The Johannes Kepler University Linz is launching a new Master's degree program at the start of the upcoming 2022/2023 Winter Semester. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, students in the program will focus on the social perspectives of the digital transformation.

Just how are business, law, information technology, communications, and social media changing in society as well as changing society as a whole? Who is responsible for shaping digitization? And when it comes to different academic and scientific disciplines, to what extent is digitization being addressed (ranging from mechanical engineering and chemistry to gender studies)? Students in the JKU’s new graduate degree program “Digital Society” will address these issues and more starting in the 2022/2023 Winter Semester, examining digitization as a socio-technical phenomenon in all its facets. They will focus on topics at the crossroads of "Man - Machine", "Digitalization - Society", "Business - Artificial Intelligence", and "Law - Digital Transformation".

A Unique Master's Degree Program in Austria
Unique in this form in Austria, the Master's degree program brings business, social sciences, and law together with computer sciences. The interdisciplinary curriculum includes a number of courses co-taught by faculty in different disciplines, all working together to convey multidisciplinary content. As a result, students can examine digitization in all its complexity and magnitude. In all areas of the program, students can work in collaborative teams and engage in real-world interdisciplinary projects.

Prof. Uli Meyer, head of the JKU’s Department of Sociology with a focus on Innovation and Digitalization, remarked: "The Master’s degree program “Digital Society” has been fundamentally redesigned and is based on JKU's principle of understanding digitalization as a comprehensive process that must be examined from numerous different perspectives. Students learn to see issues and problems through the perspectives of different disciplines and can then actively help shape the digital society."

An Interdisciplinary Perspective
This means that future program graduates will not only possess subject-specific expertise, but will also have the ability to think outside-of-the-box and in a more networked way. JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas believes this is becoming increasingly important: "In order to effectively meet the challenges of our times, we need young people who are not only technical experts, but who can also think and act in a more networked way. This is why the new Master's degree program 'Digital Society' focuses on interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary learning."

Program graduates can pursue professions in project management, consulting, strategic development, research and development, in academia or at universities, at international companies and organizations, at government institutions, at innovative start-up companies, as well as at established companies, and with non-profit organizations.

Quick Facts about the Master’s Degree Program “Digital Society”

• Degree: Master of Science (MSc)
• Duration: 4 semesters
• ECTS: 120 credits
• Language: German (C1) and English (B2)
• Location and Program: Linz / Full-Time
• See: https://www.jku.at/en/degree-programs/types-of-degree-programs/masters-degree-programs/ma-digital-society/ to learn more.