The Villa Steiner
Enrichment Program
Five one-week seminars inspired by Vienna’s Intellectual Legacy.
PROGRAMM STRUCTURE
The Enrichment Program consists of five interdisciplinary one-week seminars.
Each seminar can be attended independently. Together they form a coherent intellectual framework.
THE SEMINARS
Seminar 1: The Human Person
Fundamental questions of human nature, freedom, responsibility, and flourishing.
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Semnar 2: Judgment & Character
How judgment is formed, exercised, and sustained in personal and public life.
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Seminar 3: Truth & Knowledge
Reason, truth, and scientific inquiry in a fragmented intellectual landscape.
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Seminar 4: Politics, Media & Public Trust
Political judgment, media dynamics, and the conditions of public trust.
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Seminar 5: Institutions, Law & Continuity
Law, institutions, and the transmission of order and responsibility over time.
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Who is the Program for
The Enrichment Program is designed for students from different academic backgrounds and countries who seek intellectual depth and orientation as part of their formation.
How learning works
Seminar-based learning combining close reading, dialogue, and Action Learning components.
Vienna as an intellectual Hub
Vienna provides a distinctive intellectual context for for engaging contemporary questions.
Faculty
The Enrichment Program is taught by an international faculty from philosophy, law, economics, and the humanities.
Admissions & Fees
Information on eligibility, tuition fees, scholarships, and the application process for the Enrichment Program.
ECTS Points
The Enrichment Program is approved in cooperation with Universidad Villanueva, Madrid.
Each seminar is awarded 6 ECTS credits. Recognition of credits is subject to the regulations of the student’s home institution.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
2026
The Enrichment Program consists of five interdisciplinary one-week seminars.
Each seminar can be attended independently. Together they form a coherent intellectual framework.
A transformative journey
for university students worldwide
The Villa Steiner
Enrichment Program
Five interconnected one-week seminars.
Inspired by Vienna’s Intellectual Legacy
For generations, Vienna has stood at the crossroads of culture and ideas—a city where philosophy, science, art, architecture, and civic innovation helped shape the modern age. It has also long been a place where spirited debate and a deep-rooted culture of dialogue have brought people together to question, reflect, and envision new futures.
Building on this heritage, the Villa Steiner Enrichment Program invites university students from around the world to explore the pressing questions of our time: How can we live with freedom and purpose? What binds society together—and what drives it forward? Where do we find meaning, identity, and truth?
The program is rooted in the legacy of thinkers like Stefan Zweig, Viktor Frankl, Karl Popper, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Peter Drucker, and Ludwig von Mises—figures who not only transformed their disciplines, but redefined how we understand the human experience.
Each seminar opens a doorway into enduring questions, drawing insight from the humanities, social sciences, and beyond. In this shared search for meaning, participants are not merely prepared for leadership—they are encouraged to become ambassadors of values, purpose, and cause: individuals who can listen deeply, think critically, and speak with moral clarity in a world shaped by uncertainty and change.
The Villa Steiner Enrichment Program
The program consists of three interconnected seminars of 14 days each. While they form a coherent intellectual journey, each seminar is self-contained and can be attended independently.
The World of Today – Forces and Frameworks of Contemporary Society
3–17 December 2025
This seminar explores the ideas and institutions that continue to shape modern life.
It examines how justice, identity, and the common good are negotiated in pluralistic societies—and how law, ethics, and economics intersect in shaping civic life and shared purpose. It also looks at the evolving role of business in addressing global challenges and at the frameworks that sustain freedom, trust, and cooperation in a changing world.
The Human Person – Meaning, Mind, and Human Flourishing
5–19 June 2026
Explore philosophical, psychological, and neuroscientific insights on what it means to be human.
This seminar draws on thinkers like Viktor Frankl, who saw meaning as a core human drive, and Aristotle, who viewed virtue as the foundation of agency and well-being. Participants explore purpose, freedom, decision-making, emotional intelligence — and the evolving boundary between human and artificial intelligence, and what it reveals about us.
Truth and Reason – Political Thinking and Scientific Inquiry
11–25 September 2026
This seminar explores how we form judgments and make sense of the world—politically, scientifically, and ethically.
