Bertha von Suttner Privatuniversität St. Pölten (BSU)

The BSU considers itself a space for the development of the society of the future. We put the person at the centre and purposefully align our actions, teaching, and research with the further development of a society that is oriented towards the dignity of all – also for the benefit of future generations. The university was founded in 2018 under the name of the visionary, activist, and thinker Bertha von Suttner as a forum for discourse, critical knowledge creation, and collaborative innovation. The fields of study in Psychotherapy, Social Sciences, Pedagogics, and – probably from the autumn of 2024 – Psychology* shape the university’s profile of bachelor's and master's degree programmes, further it provides training courses and continuing education programmes including an outpatient clinic for teaching and research. Moreover, the university promotes international collaboration and offers programmes and partnerships for an international perspective in education. The BSU stands for a new style of teaching, learning, and research. In 2021 the BSU pooled its higher education activities on the Campus St. Pölten with the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences in order to offer the students not only modern teaching and learning facilities but also a higher degree of collaboration between each other. The modern campus and the new didactic models in combination with frequently time- and space-independent teaching and learning options guarantee a high level of organisational and content flexibility. In this way the BSU makes an important contribution to the compatibility of studying and professional as well as care responsibilities and to a society of lifelong learning.

In this context research is the basis for the productive discussion of current social challenges that leads to contributions on behalf of (mental) health, wellbeing, and common welfare. Innovative, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches and the active exchange with the population and with social actors are decisive here. With the opening of the outpatient clinic for teaching and research the BSU made a contribution to social infrastructure and care that offers the students a practically relevant education at the same time.