Vienna is a city rich in imperial history that WFU students call home for a semester just as some of the greatest composers in history called it home–namely Mozart, Haydn, Strauss, Schubert, Liszt, Brahms, and Beethoven.  Explore this culturally diverse and vibrant city to find intriguing museums, opulent palaces, countless coffee houses, and grand architecture.  Not only does Vienna offer great experiences within its limits with an efficient public transportation system and an ideal environment for biking and walking, it also situates itself in a prime location to travel throughout both Western and Eastern Europe.  Reside with fellow Wake students and a faculty member at the Flow House in the prestigious 19th district, an area well-known for its embassies, diplomatic residences, and distinguished private homes.

Be sure to take a few minutes and watch this great video about the Flow House!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/yRX5VhtPYG0

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Students participating on the WFU/Vienna: Flow House program are required to obtain a visa prior to the program’s start date.  To help students and families understand the Austrian visa process, the Center for Global Programs and Studies has created a useful WFU visa website.

Students should also check their passport’s expiration date and ensure that it will be valid for at least 1 year after the program’s end date.  If students need to renew their passport, they should visit the U.S. Department of State’s passport website for information on this process.  Students can also contact their study abroad advisor with any questions about this.

Vienna is the city that gave waltz to the world. Mozart, Haydn, Strauss, Schubert, Brahms, and Beethoven are just a few of the many composers who lived and worked in Vienna. In addition to its rich musical history, Vienna is a culturally diverse and vibrant city. It is home to the Vienna Boys’ Choir, the famous Lipizzaner stallions, and countless coffee houses (an integral part of Viennese life). Located in the heart of Europe, students may easily travel east to the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary and west to France, Italy, Spain, England, and Switzerland.

In 1998, Wake Forest purchased a three-story villa in Vienna. The acquisition was made possible through the generous donation of Vic and Roddy Flow of Winston-Salem and the House was named in their honor. Built in 1898, the house was formerly the office of the U.S. Consulate.

Flow House is situated in a northwest section of Vienna, one block from the Turkenschanz Park. Located in the prestigious 19th district, the area is well-known for its embassies, diplomatic residences, and distinguished private homes.

Each fall and spring semester, a group of Wake Forest students and a Resident Professor live and study together at Flow House. Classes are held at Flow House. Elective courses are taught by Austrian professors. Classes are scheduled Monday through Thursday, leaving a three-day weekend to explore Vienna or travel to other destinations. Many returning students cite the close relationships formed not only among students but also between students and the Resident Professor as a highlight of the program. Resident Professors alternate every semester.

It is the student’s responsibility to speak to their major and minor advisor(s) regarding their abroad coursework and how (or if) it will count towards their degree plan.

Academic Requirements 
While at the Flow House, students must take: 

1. At least 1 of the Resident Professor’s courses
2. A German language course (GER 110 [4h], GER 150 [4h], or GER 214 [3h])
3. HMN 190 Contemporary Viennese Experience (1.5h) (p/f)
4. Minimum of 12 credit hours total

Additional Divisional Courses 
Divisional courses offered will be taught by local professors. These courses are elective to the program and are subject to change each semester. Please refer to the Resident Professor to discuss the entire course listings during their designated semester. Electives may include:

• HST 120 Formation of Europe: Habsburg Empire and its Successor States (3h) (Div I or HST major/minor credit): The development of Central and East-Central Europe as a multiethnic unity under the Habsburgs, 1526-1918, and its dissolution into successor states and subsequent interactions, 1918-1989. 
• MSC 241 Music in Vienna (3h) (Div III): Study of music and musical institutions of Vienna and Central Europe
• ECN 271 European Economics (3h) (Div IV)

Fall 2026 with Dr. Grant McAllister, German

Course #1: GES 340: German Literature (D) (3h)

Course #2: GES 335: German Cinema (3h)
 

Spring 2027 with Dr. Deon Strickland, Finance

Course #1: FIN 231: Principles of Finance (3h)

Course #2: ECN 319: Behavioral Economics (D) (3h)

The standard course, HST 120 (D), will not be offered this term.
 

