Good to know

AI at the University of Innsbruck​​​​​

AI Guideline at the Faculty of Catholic Theology

From WInter Semester 2026/27, a guideline for all written work at our faculty comes into effect.

You can download the guideline here. There is also a non-binding English version.

Questions and answers regarding the Faculty’s AI Guideline

My supervisor/lecturer wants me to handle AI differently to what is set out in the guideline. What am I supposed to do?

Follow the instructions of your supervisor or lecturer, but ensure that the rules are documented in writing (course catalogue, dissertation agreement, etc.). This is necessary so that, if required, it can be established at a later date which rules applied in your case (→ see the introductory paragraph to the guideline).

Is there anything else I need to bear in mind apart from this guideline?

Yes! Our faculty’s AI guideline is just one small component of academic work. Of particular importance to all students are the legal provisions governing academic work, as well as the Guideline on Good Academic Practice at the University of Innsbruck. Some of these are linked directly within the AI guidelines (→ see the ‘General Considerations’ and § 1).

What penalties are there for unauthorised use of AI?

Far more important than the question of penalties is an awareness of your own responsibility! But if you really want to know:

Unauthorised use of AI in a course with integrated assessment (SE, PS, VU, UE, PR, etc.) may result in a mark of unsatisfactory’ (5). You will then have to retake the course in full and, depending on the severity of the offence, the matter will also be reported to the Vice-Rectorate for Teaching and Students.

Unauthorised use of AI when writing a doctoral thesis, diploma thesis, or master’s thesis will result in at least a warning. In more serious cases, it may also lead to a report being made to the Vice-Rectorate for Teaching and Students. Furthermore, your supervisor may terminate the collaboration, which will also render your registration for your thesis or your thesis agreement invalid.

If it is only discovered retrospectively that the AI guideline has been breached in a doctoral thesis, diploma thesis or master’s thesis, this may lead to the revocation of your degree.

I don’t like complicated legal texts. Can the AI policy be summarised in simple terms?

There are two key points: it is prohibited to use AI-generated text in written work – even if the prompts used to generate that text are highly sophisticated. Given that you have written text yourself, it is permitted to revise it with the help of AI, including for translation purposes. However, you must always keep your original self-made texts and provide evidence of them on request. You must also disclose which tools you have used and for what purpose. – But that really is just the short version; the guideline itself is what matters!

Is it true that nobody gets caught anyway?

No.

This English Q&A section is based on a translation by DeepL.com, which was subsequently edited by Liborius Lumma.

Further information on AI in higher education

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Good Academic Practice

The legal and ethical rules of good academic practice apply to all academic work during your studies. You should particular attention to:

Plagiarism

A plagiarism check procedure is prescribed for doctoral theses. However, plagiarism constitutes a violation of the rules of good academic practice even in seminar papers, examination essays, etc., and can have significant legal consequences. You can find the most important information and regulation in the following legal sources:

“The following acts shall in any case be classified as scientific or artistic misconduct:
1. obstructing or sabotaging the research or artistic activities of others,
2. using unauthorized aids, including the misuse of artificial intelligence applications,
3. unlawfully enlists the help of another person in the preparation of a written work, the taking of an examination, or the creation of an artistic work, or makes use of a commissioned work created by a third party (ghostwriting);
4. takes over texts, ideas, or artistic works in whole or in part and passes them off as their own; this includes, in particular, when someone uses text passages, theories, hypotheses, findings, or data through direct, paraphrased, or translated reproduction without properly identifying and citing the source and the author (plagiarism); or
5. Invents or falsifies data or results.” (§ 2a (3) HS-QSG, non-binding translation via deepl.com)

Supervision – Assessment – Submission – Defence

Your doctoral studies will be guided by the following people:

  • Main supervisor:
    Responsible for: ⇒ Dissertation agreement, ⇒ supervision of your research, ⇒ selection of courses for module 1, ⇒ selection of the project for module 3, usually also ⇒ review of the dissertation and ⇒ examiner in the defence (together with two other examiners).
    The main supervisor must be habilitated and work at our faculty (or be retired).
  • Additional supervisor:
    ⇒ Additional supervision of your research. Please note that this person is not allowed to examine your dissertation at the end of your studies.
    The additional supervisor should be a professor or a habilitated staff member of our faculty (or at least our university). Discuss your ideas with your main supervisor and with the Dean of Studies at an early stage.
  • Assessors:
    Your dissertation will be assessed by two persons, with the main supervisor usually being one of them. The second assessor must be habilitated and external, i.e. a professor at another university. Discuss your ideas with your main supervisor and the Dean of Studies in good time.

