AQ Austria Approval and Physiotherapy – English
27/06/2025 2025-06-27 22:14AQ Austria Approval and Physiotherapy – English
AQ Austria Approval
In September 2024, Alma Mater Europaea University successfully completed the Notification procedure at AQ Austria . See the AQ Austria decision here.
Brochures
See our brochures and videos:
Physiotherapy: Further Information on Clinical Internship, Six-Month Internship, and the State Examination
Physiotherapy students complete the Bachelor degree program (180 ECTS) by taking examinations, completing the clinical internship, and defending their thesis. After defending their thesis, they obtain the Physiotherapeut degree. However, this does not provide professional qualification.
After completing the “Physiotherapy” degree program, graduates can (but are not obliged to) take a state examination at the Ministry of Health of Slovenia in Ljubljana.
The learning outcomes of the study program include preparation for the licensure exams and obtaining licensure/recognition as a physiotherapist (“becoming a licensed physical therapist”).
A six-month internship is required before a Physiotherapist may take the state examination and obtain a license to practice in Slovenia.
The six-month internship and the state examination are not obligatory to be a physiotherapist and are not part of the university education. However, these are required to obtain a license to practice in Slovenia. Several EU member states (such as Slovenia and Croatia) have a system where the state examination is separate from the education, whereas in other states (such as Austria, Italy, and Germany), the state license is obtained together with the degree.
A physiotherapist who has not yet obtained professional qualification may work, but only under the supervision of a licensed physiotherapist with a professional qualification.
The university education includes preparation for the exam, but not the exam itself.
The six-month internship and the state exam are advantageous
All our future students from Austria are encouraged to contact us at vienna@almamater.at to obtain information about the six-month internship and exam.
Alma Mater’s notification of the degree program with AQ Austria does not imply a determination of equivalence with Austrian studies and corresponding academic degrees. In Austria, for example, no further examination is required to obtain professional qualification after completing a ‘Fachhochschule’ bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy.
The six-month internship under the mentorship of an experienced physiotherapy supervisor and an extra exam covering a broad spectrum of physiotherapy-related knowledge provides an extra opportunity to grow and is an advantage of our program.
The steps required after graduation to be able to work professionally:
— Study: 6 semesters (180 ECTS)
— Clinical practice, 1150 hours, in clinical environment, during the 6 semesters.
— Graduation after the 6 semesters. The graduate obtains the Bachelor in Physiotherapy degree.
— After the graduation, a six-month work (internship) under the mentorship of a qualified physiotherapist.
— A state examination in Ljubljana in German or other language.
— Recognition by the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care, and Consumer Protection of Austria for authorization to practice as a physiotherapist in Austria.
Many Alma Mater physiotherapy graduates have successfully completed these steps and are employed in Austria.
Physiotherapy: 1,150 Hours of Practical Training
There are 1,150 hours of practical training in the curriculum of the Alma Mater physiotherapy study. The legal minimum required by Slovenian law is 920 hours, but students complete 1,150 or more, depending on the elective courses they choose. Some students, for example, choose specific elective courses and complete 1,500 hours. All students at Alma Mater in Austria will have at least 1,150 hours of practical training.
Accreditation
Alma Mater Europaea University is an accredited university in Slovenia. Over 16 years, it has evolved from a small research and higher education organization and soon joined an international university network of institutions known as Alma Mater Europaea, established in Salzburg.
Location
Due to the requests of our future students, delays in AQ Austria decision-making, and our adjustments to Austria, we will start our main campus in Salzburg at Birkenstrasse 2, Hallwang, in 2025. The campus will be fully equipped with a Physiotherapy lab featuring eight PT beds and three PT electronic systems, two fully equipped lecture rooms, several seminar rooms, offices, a library, reception, WiFi, a restaurant, and a study area. Our Klagenfurt location at Viktringer Ring 26 and our Vienna location (1080, Albertgasse 48) will serve as secondary locations.
AQ Austria Notification Approval
On 18. 9. 2024, AQ Austria has approved the studies in the Notification procedure. See the decision here.
14 November 2024
On 14 November 2024, AQ Austria informed Alma Mater Europaea University of the following:
“Regarding the Notification decision of September 18, 2024, I would like to draw your attention to the following documentation requirements and request their appropriate submission or implementation:
- The results of the Notification process must be published by the educational institution on their website no later than two weeks after the conclusion of the process. You can find the Notification to be published attached and in the directory (p. 7): https://www.aq.ac.at/P27MAS_Reports/Report/ErgebnisseMeldeverfahren
- The decision on the Notification of the programs does not imply an assessment of equivalency with Austrian programs or corresponding Austrian academic degrees. The programs and academic degrees are recognized as those of the country of origin or the state where the institution is based. In accordance with § 27 para. 7 HS-QSG, foreign educational institutions are required to make a written and visually highlighted reference to this fact on their website as well as in their market communications and public appearance in Austria. The educational institution must provide proof of this publication to AQ Austria immediately after the conclusion of the process, in compliance with § 4 para. 3 of the § 27-MeldeVO 2019.
- According to § 4 para. 4 of the § 27-MeldeVO 2019, educational institutions are required, for the duration of the validity of the Notification, to include a written notice in their public appearance in Austria indicating that, should the decision on the reporting be revoked by the AQ Austria Board, the program(s) may no longer be offered in Austria. The educational institution must provide proof of this publication to AQ Austria immediately after the conclusion of the process.
We hereby confirm that we have published the AQ Austria decision on our websites almamater.at (this website) the university websites at.almamater.si, en.almamater.si and www.almamater.si in all three language versions (German, English, Slovenian) on the day when we received it: 30 September 2024. We immediately shared it with our staff, teachers, students and wide audience. On 30 September 2024, we also published the required notice.
Today, on 14 November 2024, we are hereby again publishing the notice as requested by AQ Austria (see above). We have also published the notice visually highlighted (in red or blue and bold) on this website, on the almamater.at starting page, and on at.almamater.si starting page. We added the notice in bold to the brochure, the FAQ document, and the Mailchimp email sent to each person who inquires about studying in Austria. We are adding the notice to studium.at and studieren.at websites.
On 14 November 2024, the Board has decided to immediately send the evidence to AQ Austria, and to ask AQ Austria to confirm that these notices meet the AQ Austria requirements.
