International University Vienna
The International University, Vienna was a private university located in Vienna, Austria, with subsidiaries in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was unaccredited during most of its existence. According to IU, it was chartered in 1980 by the U.S. state of Alabama as a private degree-granting postsecondary institution. The Vienna operation was founded in 1981 as "European Christian College". Beginning in 2001, IU was nationally accredited until 2003, when IU's university accreditation was withdrawn by the Austrian Accreditation Council. In 2011, IUV's sponsoring association went into bankruptcy and was shut down by court order.
In June 2011, Serbian private university Megatrend University announced that it would take over the institution's operation. This successor institution also went bankrupt and closed its doors in 2013.
Programmes
- Undergraduate:
- *Bachelor of Business Administration
- *Bachelor of Arts in Diplomatic Studies
- *Bachelor of Arts in Global Business & International Relations
- *Bachelor of Arts in Philology, English Language
- Graduate:
- *Advanced Master of Arts in Diplomatic & Strategic Studies
- *Master of International Business
- *Master of Business Administration
Legal status of academic degrees
Academic degrees granted by IU Vienna within the period of private university accreditation are legally recognized in Austria and other EU countries. Any degrees granted outside this period lack accredited status, and their use may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions.The institution stated that it was licensed to operate by the state of Alabama. However, this license expired in November 2010 and is not related to accreditation.
The Office of Degree Authorization of Oregon lists International University Vienna as an unaccredited foreign degree supplier and advises "employers, potential students, potential clients and others doing business with users of these degrees" to "take appropriate steps to determine the true nature of the credentials... in order to ensure that degrees are genuine and are being used legally".