Question to anyone who may have any information/advice on Vienna University business programs.

Currently late 20s, American with a BSc in Business from NYU - 6 years work experience at a Fortune 500 company where I've done fairly well and climbed fairly quickly for my age. However, I've always wanted to make a shift at some point to working internationally or getting at least some degree of international experience. No German proficienty currently.

I heard good things about Vienna University, and of course, I'd be planning on taking German courses and trying to get to at least a B2 or C1 level throughout my studies to set me up for the future, but which program is best suited to someone who would want to find a job internationally?

EMBA programs look promising, but are a bit on the pricier side, and essentially part time - not sure whether I would make the network I need in order to land a job post-graduation. But, the fact that it's in English would make things easier.

The MSc is appealing given how much cheaper it is, and the full-time aspect. However, given my bachelor's program had a generalist's approach, WU's MSc programs criteria are too strict in terms of prior coursework for almost all of the programs I'd be interested in, but I'm willing to study German in order to get to the level required to apply for their German programs (anyone know what level I would need to be?). I'm also concerned however about whether these programs are meant for individuals straight out of undergrad.

Any advice or thoughts in general? Open to anything as I'm burned out from my current job and looking for radical change - Vienna just seemed like it would be a good place to set myself up for experience anywhere in Europe.

Vienna University and WU are different universities.

Vienna University has good, inexpensive German language courses. It will be cheaper than an EMBA, and most effective, for you to learn German and then take an MSc taught in German. Indeed, many German-language MSc degrees expect prior study. You can study while learning German, and that might meet the requirements of some courses. You would need to be at C1 to study a cognate subject like management.

Thank you for the clarification and advice!

Would it make sense for me to take the MSc taught in English, but study German at the same time? I figure I would definitely be gunning to get to C1, but getting to that point might take an extra year or two. Given I would essentially have no earnings and be burning through money while I'm there, it'd be great if I could find a way to condense things a bit.

Another question, completely aside from the above. Do you know what's more employable/esteemed from a hiring perspective in terms of degrees? I would probably go Management, Finance, or potentially something a bit more specialized like Quantitative Finance - however I don't want to narrow my opportunities too much.

I don't see that working for many people. Study in English and that decelerates your German. Maybe you can find a degree that would take you with B2? You can get there in half a year. After that all the study in the German language will take you the rest of the way, and give you the local network and specialist vocabulary.

Finance certainly seems more employable....

Thank you for the advice! Most of the programs I'm looking at require C1, however I'll be doing more research in the coming months. How long do you think it would take to get to C1? I could potentially take courses before leaving my current job, and spend half a year in Germany or Austria at a language program to work my way up to that level before applying.

I was leaning towards Finance myself, as it was my previous educational background. If I do end up getting the English MSc (obviously not my preference), assuming I can dabble in German taught coursework, do you think that could help bridge the gap as well?

Learning depends on many things. I studied at the Dkfa, where you can go from beginner to C1 in five blocks of eight weeks. https://www.dkfa.de/de/option-1-sommer-intensiv-sprachkurs-fuer-alle-stufen/

Without the ÖSD or DSH you might not be admitted to German language courses.

Thank you, very helpful! I'd definitely be taking the tests in order to show proof of proficiency.

Spent the weekend doing research and discovering that the deadlines for application submissions are tight and most likely I'd realistically have to wait a year and apply to start in the 20/21 semester.

I'll make gunning for the German MSc in Finance my goal. However, hedging my bets a bit, assuming I'm slow at learning German (starting next month) and can't make it to the point where I can prove C1 proficiency to apply for a German language program, would it make sense to go for Prof MBA Finance program at WU Exec Academy rather than a MSc in Quant Finance at WU?

In reality, I'm more concerned about post-degree job placement.
If it's a part time program, I'd be glad to just bust my ass in order to make sure my German/get part-time job experience given that I would essentially be in a Prof MBA program despite not being employed full time at the time. Seems like it might be a good fit given I'm just a bit on the younger side of their student demographic, but with similar experience level.

Additionally, would the EMBA/Prof MBA program sponsor a student visa for me?

Thanks for all your help thus far. What I originally thought was a pipe dream is seeming a lot more concrete and realistic!

I don't think you can get a visa for a part time programme. Career support will be better, and the educational support stronger, in a full time programme .