Institute

At the Institute for Education in the Arts (IKL), contemporary artistic and creative activity in art, design, fashion and architecture are closely linked to theory-guided reflection, didactics, and mediation.

The studies at the IKL results in receiving professional qualifications for teaching at secondary level in Austria (e.g. AHS, BHS, NMS). The interdisciplinary orientation enables graduates to work in art and cultural education, in artistic, creative and scientific-research contexts as well as in curatorial practice.

The IKL encompasses the two fields of study Art and Education and Design and Context as well as the educational science-pedagogical field of study Pedagogy, Arts and Culture. Art, design, mediation and didactics are developed intersectionally with a view to societal transformation processes through climate crisis, migration, decolonization, queer feminism, and digitality.

The following study programs are offered: 

Bachelor’s and master’s degrees (in cooperation with the PH Vienna):

• Art and Education
• Design and Context
• Doctoral studies, Dr. phil.

INFORMATION ON THE NEW CURRICULUM

As of October 1, 2026, the new curriculum is in effect for the program Art and Education – teaching subject Kunst und Gestaltung (study code BA 193 074 and MA 196 074) as well as for the program Design and Education – teaching subject Technik und Design (study code BA 193 067 and MA 196 067). The new Bachelor's program comprises 180 ECTS credits and consists of two mandatory combination study subjects, including subject didactics and educational science, worth 95 and 70 ECTS credits respectively, as well as 15 ECTS credits for Educational Science. The workload of the Master's program is 120 ECTS credits. The Master's program consists of two study subjects, including subject didactics and educational science, worth 50 and 25 ECTS credits respectively, as well as 15 ECTS credits for Educational Science and a 30-ECTS Master's completion phase.

Based on the curriculum, the IKL cooperates with the Institute of Fine Arts (IBK) and the Institute for Art and Cultural Studies (IKW).

Internationally and nationally, the IKL cooperates with other art and design teacher education programs, teacher training institutions, civil society partners (Citizen Science), and institutions of emancipatory art mediation, critical art, architecture, fashion, and migration research, as well as contemporary feminist theory formation. In the doctoral seminars, many international students also write their dissertations in English.

At the IKL location on Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse, classrooms, workshops, and laboratories are available for artistic, design-oriented, craft-based, and digital techniques in textiles, wood, metal, fashion, ceramics, painting, drawing, video, photography, printmaking, screen printing, performance, installation, sound, art-based art mediation, animation, and much more.

Research focuses include art didactics and digitality; materiality and sustainability; educational science in art teacher education; architecture and urban studies; fashion and textile studies; care; curatorial practices/museum studies; circular design/repair; and practice-based knowledge and transformation processes in art, design, mediation, and (subject) didactics.

Key research areas include art didactics and digitality; materiality and sustainability; art and cultural pedagogy; architecture and urban studies; fashion and textile studies; care; curatorial practices/museum studies; circular design/repair; practice-based knowledge and transformation processes in art, design, education, and didactics.