Submission of the Thesis:
To submit your dissertation, follow the steps which are explained here. Please be aware that the entire site is currently only in German, so you might probably need help. Make yourself familiar with the procedure and the required online forms. Do not underestimate the effort involved in preparing and uploading the data.

From August 11, 2026, there will be a new worklow for the submission of your thesis. You find all information here.

The registration deadline for the defence is three weeks before the planned date (see „Dates“). The assessments must already be available at this time (i.e. approx. four weeks before the planned date). Please note that the examiners have three months to complete the assessment.

Defence:
The defence is conducted by three examiners, usually the Dean of Studies (as chairperson), your main supervisor, and your additional supervisor; certain other compilations of the board are possible.

For the personal academic projects, which are to be chosen in agreement with the supervising team, there is a form that has to be signed by the main supervisor: You can find the form on this page („Wissenschaftliche Projekte”).

If the main supervisor notices an increased workload of 6 ECTS credits instead of 4, this can be entered manually on the form. In this case, the seminar Begleitung wissenschaftlicher Projekte (Module 3a) can be omitted.

 There is a form for this part of the curriculum that has to be signed by the main supervisor: You can find the form on this page („Beurteilung 'Teilnahme am wissenschaftlichen Diskurs'”).

see Department of Systematic TheologyThe exam must be registered individually. You can find the form on this page („Anmeldung zur kommissionellen Prüfung des Pflichtmoduls 5”).

The examination is carried out by three examiners: Your main supervisor, a professor of your chosen second theological subject, and another professor as chairperson. Dean of Studies Liborius Lumma is willing to take on this part, but it can also be someone else. You arrange the place and date of the examination with your three examiners.

The syllabus lists for each subject:

Procedures and Timetable around the Diploma or Master's Thesis

The steps from the first considerations for a diploma or master's thesis to the submission and the final defence should extend over around one year. During this time you can also take course examinations. When planning, use the following example schedule as a guide:

Example: Completion of studies with defence in March 2028.

  • Early in 2027:
    Contact potential supervisors for your thesis and discuss your ideas. Once you have informally agreed on a project with a supervisor, the next steps can follow.
  • June 2027 (= 6 months before the planned submission):
    Registration of the thesis in the examination office. Topic and supervision are only binding once the registration has been approved. Now come to an agreement on the exact procedure for further collaboration with your supervisor. From now on (if not earlier) stay in close contact with your supervisor.
  • Shortly afterwards:
    Create an exposé and agree on a schedule (if you have not done it before) with your supervisor. Then submit the form „Vorbereitung der Diplom-/Masterarbeit“ to the examination office, which your supervisor must sign.
  • December 2027:
    Submission of the thesis – please note these important instructions regarding the process and do not underestimate the effort involved in preparing and uploading the data! Only the submitted version is binding. The order for the assessment is now given and the assessor has two months to do so.
    Please note: From August 11, 2026, there will a new workflow for the submission process. You find all relevant information here.
  • February 2028:

    As soon as the thesis is assessed and all other requirements of the curriculum are met, you discuss date and time for the defence with your supervisor and the Dean of Studies. Then you can register for the defence in the examination office. Please note: There must be at least three weeks between the registration and the defence

  • March 2028: 
    Defence = completion of your study programme.

