History of the Department
In Austria, the history of the political science discipline begins in 1968 in Vienna. The University of Vienna’s Department of Philosophy created a chair for a ‘professor of philosophy of the critique of politics and ideology’ with its own field of study and dissertations.
In 1971, a decree from the Ministry of Science established the ‘Department for Political Theory’ in the Faculty of Philosophy; political science became a subject that could be combined with another discipline. In 1977, the ‘Basic and Integrative Faculty’ (Grund- und Integrativwissenschaftlichen Fakultät) changed the name from ‘Department of Political Theory’ to ‘Department of Political Science’.
Between 1975 and 2004, the department and field of study was part of the ‘Basic and Integrative Faculty’, which was later renamed – ‘Faculty of Human and Social Sciences’. Since 2004, the department has been part of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
In 1975, another department of political science was established in the Faculty of Law and Government. Today, it is called the Department of Government. Since 2004, it has also become part of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Until 2012, the political-science "Diplomstudium" still existed. In 2007, in accordance with the Bologna structure, the department introduced the Bachelor and Master degree in political science. In October 2009, a new curriculum was introduced for the Doctorate programme.