Organisation

This page describes the structure and processes of student representation at Angewandte. It should help you find out who to contact if you have questions, and give you an idea where you can get involved.

To find out who is currently holds a given position, see Who is Hufak?

University representation (UV)

The UV is made up of 9 mandates who are elected every two years in the ÖH election. A formal UV meeting takes place every 1-2 months and is open to the public. You can find all minutes of the meetings under Downloads.

The UV decides on the budget, appoints Referent*innen and sends students to the university’s collegiate organs to represent student concerns. The UV is a steering body; most of the representative work is carried out by the UV chair team and the members of the UV team who are organized into different Referate. Apart from being reachable by email you can also come to ask questions in person during their office hours.

For general inquiries to the UV, it is best to contact our secretary

Hufak Chairteam

The 9 mandates elect a chair team among themselves, consisting of a chairman and up to two deputies. The chair team represents the students externally and also before internal committees. It takes care of the organization of the UV meetings, regular exchanges with the Rectorate and the Bundes ÖH.

E-mail: vorsitzteam@hufak.net

Hufak Departments

The departments are appointed by the UV and take care of daily tasks in a wide variety of subject areas. The departments are the right point of contact for specific concerns.

For general inquiries, it is best to contact our secretary at hufak@hufak.net

Department for Art and Theory

The Department for Art and Theory represents student interests within the university—such as on the Heiligenkreuzerhof Advisory Board or during diploma room allocations—and serves as a bridge to external cultural institutions. We support student initiatives through various grants, including the Special Project Grant (Sonderprojektförderung) and the Lightning Grant (Blitzförderung).

Email: kunstundtheorie@hufak.net

Department for Community & Events

The department mobilizes and connects the various student communities at the Angewandte, thereby fostering a sense of community among students—both across the university as a whole and within student groups focused on specific interests. The department organizes a variety of accessible, community-oriented formats and events, and supports existing student communities with the communication and execution of their own events.

E-mail: community@hufak.net

Department for Education and Politics (BiPol)

BiPol counsels students on study law and acts as a link between Student Programme Representatives (StVs) and Curriculum Commission (StuKo) members. We offer guidance on the Student Union Act (HSG) and University Act (UG), support student-organized educational events, and explain how to become politically active within the university structures.

Email: bipol@hufak.net

Department for Infrastructure & Events

This department manages HUFAK’s technical inventory and equipment rental service. We support students with event logistics, technical systems, and autonomous infrastructure, while overseeing new acquisitions for technical equipment.

Email: infra@hufak.net

Department for International Students and Anti-Racism

We advise foreign and international students on admission procedures, moving to Austria, visa/residence permit applications for non-EU citizens, labor law, and navigating campus life in Vienna. Additionally, the department actively counters discrimination and promotes anti-racist discourse across the university.

Email: international@hufak.net

Department for Intersectional Queer Feminism

Addressing power structures such as (hetero-)sexism, transphobia, and interphobia, this department works to challenge heteronormative logics within the university. We advocate for queer perspectives in student representation, support students directly, manage essential care infrastructure, and collaborate with university bodies to foster safer, more inclusive spaces.

Email: queerfem@hufak.net

Department for IT and Digital Infrastructure

This department maintains all software and digital systems used by HUFAK, including the official website, mailing lists, email servers, and our self-hosted Nextcloud instance. It provides technical support for student projects, ensures IT security, and manages data protection compliance.

Email: it@hufak.net

Department for Public Relations (PR)

The PR department promotes student projects and disseminates important university news. It oversees the official HUFAK student newsletter, website content, and social media channels (Facebook and Instagram).

Email: pr@hufak.net

Department for Social Affairs & Inclusion

This department handles social, health-related, and financial queries to support students through the everyday challenges of student life, in particular psychological counceling services and financial support.

Email: sozial@hufak.net

Department for Working Class Students

Focusing on how social background impacts access to art education and cultural participation, this department examines classist structures within the University of Applied Arts. We aim to identify systemic barriers and implement projects that promote educational equity.

Email: classism@hufak.net

Department for Financial Affairs

The Financial Affairs department manages hufak’s budget, oversees financial administration, and executes all monetary transactions.

