Department of Sport and Human Movement Science
Sport Science is a relatively young discipline, which has spread rapidly and developed in different directions across the world, including in Austria. Beginning in the middle of the 19th Century with a Sports Teacher course at the University of Vienna, the institutionalisation and recognition of the discipline was achieved after 1945.
At the Department of Sport and Human Movement Science (DSHMS) of the University of Vienna, five professorships are currently established: Sports and Performance Physiology, Sports Sociology and Sports Economics, Kinesiology with focus on Biomechanics and Computer Science in Sport, Training Science with biological orientation, Sports Nutrition (in accordance with the Faculty of Life Sciences). The cooperation and networking with organizations of sports, health and economy as well as with other scientific disciplines underlines the identity of sports science as an integrative discipline.
Around 2000 students are currently enrolled, being trained for both teaching and non-educational professions. Research-led teaching takes centre stage, with education focusing on the dynamic connection between theory and practice. Research and teaching go hand in hand as the role of sport in modern society continues to develop and take on growing importance.