Defence Dates

Twice per semester, our faculty hosts central defence days for the defences of diploma theses, master's theses, and doctorcal dissertations. In addition, you can also arrange individual dates for your thesis defence. As a general rule, you cannot arrange a thesis defence date until your thesis has been assessed and all other course requirements have been met. You must register the defence at least three weeks before the defence date. The next central thesis defence days are:

Winter Semester 2026/27

  • Tue, Oct 6, 2026 (Registration deadline: Tue, Sept 25, 2025)
  • Tue, Jan 26, 2027 (Registration deadline due to the Christmas holidays: Mon, Jan 11, 2027)

Summer Semester 2027

  • Tue, March 9, 2027 (Registration deadline: Tue, Feb 16, 2027)
  • Tue, June 22, 2027 (Registration deadline: Tue, June 1, 2027)

Course Exams

Course exams are administered by the departments or by the lecturers. Exams for lectures (Vorlesung) take place at least in the following weeks (in addition, the lecturers can offer further options):

Winter Semester 2026/27

  • Mon, Sept 28, to Fri, Oct 9, 2026 (for lectures from WS 2025/26 and SS 2026)
  • Mon, Nov 17, to Fri, Nov 27, 2026 (for lectures from WS 2025/26 and SS 2026)
  • Mon, Jan 25, to Fri, Feb 5, 2027 (for lectures from WS 2025/26, SS 2026, and WS 2026/27)

Summer Semester 2027

  • Mon, Febr 22, to Fri, March 5, 2027 (for lectures from SS 2026 and WS 2026/27)
  • Mon, Apr 19, to Fri, Apr 30, 2027 (for lectures from SS 2026 and WS 2026/27)
  • Mon, June 21, to Fri, July 2, 2027 (for lectures from SS 2026, WS 2026/27, and SS 2027)

According to the University of Innsbruck's study regulations, the registration deadline for examinations is at least one week before the examination date.

Procedure and Forms

In autumn 2026 (most probably from October 1, 2026), credit transfer processes will be handled exclusively via digital forms. You will be informed in due time. The information given below will then become invalid.

The application forms that have to be submitted to the examination office (SOWI building) can be found on your study pages; see above „Offizielle Info-Seiten zu unseren Studienrichtungen”. If you select „Detaillierte Infos” on your study page, you will find the forms „Ansuchen um Anerkennung von Prüfungen” and „Beiblatt”.

You can download an example of how to fill out the „Beiblatt” here. If you cannot find any number of course hours or credits in your old certificates, you can leave these fields empty. You must present your old certificates or submit copies with the application anyway.

You are welcome to contact the Dean of Studies or the respective study coordinator in advance and get information about the options.

Info Pages and Curricula

There are official information websites for all study programmes at the University of Innsbruck. There you will also find all forms you need to submit for various steps in your studies. If no other information is given, the study language is German.

Diploma programmes

Bachelor programmes

Master programmes

Doctoral programmes

University Continuing Education programme

Minors (complementory subject areas) for Bachelor students

Current Courses​​​​​
Timetable at the Faculty of Catholic Theology

Examination Office

The Examinations Office for all studies of our faculty is located at Universitätsstraße 15 (SOWI building, ground floor).

Admission Department

The Admission Department will assist you with all questions regarding admission, mobility, tuition fees, academic ceremonies, and more.

Lecture Halls, and Ceremonial Halls

  • Hörsaal I (HS I): Room E09, Karl-Rahner-Platz 3, Ground Floor
  • Madonnensaal (MS): Room 201, Karl-Rahner-Platz 3, 2nd Floor
  • Seminarraum I (SR I): Room 48, Karl-Rahner-Platz 1, Ground Floor (Arcade Wing)
  • Seminarraum II (SR II): Room 129, Karl-Rahner-Platz 1, 1st Floor
  • Seminarraum III (SR III): Room 217, Karl-Rahner-Platz 1, 2nd Floor
  • Seminarraum VI (SR VI): Room 102, Karl-Rahner-Platz 3, 1st Floor
  • Seminarraum VII (SR VII): Room 103, Karl-Rahner-Platz 3, 1st Floor
  • Übungsraum Katechetik (UE-KAT): Room 242, Karl-Rahner-Platz 1, 2nd floor
  • Übungsraum Pastoraltheologie (UE-PAST): Room 230, Karl-Rahner-Platz 1, 2nd floor
  • Kaiser-Leopold-Saal (KLS): Room 203, Karl-Rahner-Platz 3, 2nd floor
  • Dekanatssitzungssaal (DekSS): Room 104, Karl-Rahner-Platz 1, 1st floor
  • Occasional courses are also held in our reference libraries (Handbibliotheken). All reference libraries are located in the Karl-Rahner-Platz 1 building.
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