It introduces key political concepts and ideologies, examines the challenges today’s media face in fulfilling their public role, and addresses the dynamics of misinformation and societal polarization. It also considers the foundations of scientific reasoning and the interplay of disciplines in the search for truth.
A Learning Journey Rooted in Vienna
This program doesn’t offer ready-made answers—it challenges students to think critically, connect ideas, and find their own voice. Set in Vienna’s rich intellectual landscape, the seminars combine academic depth with personal reflection for those who want to understand the world and their role in it.
More than just lectures, each seminar is a space for discovery and growth. Action Learning elements—on-site sessions, group reflection, cultural immersion, and personal development seminars—bring ideas to life. Knowledge meets experience, and learning becomes a path to character and purpose.
Participants
The program is designed for university students aged 19–24 from Europe and around the world.
It welcomes intellectually curious individuals from a wide range of academic backgrounds—whether in the humanities, social sciences, law, economics, or natural sciences—who seek to connect ideas across disciplines.
Participants should be eager to reflect on big questions, engage in meaningful dialogue, and grow both personally and intellectually. What unites them is a shared desire to understand the world more deeply —and to shape their own lives with clarity, integrity, and purpose.
WHY VILLA STEINER
Education for judgment in a time of transformation.
#1: Thinking under conditions of complexity
Not to simplify the world, but to learn how to orient oneself within it—intellectually, morally, and practically.
#2: Learning through dialogue, not delivery
Questions are taken seriously, perspectives tested, and convictions are formed in conversation rather than assumed in advance.
#3: Vienna as a lived intellectual context
Ideas are not only discussed but encountered—in texts, places, conversations, and shared cultural experience.
#4: A small, serious learning community
Learning happens in small groups, through sustained attention, shared time, and mutual responsibility.
Why Apply – SIX Reasons to Join
Located in Vienna’s 19th district, Villa Steiner is a place to think, reflect, and grow. This micro-campus blends academic tradition with an open, international atmosphere—ideal for students seeking clarity, depth, and personal growth.
#1 Strengthen Your Capacity for Critical Thinking
Sharpen your analytical skills, engage in focused reflection, and gain perspective on your role in a diverse and complex world.
#2 Explore Big Questions
Deepen your understanding of freedom, justice, identity, and responsibility through dialogue with distinguished scholars in law, economics, ethics, and the humanities.
#3 Master the Art of Dialogue
Learn to lead with questions, not just answers. Engage others with curiosity and respect, challenge assumptions, and express your convictions with clarity and courage.
#4 Connect with a Global Peer Group
Join a diverse cohort of motivated students from across Europe and beyond, and form friendships that last far beyond the seminar.
#5 Discover Vienna and Central Europe
Immerse yourself in the cultural richness of Vienna and take part in excursions to historic cities like Salzburg or Budapest.
#6 Shape Your Own Path
Through personal reflection, mentoring, and global perspectives, develop the clarity and confidence to make meaningful life decisions.
Apply and prepare
Fees, Scholarships & Admissions
Seminar Fee: €2,200
Each seminar is a self-contained experience and can be attended independently of the others.
The fee includes the full course program, single-room accommodation, full board, excursions, entry fees.
All 3 Seminars: €5,900
The three seminars can be attended independently and do not need to be completed consecutively or within
one year. The discount can be applied for upon registration for the third seminar.
Scholarships
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for highly motivated candidates who require financial support. Application details will be provided upon request or during the application process.
ADMISSIONS
Each seminar welcomes up to 18 students.
Participants are selected by an admissions board based on their application, motivation, and academic background. Attention is given to a balanced mix of male and female students as well as regional diversity to foster a rich and inclusive group experience.
Feel free to contact us — we’ll be happy to send you our admissions materials, and we’re also glad to answer any questions you may have.
JOIN THE EXPERIENCE.
We are looking for curious, motivated, and thoughtful university students who are eager to engage with big questions and grow personally and intellectually.
If this sounds like you, get in touch and request our admissions materials — we look forward to hearing from you!