Fall 2027 with Dr. Robert Hellyer, History

Course #1: HST 102: Europe and the World in the Modern Era (D) (3h)

Course #2: HST 350: World Economic History: Globalization, Wealth and Poverty, 1500-Present (3h)

Spring 2028 with Dr. Timo Thonhauser, Physics

Course #1: PHY 113: General Physics I (D, QR) (4h). Essentials of mechanics, wave motion, heat, and sound treated with some use of calculus. Recommended for science, mathematics, and premedical students. Credit allowed for either PHY 111, 113 or 123 but not for more than one. P or C-MTH 111 or 112 or equivalent. C-PHY 113L. Lab will need to be taken before or after Spring 2028.

Course #2: PHY 114: General Physics II (D, QR) (4h). Essentials of electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics treated with some use of calculus. Recommended for science, mathematics, and premedical students. Credit allowed for either PHY 114 or 124, but not both. P-MTH 111 or 112 and PHY 111, 113, or 123. C-PHY 114L. Lab will need to be taken before or after Spring 2028.

Resident Professors:

Fall 2026: Dr. Grant McAllister, German & Russian, mcalligp@wfu.edu
Spring 2027: Dr. Deon Strickland, Finance, strickdd@wfu.edu
Fall 2027: Dr. Robert Hellyer, History, hellyer@wfu.edu
Spring 2028: Dr. Timo Thonhauser, Physics, thonhauser@wfu.edu

Flow House can accommodate sixteen students. There are five student bedrooms on the top floor. A classroom, spacious kitchen, library with state-of-the-art technology, dining room, and living room are located on the middle floor. The house is wired for Internet access and students should bring their laptop computers. A three-bedroom faculty apartment is on the first floor. The house contains separate laundry facilities for faculty and students.

NOTE: All students participating in the WFU/Vienna: Flow House program are required to live in program-provided housing. Housing accommodations you may have on campus do not automatically transfer to abroad and certain housing accommodations (single rooms and private bathrooms, for example) may not be available.

The students have opportunities to go on excursions with the Resident Professors and the local professors. Generally students are taken on at least one weekend excursion outside of Austria. Some past excursions have been to Prague, Krakow, and Budapest. These excursions offer students the opportunity to see new locations and learn about their connections to Austria. The trip includes guided tours through the city and free time for the students to explore. The cost of the trip is included in the program cost and the trip is usually mandatory.

In addition excursions have also been arranged so students can attend local festivals. A past excursion included attending Almabtrieb, an annual September festival in Austria. It takes place at the Marienseerschwaig near the Alpine village of Moenichkirchen. The locals have a party marked by the driving of the cows and horses from the higher elevation meadows down to the valley before winter sets in. Everyone dresses up, including the cows, and celebrates together.

The faculty director is responsible for the selection of each group based on the following criteria:

• Academic suitability
• Social and emotional maturity
• Classification
• Seriousness of the student in pursuing the academic and cultural aims of the program
• Applicability of the program to the student’s interests and studies

Students who have completed one year of college German (111 and 112 or 113) are given preference for admission, but students without German are also encouraged to apply and have participated successfully in past semester programs.  Majors in all disciplines are eligible.

Students pay current Wake Forest tuition and housing. Students are responsible for all meals, round-trip airfare, additional travel, books, visa fees, and other personal expenses.

Students are eligible for Flow House specific scholarships and in addition may apply for scholarships through the Center for Global Programs and Studies.  Students should also contact the German Department for information on their scholarship opportunities.

Passport Information
Students need to check their passport’s expiration date and ensure that it will be valid for at least 1 year after the program’s end date.

Students going on a fall program need to make sure their passport is valid through at least mid-June of the following year. Students going on a spring program need to make sure their passport is valid through at least mid-November of the same year.

US passport holders who need to renew their passport should visit the U.S. Department of State’s passport website for information on this process.

Non-US passport holders who need to renew their passport should refer to their home country’s passport office.

Visa Information
All students participating on the WFU/Vienna: Flow House program are required to obtain a visa prior to the program’s start date. Until you have received your visa, students are advised to refrain from making international travel plans in the months preceding their study abroad semester.

To help students and families understand the Austrian visa process, the Center for Global Programs and Studies has created a useful website.

Dr. Grant McAllister
Program Director of Flow House
Professor of German & Russian
Phone: (336) 758-4023
E-mail: mcalligp@wfu.edu

Christina Canon
Senior Study Abroad Advisor
Center for Global Programs and Studies
Reynolda Hall, Room 116
E-mail: canonc@wfu.edu 

House address:
Flow House
Gustav Tschermak-Gasse 20
1190 Vienna, Austria