Email: wiref@hufak.net

Study programme representatives (StVs)

The study programme representatives (StVs) consist of representatives elected directly by the students of a study programme and are the first point of contact for study-related concerns. They represent the interests of students vis-à-vis the institute and faculty, appoint the members of study-relevant committees such as StuKo and work to improve study conditions. Just like the UV, they can only be elected every 2 years in the ÖH election.

There are currently 20 StVs at Angewandte, each encompassing one or more study programmes:

StV Architecture
StV Art & Science
StV Bildende Kunst
  • stv.bildendekunst@hufak.net
  • Represents students of the following programmes:
    • Bildende Kunst (Diplom): Klasse Fotografie
    • Bildende Kunst (Diplom): Klasse Malerei
    • Bildende Kunst (Diplom): Klasse Malerei & Animation
    • Bildende Kunst (Diplom): Klasse Ortsbezogene Kunst
    • Bildende Kunst (Diplom): Klasse Skulptur & Raum
    • Bildende Kunst (Diplom): Klasse Zeichnung & Druckgrafik
StV Bühnengestaltung
StV Cross-Disciplinary Strategies
  • stv.cds@hufak.net
  • Represents students of the following programmes:
    • CDS (Bachelor)
    • CDS (Master)
StV Design
  • stv.design@hufak.net
  • Represents students of the following programmes:
    • Design: Angewandte Fotografie (Diplom)
    • Design: Kommunikationsdesign (Diplom)
    • Design: Mode (Diplom)
    • Design: Narrative Medien (Diplom)
StV Doktoratsstudien (wissenschaftlich & technisch)
  • stv.scientificphd@hufak.net
  • Represents students of the following programmes:
    • PhD Naturwissenschaften
    • PhD technische Wissenschaften
    • PhD Philosophie
StV Doktoratsstudium künstlerische Forschung
StV Expanded Museum Studies
StV Experimental Game Cultures
StV Industrial Design
StV Lehramt
  • stv.lehramt@hufak.net
  • Represents students of the following programmes:
    • Lehramt: kkp (BA)
    • Lehramt: kkp (MA)
    • Lehramt: dex (BA)
    • Lehramt: dex (MA)
StV Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaften
  • stv.kuwi@hufak.net
  • Represents students of the following programmes:
    • Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaften (MA)
StV Medienkunst
  • stv.medienkunst@hufak.net
  • Represents students of the following programmes:
    • Medienkunst: Digitale Kunst (Diplom)
    • Medienkunst: Transmediale (Diplom)
StV Restaurierung
  • stv.konsrest@hufak.net
  • Represents students of the following programmes:
    • Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management (MA)
    • Restaurierung (Diplom)
StV Social Design
StV Sprachkunst
StV TransArts
StV Transformation Studies

Kollegialorgane

Kollegialorgan is the umbrella term for all democratic committees of the university in which representatives of students, professors, assistants (“Mittelbau”) and general staff come together to discuss and decide on various issues. These university commitees are spaces where student representatives can have the biggest impact on university life: you sit at the same table as professors and university staff, with the same voting rights and a direct say in important decisions.

Any student can be nominated to join a collegiate organ — unlike the StVs (which can only be elected every two years) members can be swapped out any time.

Senate

The senate is the university’s highest democratic body, which oversees all curriculum changes as well as administrative and strategic decisions of the university. You can find more information on the Senate website.

Working Group for Equal Treatment Issues (AKG)

The Working Group for Equal Treatment Issues (AKG) advises and supports all members of the university community as well as university bodies on equality matters and actively opposes discrimination. The AKG is a confidential point of contact for cases of sexual harassment or discrimination, whether on the basis of sex, (perceived) ethnicity, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, disability, or social origin/educational background.

You can find more information about AKG on their website.

Studienkommissionen (StuKo)

There are many Studienkommissionen at Angewandte. Student members that attend the StuKos are nominated by the respective StVs. You can find more information about StuKo work under How to StuKo.

Berufungs- und Habilitationskommissionen

Appointment- and habilitation commissions are temporary university committees, usually active for a few months, that evaluate and decide on the appointment of new professors and the awarding of the Habilitation (the qualification to teach independently at university level).