General information

The Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna, commonly referred to as "the MUK", is a public institution that provides exceptional and affordable education in Music and Performing Arts. As a subsidiary of Wien Holding, the MUK is fully owned by the City of Vienna and has strong ties to other cultural institutions in this network.

Students 

Currently, the MUK is home to approximately 900 students and over 280 distinguished faculty members, including internationally renowned artists involved in artistic research, instrumental studies, dance, drama, and vocal studies. More than half of our students come to Vienna from abroad. The university admits 150– 200 candidates per year from approximately 1,500 applicants.

History

The origins of the MUK as an institution can be traced back to the Conservatory of the City of Vienna. In 2000, the institution began its transformation into a university, integrating its programmes and degrees into the European Higher Education Area (Bologna Process). In 2005, the institution became the first private university of the arts in Vienna to be accredited. It adopted the name Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität. 

In 2015, it was renamed Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK). Although publicly funded, MUK differs from Austria's state universities in its legal status, as it is accredited under the Private Higher Education Act (PrivHG).

MUK@OWA

In March 2025, Mayor Dr Michael Ludwig announced plans to establish a new campus for the MUK at Otto Wagner Areal (OWA).

The new campus (MUK@OWA) will not only expand MUK's capacity for teaching, research, and artistic practice but also create opportunities for student accommodation, benefiting both the university and the surrounding community. This creation of a genuine campus setting will optimise study conditions for students from all institutes and degree programmes.