Teaching at WU with EM/CEE Focus

Winter Semester 2026/27

Since the summer semester of 2025, the Competence Center has been conducting an ongoing analysis of courses offered at WU Wien that relate to its core topics of Emerging Markets and Central & Eastern Europe. The following sections provide an overview of the relevant courses identified through a keyword analysis. The center has created an overview of prevalent topics, patterns, regions, and departments, as well as how they have changed up to and including the winter term of 2026/27.

In addition, lists of all identified courses from the past semesters can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. 

Distribution by teaching programs

In the winter semester of 2026/27, approximately 47 relevant courses were offered, representing no significant change compared with the previous winter semester.

Around 66% of these courses were offered at the bachelor’s level, while approximately 34% were offered at the master’s level. The share of master’s-level courses was therefore twice as high as in the previous winter semester.

EM&CEE related courses in WU Master’s Programs

The aforementioned increase in master’s-level courses is accompanied by greater diversity in the master’s programs represented. Among these offerings, the Master of Laws (LL.M.) continues to account for the largest share, representing nearly one third of all identified master’s-level courses.

The Center’s specialized Masterclass CEE program likewise continues to make up a considerable proportion of the relevant courses. At the same time, CEMS, the Master’s Program in International Management, has increased its share compared with the previous year. In addition, the Master in Management is now represented among the programs offering courses relevant to the Center.

Clustering of the courses (BA and MA level)

Six major thematic clusters have been identified across the analyzed courses. The largest shares are accounted for by courses in the areas of ‘International Business Management & Marketing’ and ‘Sustainability’. Compared with the previous winter semester, ‘Global Economics & Socioeconomics’ represents a slightly larger share than ‘Business Communication & Language’, pointing to an increased emphasis on global economic developments and their broader societal implications. A significant proportion of courses also falls within the fields of ‘Intercultural Competence’ and ‘Law & Regulation’.

Dominant keywords

The list of identified courses was compiled by searching for courses containing specific regional references, such as ‘ASEAN’ and ‘Africa’, as well as thematic terms, including ‘Developing Countries’ and ‘Emerging Markets’. The frequency of these keywords provides an indication of the relative prominence of particular regions and topics within the course portfolio.

Although the set of keywords itself has remained unchanged, the term ‘Asia’ has become considerably more prominent than in the previous winter semester. Closely linked to this development, ‘China’ also appears more frequently in the course descriptions, suggesting a stronger focus on the economic, political, and societal significance of Asia, and China in particular, within global business and economic contexts.

The keywords ‘Emerging Markets’ and ‘Eastern’ likewise remain prevalent, indicating the continued importance of rapidly developing economies and of Central and Eastern Europe within the Center’s teaching activities.

Notably, ‘Africa’ has also gained prominence, pointing to an increased engagement with the continent’s economic development, business opportunities, and role in global value chains.

Regional-to-cluster linkages

Using the keyword analysis, each course’s thematic cluster can be linked to the specific keyword through which the course was identified. The chord diagram visualizes these connections, highlighting the relationships between regional and thematic keywords and their corresponding clusters.

Compared with the previous year, the overall pattern of connections has remained largely unchanged. Within the ‘Sustainability’ cluster, strong links to ‘China’ and ‘Latin America’ persist, underscoring the continued emphasis on the intersection of global environmental and economic challenges with these key regions.

The ‘Business Communication & Language’ cluster remains closely tied to ‘Russia(n)’, reflecting the historical, social, and economic importance of language competence for engaging with Eastern Europe and post-Soviet contexts. Meanwhile, the ‘International Business Management & Marketing’ cluster continues to display pronounced connections to ‘Emerging Markets’ and ‘Eastern Europe’, while this year’s analysis also reveals a notable link to ‘ASEAN countries’. Together, these connections point to a strategic focus on business dynamics in rapidly developing economies and transitional regions.

Compared with the previous year, its connection to ‘Africa’ has strengthened noticeably, suggesting a growing emphasis on the continent’s markets, business opportunities, and role in global economic developments.

The world map

The world map visualization underscores these findings: CEE and Asia appear as the two dominant regional anchors, while individual courses extend coverage to regions such as Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. This shows the continuous breadth of geographical focus offered by WU courses.

Overview of the EM&CEE courses at WU

Overall, the findings suggest that WU students continue to be exposed to courses that combine practical regional expertise with broader thematic perspectives. This enables them to engage critically with the economic, political, social, and regulatory dynamics shaping global markets.

A particularly noteworthy development over the past academic year is the growing prominence of sustainability in courses related to emerging markets and Central and Eastern Europe. This points to an increasing integration of environmental and social considerations into the study of regional economic development, international business, and global value chains.

The complete list of identified courses is available for download as an Excel file.