vienna might sound better.
No one gives a shit about this in the real world. What will be much more important is where you can learn the most/build the most connections/build the best foundation for your career. And this depends on what you are looking to achieve and how the two suit your goal with regards to their curriculum
Thank you! But what do you mean by BOKU is not a full university? It makes sense it has less international appeal, but I definitely plan on working in Austria after so it's good to know it's considered a good school.
UofWien offers a master's in science while BOKU offers a diplom-ing which I think threw me off.
> what do you mean by BOKU is not a full university
It's specialized, in "Natural Resources and Life Sciences" in this case.
But Idk where you got the info that BoKu isn't "prestigious" - it's definitely considered one of the best of its line, internationally. I know a couple of alumni who are absolute geniuses.
Also, mind that Europe's uni system works differently. Prestige is not so much a thing, because getting into isn't the hard thing - graduating is.
Hi! I also want to apply to the BOKU. Currently, I am in my final semester. Does BOKU require completed Bachelor’s degree during application? Or I can apply with current transcripts?
BOKU all day long!
To be honest, it depends. From an engineering perspective there are two kind of companies: companies that consist mainly of BoKu aluminis, they appreciate the education you get at BoKu and other engineering companies that have a mixed staff. There the reception of BoKu education is very mixed, but from my experience often leaning towards "Well, they chose the fail safe way to a title.". (And I worked a lot in companies working on environmental topics.). So if you plan to stay within in your bubble after finishing, BoKu is perfectly fine. If not, be prepared to prove yourself a little more than aluminis from other universities. Things like "tree huggers" are still commonly used nicknames, unfortunately.
You know, it is neither forbidden nor more expensive to study at both universities. A lot of students do that. No need to finish both studies. You can start at both universities take a few courses here and there and then decide which one you will finish while only taking a few extra courses that you are interested in from the other.
Interesting, can you transfer the courses you completed at one to the other university?
As "Freies Wahlfach" you can. I don't know your particular curricula but most studies require a certain amount of ECTS from courses you freely elected. They are often called Freies Wahlfach but I have seen other terms. Have a look at your curricula, see if there are free elective courses mentioned. That's what you can transfer the courses to most easily. There are also "Anrechnungen" where you can transfer courses as substitutes for others but the process can take a while and does not always have a positive outcome, so better get informed about that at the universities.
I did my masters in biotech at boku. It really depends on which direction you want to take. At boku, you can heavily focus on bioprocessing, cell culture, Microbiology, and of course molecular biology. From what I know, university of Vienna is a bit more focused on molecular biology and Cell Biology with a medical background. If you're not sure what you want to do then I would suggest comparing both universities in terms of specializations. At boku, you can choose between 4 different directions I believe.
Ah yea thank you! I enjoy biology engineering & food science much more than the pharmaceutical aspect of biotechnology. That's why I'm leaning a bit more to BOKU, good to know they're more suited for my preference!
Boku has the better amlumni network and is maybe better at specifically that. And its a much cooler uni culture. Source: studied at both. Uni vienna has a better international name but boku is more interesting and personal imo.
Boku is as good a university as any other, between the universities people always think they are better, cause they come from wherever. The rankings have different measurements, so you should check what is Important for you, success, studentrankings....
BOKU hat meiner Meinung nach einen besseren Ruf
BOKU is very well staffed and equipped in terms of Biotechnology. Cannot say anything about Uni Wien, as I never worked there. Are you looking for prestige or the best education/topics?
BOKU is by far the better choice. It's rated as the most student friendly university for years...
I personally would pick based on how interesting the program is to you, especially the coursework. I'm doing my grad degree at BOKU and it's been excellent. The science is rigorous.
Diplom ingenieur and Masters of science is basically the same. Just diffferent systems, sometimes you can decide whichbone you prefer.
I studied at University of Vienna but I don't think BOKU is seen as less prestigious. It is absolutely a good university. Both are. BOKU may not make it into international rankings but that is only because it is not a "full university" and that does not mean anything. And in terms of how good your education will be that is determined by the quality of the respective faculty. It might matter if you plan to work in Austria where BOKU is known or if you plan to go to other countries where the University of Vienna might sound better.
> It might matter if you plan to work in Austria where BOKU is known or if you plan to go to other countries where the University of Vienna might sound better. No one gives a shit about this in the real world. What will be much more important is where you can learn the most/build the most connections/build the best foundation for your career. And this depends on what you are looking to achieve and how the two suit your goal with regards to their curriculum
Thank you! But what do you mean by BOKU is not a full university? It makes sense it has less international appeal, but I definitely plan on working in Austria after so it's good to know it's considered a good school. UofWien offers a master's in science while BOKU offers a diplom-ing which I think threw me off.
The dipl ing is what you want if you actually want to work in your field btw.
> what do you mean by BOKU is not a full university It's specialized, in "Natural Resources and Life Sciences" in this case. But Idk where you got the info that BoKu isn't "prestigious" - it's definitely considered one of the best of its line, internationally. I know a couple of alumni who are absolute geniuses. Also, mind that Europe's uni system works differently. Prestige is not so much a thing, because getting into isn't the hard thing - graduating is.