Studying at the FERNFH means...
… choosing a degree that adapts flexibly to your everyday life, a degree that is the key you need. At the FERNFH, that is exactly what you get: a distance learning programme that gives you a good deal of freedom, while offering you the support you need to reach your goal.
Our degree programmes and continuing education courses are designed for people who want to keep developing, regardless of whether you already have experience in higher education or are the first person in your family to go to university. With us, you study flexibly, individually and smartly at a university that designs degree programmes to suit your life and your life goals.
How the distance learning programme at FERNFH works
Flexible & practice-oriented
For us, studying means: combining freedom and structure. You choose the study time and learning environment that suit you, and you can count on our support at any time.
With us, a distance learning programme is not anonymous, lonely online learning, instead, we combine the best of both worlds in our hybrid FERN study model:
On-campus sessions
At the beginning, middle and end of each semester – usually on Fridays and Saturdays, online or on campus in Wiener Neustadt. This is where workshops, introductory sessions and exams take place.
Self-study weeks
You study independently or in groups on the online campus, whenever it suits you. 24/7 access, maximum flexibility.
Personal exchange
Via forums, online office hours, video calls, study groups – and of course during the on-campus sessions.
Self-study weeks: your studies, your pace
The self-study weeks make up a large part of your studies and offer you the greatest possible flexibility.
Self-study weeks: your studies, your pace
The online campus gives you round-the-clock access to all materials and tools and, if you wish, keeps you connected with fellow students and lecturers at the same time.
This allows you to learn at your own pace and in your own rhythm.
Flexible learning
Learn when and where it suits you best, whether during the day or at night, at home or on the go. Your learning material is available online at any time, and you can prepare for exams and courses on your own or with your student group .
Assessments you can plan ahead
During this phase, you can also complete exams or submit assignments, all conveniently online.
Online tools
Make use of the digital resources and learning material brought together on our FERNFH online campus, from forums and online group work to MS Teams calls with lecturers or fellow students, to make your learning as individual and effective as possible.
On-campus sessions: personal exchange and practice-oriented learning
Every semester includes three on-campus sessions where you can interact directly with your fellow students and lecturers.
On-campus sessions: personal exchange and practice-oriented learning
These on-campus sessions are an important part of your studies and give you the opportunity to apply what you have learned in workshops, lectures and practical exercises.
On-campus sessions you can plan for
At the beginning, in the middle and at the end of each semester, you attend on-campus sessions, which take place either on site at the campus in Wiener Neustadt or as live online sessions. The dates and format are known in advance so that you can fit them into your daily life as easily as possible.
Workshops and lectures
During the on-campus sessions, you take part in practice-based workshops and interactive lectures. You are taught by experienced lecturers who pass on valuable knowledge and practical skills.
Exams
Exams also take place during the on-campus sessions.
Advantages of the FERNFH study model
Should it be a degree at a university or at a University of Applied Sciences? Full-time or part-time? Alongside your work? On-campus study or a distance learning programme?
These may be the very questions on your mind as you look for the right programme. That’s why we thought we’d briefly sum up in the next few paragraphs for you what makes studying with us at FERNFH so special, what the advantages of our study model are and what sets our way of studying apart from other programmes designed for studying alongside work.
Distance learning programme vs. traditional degree – what makes us different?
A traditional on-campus degree, for example at a university, usually requires full availability during the week, a permanent place to live near the university and attendance in lecture rooms with hundreds of others. For working people or those with caring responsibilities, that is simply not feasible. Traditional forms of study are often very school-like, with rigid compulsory dates and anonymity in crowded lecture rooms. Individual support? Often hard to provide with so many students.
At the FERNFH, you experience an alternative model: personal instead of anonymous. Flexible instead of rigid. Supported instead of lost. Our students are not numbers, but people with real stories and ambitions. Lecturers meet you as equals. You can integrate your studies into your life rather than being forced to subordinate your whole life to your studies.
And even if you are considering a part-time University of Applied Sciences degree alongside work, you should read on: in the next section, we show you why the FERNFH model makes a decisive difference once again.
Distance learning vs. studying alongside work – not all part-time programmes are the same
When many prospective students hear the words “alongside work”, they immediately think of a degree that should fit easily alongside a full-time job. The reality, however, is often sobering: attendance in the evenings, lots of blocked-out weekends on campus, hardly any flexibility for people like you who juggle their job and their family. Who want to continue their education alongside night shifts or business trips. Who want to be a parent and a student at the same time and want time for their own development and that of their children.
Traditional University of Applied Sciences (part-time alongside work)
- Regular on-campus sessions
- Pre-structured time slots
- Partly digital learning
- Limited flexibility
FERNFH Distance-Learning University of Applied Sciences
- Max. 3 on-campus sessions per semester, planned in advance
- Self-directed, flexible learning
- Fully integrated digital learning (online campus)
- High flexibility
In short: we know what it takes for a degree to truly fit alongside work: not as a burden, but as a real opportunity for everyone who is in the thick of life.
Study for yourself and a better future
The distance learning programme at FERNFH is not just a way to earn a degree – it is your chance to shape your future. With a degree from FERNFH, you open doors to new career opportunities and are ideally equipped for the challenges of the future:
Topics of the future
Our degree programmes address the big topics of the future, such as digitalisation, demographic change, a human-centred economy and more.
Career opportunities
A degree from FERNFH opens doors to new career opportunities. Our programmes are practice-oriented and tailored to the job market.
Everyday life + studying = (not) a contradiction?!
Your life is full – and that’s exactly what we designed our degrees for.
Our students are mostly not typical “freshers” who are just starting out in their careers and drawing the first sketch of their adult lives. They are doers, career changers, go-getters. People with commitments, ambitions, dreams and often packed calendars. That is exactly why our distance learning programme is built not to push its way into your life, but to fit into it perfectly.
Studying with children or caring responsibilities
Whether it’s changing nappies, the school run or caring for a relative: these responsibilities can’t be put off. Our study model understands that: you study whenever you have the space and time for yourself, whether in the morning while your little ones are at nursery or in the evening, when the house has gone quiet. Study asynchronously and flexibly, in an environment that knows you have no time to waste.
Studying alongside your job or shift work
Do you work in a care home, in logistics or travel a lot for work? Thanks to our FERNFH model, you don’t have to juggle a programme schedule. Your studies come with you: on night shifts, business trips or when working from home. No fixed learning slot, no constant compulsory class attendance during the week.
Self-employed & studying
You are your own boss, but still want to achieve even more and pursue targeted continuing education? Then you need a degree programme that works the way you work: structured, efficient, independent. That’s exactly how our model is designed, tailor-made for self-organised self-employed people.
Time for you: hobbies, sport, community engagement
You spend your evenings at the stables, coach a youth team or volunteer? Our programmes don’t take this time away from you, they leave it to you. Those in the thick of life have no time for systems that restrict them. Our distance learning programme sets you free, rather than holding you back.
Testimonials
Read for your next step?
Learn more about the FERNFH study model, discover your admission options and find out how we support you along the way.
Understanding our study model
Learn moreWhat sets our distance learning programmes apart from conventional part-time degrees and other distance learning options? Want to find out more about the FERNFH study model?
Use the FERNFH Infocenter
Go to the Infocenter (German only)Here you’ll find all the key information on your path to the degree of your choice, gathered in one place – from Consulting and the self-check for your distance learning programme through to your application.
Studying without a secondary school-leaving certificate
Learn more (German only)Where there’s a will, there’s a way. At least at FERNFH. Find out how you can earn a university degree without a secondary school-leaving certificate.