English-medium programmes at Austrian business faculties: A status quo survey on national trends and a case study on programme design and delivery

Internationalisation processes have accelerated the implementation of English-medium programmes (EMPs) across European higher education institutions. The field of business and management studies has been particularly affected by this trend (Wächter & Maiworm 2008: 46) with numerous new EMPs introduced each year. This paper presents key findings of a quantitative status quo survey on the spread of EMPs across Austrian business faculties as well as those of a qualitative case study on English-taught programmes at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). The macro data regarding degrees, implementation years and entry requirements confirm trends identified by precedent studies: There are no English-taught BA programmes, nearly 30% of all programmes were implemented at the peak of the Bologna reforms and there is no uniform admission policy. On the micro level, the study identifies key facts concerning the curriculum design of EMPs. The results point towards a lack of awareness of the ESP (English for Specific Purposes) element in English-medium business education, as only 11% of the courses can be classified as ESP. Despite the lack of focus on ESP, the analysis also shows that about a third of all content classes explicitly state language learning aims in their course descriptions.