Study with a practical focus and discover a variety of career paths

Bianca Pirker, Business Management graduate

The program stands out for its wide-ranging curriculum, opportunities for personalized specialization, and strong practical focus. I found the personal interaction with faculty members and the chance to gain my first professional experience while still a student to be particularly valuable.

Bianca Pirker completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a specialization in Human Resources and Controlling at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in 2022. One of the key factors in her choice of program was its proximity to home as well as its strong practical focus. The specialization options in human resources, marketing, controlling, and logistics also played a decisive role. She was particularly impressed by the typical “university of applied sciences” atmosphere: the clear structure, which doesn’t require separate registration for courses or exams, as well as the personal interaction with the faculty, who know the students by name.
For Bianca, her time as a student was a particularly wonderful period during which she was able to learn and experience many new things. She was also able to gain her first professional experience there. Not only did she develop great friendships, but her social skills were also strengthened–such as teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, and presentation skills.

Nevertheless, there were some hurdles to overcome. One of them was her lack of prior knowledge in business administration, since she had graduated from a high school focused on the humanities and, for example, had never heard of journal entries before. But both the instructors and her fellow students were always there for her and supported her. Another obstacle was the pandemic. “If it hadn’t been for COVID-19, I’m sure I would have been able to enjoy student life even more,” she says. Nevertheless, the instructors went out of their way to make the best of the situation.
When asked if and why she would recommend the program, she replied: “Because of the wide range of topics, the opportunities for individual specialization, and the strong practical focus.” Another plus was the faculty with real-world experience and the personal interaction with them. Today, she is pursuing a master’s degree in business education at a university and has a direct point of comparison; nevertheless, Bianca would choose to pursue a bachelor’s degree at the university of applied sciences again in a heartbeat.

In the period between completing her bachelor’s degree and starting her master’s program, she worked at Liebherr in Lienz as a Food Retail Sales Support Specialist. Her responsibilities included, among other things, processing orders, communicating with customers both domestically and abroad, and visiting clients in Poland. Today she works as a student assistant at the University of Innsbruck and is responsible for research projects in vocational training.
She recommends that future students enjoy their time and take advantage of the opportunity to interact with teachers who have real-world experience. She also suggests taking advantage of opportunities like the “Study & Work Program” to gain valuable professional experience while still in school.

Bianca enjoys spending her free time in nature. She is also very active in sports–whether running, hiking, or ski touring. She likes to meet up with friends for coffee and wind down the day in a relaxed way.