Mission Statement

With our outstanding educational and training opportunities, we are an international and national magnet for the advancement and opening up of the arts. Forward-looking and fully aware of our own traditions, we mentor our students in their critical approach to the questions and challenges of our time. For us, the dialogue between art, science and education is an essential part of our socio-political function.

Highest international levels
International success and the highest quality in all areas make us attractive for students and teachers and as a cooperation partner.
We are shaped by the diversity, internationality and varied backgrounds of everyone who works and studies at the mdw. Globally networked and with an international presence, we contribute to Austria's inspiring cultural life. Vienna as a location plays a significant role here.
Generations of our graduates are active in a wide variety of fields globally and regionally. With their experience, they are valuable driving forces for the further development of the mdw.

Focus on students
By promoting individual skills, studying at the mdw prepares students for a wide variety of career paths. As a university, we support students in developing their personal concept of art, in acquiring artistic, educational and scientific knowledge and in creating independent works and interpretations.
We facilitate freedom and scope for experimentation, transdisciplinarity and innovation, and promote personal growth, team spirit and the development of leadership skills.
What we do is guided by respectful interaction with one another, the ability to give and accept criticism, awareness of our responsibilities, and creativity.
The quality of our courses is based on the interplay of many elements, such as the selection of outstanding teachers and students, individual support in one-to-one tuition and in small groups, continuous evaluation and further training of teachers, professional practical experience, a service-oriented administration and a modern infrastructure.

Culture with attitude
We are committed to democratic values, equal treatment and diversity. In the same spirit we value open communication, transparency and participation for the further development of the university. We stand for gender equality and inclusion. Transculturality is discussed in the context of a critical questioning of the concept of art and culture as well as regarding its effects on university practice in art, teaching and research.

Through our work we aim to reach out to society as a whole. With a variety of events, projects and networking activities in the fields of music, theatre and film, we provide stimuli for cultural and social innovations and actively engage in current social, educational and cultural-political discourses. Lifelong learning is an important part of our understanding of quality.

The well-being of everyone who works and studies at the mdw is one of our main concerns. We strive to create the best possible conditions for the compatibility of study, career and family and commit ourselves to a responsible approach to resources.

The freedom of art, science and teaching is an inalienable guiding principle of the mdw.