TU Graz/ TU Graz/

Senate of TU Graz

Alongside the Rectorate and the University Council, the Senate is one of three management bodies at the university. As a democratically elected body, it represents all groups of people at the university: academic and non-academic staff as well as students. Its main tasks are divided into 3 areas:

  • Autonomy – self-determination
  • Education
  • Quality assurance

A total of 26 people work in the Senate and more than 500 people work in its committees. That so many members of the university are involved shows the importance given to the respective tasks. 

Interesting Details

Contact

Senate of TU Graz
Rechbauerstraße 12/I
8010 Graz Eva-Maria SCHMIDT-HASEWEND
Senate's Office
Phone: +43 316 873 6080; 6081
e.schmidt-hasewendnoSpam@tugraz.at

Members of the Senate

The Senate of TU Graz is made up of 26 members from individual groups of university members.
  • University professors: 13 members
  • Mid-level staff: 6 members 
    This group is made up of all academic personnel who are not university professors: Extraordinary university professors, associate and assistant professors, senior scientists, assistants with and without doctorates, and university teachers.
  • Students: 6 members
  • Administrative personnel: 1 member
Student members are delegated by the TU Graz Student Union. All other members are elected by the respective group for a 3-year term of office. 

Senate Meetings

Academic year 2023/24

  • 2 October 2023
  • 6 November 2023
  • 11 December 2023
  • 22 January 2024
  • 4 March 2024
  • 22 April 2024
  • 27 May 2024
  • 24 June 2024

 

Academic year 2024/25

  • 7 October 2024
  • 4 November 2024
  • 9 December 2024
  • 20 January 2025
  • 3 March 2025
  • 7 April 2025
  • 12 May 2025
  • 23 June 2025

 

According to § 3 (2) of the rules of procedure of the senate, persons affiliated with the TU Graz (employees and students) have the right to be present at the public part of the Senate sessions.

Please register at the Senate's Office if you would like to take part in the public part of a senate meeting.

The 26 members of the Senate, 2022 to 2025, with other participants of the meeting.

Scope of Duties

Autonomy – Self-determination

The Senate plays an important role in making autonomy and self-determination of the university a reality:
  • Organisation of the other two managerial bodies: members of the University Council are appointed by the Senate together with the Federal Government; the University Council appoints members of the Rectorate in a joint procedure together with the Senate.
  • The Senate is the legislative assembly of the university. It legislates the statute of the university, which defines important regulations, such as study regulations or measures for the advancement of women, and which are constantly being adapted to the changing legal and social frame conditions.

Education

  • The Senate regulates cooperation between students and teaching staff by means of relevant parts of the statute.
  • The Senate has organised a TU Graz Student Ombudsperson to provide support in exceptional circumstances.
  • Degrees and university certificate programmes: Working groups for particular degree programmes define and structure degrees into curricula – educational aims, qualification profiles and detailed provisions on individual courses. The two curricula committees of the Senate manage this process and then decide on the curricula. They focus on quality standards for the whole university, and on balancing the ability to study with teaching capacity and vocational training with academic education. Over the last few years, it has become increasingly important to balance our interests with those of our partners in inter-university studies. 

Quality Assurance - Strategic

The Senate ensures quality on a strategic level: The Senate authorises committees who are responsible for quality assurance when employing professors with an open end contact and awarding the venia docendi. Appointment of university management and selection of management personnel is made strategically and in accordance with the quality standards of the whole university. Central strategic documents, such as the Development Plan (in German) or Organisation Plan, are drafted by the operative bodies and submitted to the Senate. The Senate approves the documents if they meet the quality criteria required from a strategic perspective. 

Quality Assurance - Operative

  • The Senate’s deliberative way of working makes an important contribution to the quality of the decisions made by the Senate and its committees. Based on expertise and appraisals, the open discourse between people represented in the committees creates an environment where the best argument wins – a method that can be seen as shaping the entire scientific culture.
  • The Senate sets up the Working Group for Equal Opportunitiesr, which ensures openness to diversity and mutual appreciation in all university matters.
  • The Awards Committee of the Senate rewards quality everywhere where our exceptions are exceeded. 

Tasks in Detail

According to § 25 University Act
  • Election of members of University Council and changes to size of University Council
  • Approval of advertisement for the position of Rector and the creation of a shortlist of three candidates for the election of a Rector.
  • Statement on suggestions for Rector regarding Vice Rectors: Number, working hours, proposal of candidate
  • Involvement in dismissing members of University Council, the Rector and Vice Rectors
  • Statement before people are allocated to individual organisational units
  • Establishing a Working Group for Equal Opportunities
  • Nomination of a female and male main member and deputy member for the Arbitration Board
  • Adoption and changing the Statute on the suggestion of the Rectorate.
  • Adoption and changing of the curricula for full degree programmes and university certificate programmes.
  • Approval of the draft of the development plan (complete strategy for TU Graz) created by the Rectorate as well as the draft of the organisational chart, which describes organisational units and their tasks.
  • Involvement in habilitation procedures (in German: Habilitationsverfahren) and appointment procedures
  • Determination of academic degrees and titles for graduates of university certificate programmes
  • Appraisals at complaint procedures on study matters
  • Appointment of collegiate bodies, such as habilitation committees, appointment committees and curricula committees as well as adoption of directives for their tasks.

Bases

These bases form the foundation of the Senate’s work.

University Act

The Senate is organised in accordance with § 25 University Act.

Rules of Procedure of the Senate

The Rules of Procedure of the Senate (in German: Geschäftsordnung des Senates) stipulate how the Senate works, how the meetings proceed and which cases the chairperson of the Senate can deal with independently.

Statute of TU Graz

The Statute of TU Graz regulates aspects such as electoral regulations for members of the Senate.

Directives

The following directives of TU Graz are decided upon by the Senate: 

Degrees and University Certificate Programmes

The documents mentioned are available for designing and changing curricula.

For Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programmes

For Doctoral Programmes

Cooperation in Austria

Conference of Senate Chairpersons at Austrian Universities (SVK)

This is attended by chairpersons of senates and their deputies from public universities in Austria. For the functional period 2019 to 2022, the Senate Chair of Graz University of Technology Gernot Kubin was elected as spokesperson; from 2016 to 2019 he was a member of the team of spokespersons.

Statutes SVK (in German)

The press releases and statements by the Conference of Senate Chairpersons at Austrian Universities can be found on the German page. 

Österreichischen Hochschulkonferenz (Austrian University Conference)

Members of the Senate participate in the Austrian university conference and its work groups. To Austrian University Conferende: Österreichische Hochschulkonferenz