Application
Application has to be done via the system of Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. There are different deadlines for applicants from non European Union (EU) countries and EU countries in order to ensure enough time for visa processes.
| non-EU students | EU students | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application deadline #1 | Interview dates | Application deadline #2 | Interview dates | Application deadline #3 | Interview dates | |
| 28th of February | 20-22th of March | 15th of May | 5-6th of June | 30th of June | 17-19th of July |
Fees
Tuition Fees
363 € / semester
for EU students
726 € / semester
for non-EU students
Student Union Fees 
22.70 € / semester
Preparatory Course Fees
50 € / course offered at PLUS
Admission requirements
Educational background
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in a field related to human-computer interaction, (interaction) design, computer science, communication studies, psychology, sociology, engineering or similar at a recognised Austrian or foreign post-secondary institution. The completed bachelor programme must compromise at least 180 ECTS credit points (corresponding to three academic years).
English language proficiency
A minimum level of CEFR English B2 is required, ideally documented through a certificate (e.g. TOEFL). English language proficiency will be assessed during the individual interview in the application process.
Application process
Apply online at https://application.fh-salzburg.ac.at
Please complete your application as fully as possible and upload all necessary documents (see information below). The pre-selection process for the interviews starts 2-3 weeks before the respective interview date. Subsequently submitted data can no longer be considered once the pre-selection process starts.!
After your online application a team of experts from University of Salzburg and Salzburg University of Applied Sciences will review your documents and decide whether you will be recommended for phase 3 of the admission process. Your application is evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Key competences for the HCI master programme
- Motivation, objectives and expectations of the studies
- Previous academic achievements or practical experience
- Exceptionality of the applicant profile
You will receive a notification, if your application is going to be considered for the next phase in the application process. Expect this notification at the latest one week before the interview.
The admission interview is held via video conference with members of the staff of University of Salzburg and Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. The contents of this interview refer to the submitted documents and previous knowledge as well as to motivation and personal interests. The interview is conducted in English and lasts about 25 minutes.
Please note: during the interview, questions will also be asked about the previous knowledge in order to make a decision about the respective preparation courses. After the admission interview and a review of the application documents the programme committee decides which preparation courses will be mandatory for you. Preparation courses are an integral part of your official letter of admission and you will only be approved in your studies after successfully completing the assigned preparation courses. Preparation courses will be held in advance to the regular courses (September/October). The exact planning for the preparation courses will be announced in a timely manner.
After the interview and a review of your application documents the programme committee decides on the admission. Within a two week period following the interview you will receive official notification of your status (accepted/waiting list/rejected).
We will inform the Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg that your application for the Master in Human-Computer Interaction has been recommended for acceptance by the programme committee of the master programme. The Admission-Center at the University of Salzburg will inform you about the registration process and ultimately decide whether you will be accepted for the programme or not. You have to hand-in all documents as an original at the admission center in order to get admission. With the formal enrolment by the University of Salzburg you are admitted at both universities.
The following information is essential for a successful admission to the master programme HumanComputer Interaction (HCI) for prospective students with citizenship outside the European Union (EU). Please do make sure that you have read, fully understood and taken care of all mentioned documents and procedures. We are not able to process any incomplete applications and cannot extend deadlines for later hand-ins of missing documents.
Fill in the online application at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (https://application.fhsalzburg.ac.at) and upload the required documents in Adobe pdf-format (see information below). Kindly note that only complete applications with all required documents can be considered for further processing. Applications will be processed in order of upload.
If you are interested in starting the master programme in September 2024, we strongly recommend applying as soon as possible, because legalisation and organisation of visa requirements can amount up to several months (depending on your home country).
Application deadline for non-EU citizens: February 28, 2024
In case you already have a bachelor degree issued in the EU (including Diploma Supplement) and you are currently staying in the EU, the application might be processed much faster.
Those applicants who fulfil the minimum requirements and have sent a complete set of documents (see information below) will be invited to the personal interview (after the application deadline). The interview will address your motivation, your personal interests, prior knowledge and international orientation. It will be held in English to validate sufficient language skills. The Interview will be scheduled on the interview day selected during the online application. Applicants will be given sufficient advance notice by email of date, time and modalities of the interview (videoconference). Costs incurred by the applicants for the interview are non-refundable.
After a successfully completed interview applicants with the highest ranking will be given an admission offer.
For the final acceptance to the degree programme the Bachelor diploma and the Transcript must be legalised.
The legalisation modality of the documents depends on the country where the document is issued. Please read the Legalisation and Translation Requirements.
Kindly note that the process of legalisation may take several months. After you are given an admission offer to our programme, you have sent us the documents in legalised form, the University of Salzburg will do the formal scrutiny and will generate the official admission notice (in German: Zulassungsbescheid). This notice will be sent via e-mail and mail. If you require a residence permit (visa) to study in Austria, you will need to submit this official admission notice to the Austrian representative authority (embassy, consulate) in your home country. Please note that it is recommended to apply for a visa at least 3 to 6 months before the necessary arrival date (preparation courses will start in mid-September) in Austria.
Please also note: We cannot enquire or intervene on your behalf with the Austrian authorities concerning the visa or the process of legalisation!
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences: If you have confirmed the admission offer via the online system you will be enrolled in the master programme HCI.
University of Salzburg: All documents mentioned in the official admission notice have to be provided as original documents (with legalisation in appropriate manner). Applicants have to present these documents in person at the University of Salzburg. Please note: you cannot attend courses without doing this.
Application documents
Bachelor’s diploma
Document proving that you have successfully finished a bachelor programme at an accredited Austrian or foreign university
Full transcript
List of all courses passed within the degree programme, including course titles, grades, weekly hours and/or ECTS credits / ideally including GPA
Up-do-date CV
in English
Copy of a valid passport
showing the page with your personal information
High School diploma
Matura, Abitur, A-levels, etc.
Bachelor Thesis
if already finished
Language certificate
Proving the CEFR level of English B2. The certificate can be TOEFL, IETLS, etc.
Letter of Motivation
describing your motivation, objectives and expectations for Human-Computer Interaction by answering the following 3 questions (maximum 1 page in total, in English)
Question 1
Name an aspect of HCI that fascinates you and explain why?
Question 2
Name and explain one core competence that you bring with you as well as which three competences you are most eager to learn in this degree programme.
Question 3
What are your plans after finishing your HCI master?
Short Video Self-Introduction
The video should be no longer than 3 minutes. Focus on the content; it doesn’t need to be professionally made. Include a download link for the video in your motivational letter (e.g., WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive). Ensure the link is active until your interview date. Compress the video to keep the file size manageable.
Start your video with:
“My name is…”
“My educational and/or professional background is… “
Question 1
How do you see your work in HCI contributing to a societal challenge?
Question 2
Name and explain a specific area that you are most interested in and describe a possible approach you could imagine yourself exploring during your studies by formulating an example solution.
Question 3
Describe the interactions with the system/artefact. What is needed to be able to implement it (argue for a necessary technology)?
Question 4
What questions need to be addressed (e.g. main challenges in regards to technology and application context)