It might be that he is a braggard, plain and simple. Also, a private university? What guarrantee is there that its progarms would meet internationally accepted standards? Although different in Europe, I know for a fact that there are acceditation boards in Canada and the USA that certify the validity and relevance of degree programs at the genuine, bona fide universities. Accreditation hearings and visits are very thorough and demanding, at least for engineering programs in Canada. U of T nearly lost its accreditation for some of its engineernig programs about 15 to 20 years ago.
Actually, if you go to this site IST Austria,
http://ist.ac.at/graduate-school/phd-program/
The requirement is four to five years of study for a Ph.D.
"
Program Description
The duration of the program is on average four to five years (depending on previous education and individual progress) and is divided into two phases: before and after the qualifying exam.
Students with a BS degree have at most two years from their start date, and students with an MS degree have one year from their start date, to pass the qualifying exam.
First part of PhD Studies
When joining the PhD program of IST Austria, a student may be part of a research group (with a Thesis Supervisor) from the beginning or start as unaffiliated student. The overall requirements are the same in both cases.
During the first phasea student must:
- Do three lab rotations with three different professors (approx. two months each).
- Fulfill a course requirement:
- two introductory courses:"Introduction to Research at IST Austria" and "Scientific Presentation and Conduct"
- Take four core (or the equivalent of eight half) modules.
- Form a thesis committee and pass a qualifyingexam.
This includes finding a thesis supervisor (Professor or Assistant Professor of IST Austria), forming a thesis committee, preparing a thesis proposal and a reading list.
The qualifying exam consists of:
- an oral presentation of the thesis proposal (normally 20 – 30 minutes), followed by
- an oral exam about the thesis proposal and the Reading List (normally 30 – 40 minutes).
Second Part of PhD Studies
After passing the qualifying exam, a PhD student works primarily on research towards a thesis.
Every student and supervisor hold regular progress reviews, and a committee of professors must approve each year that the student makes satisfactory progress towards completing the PhD degree.
A Thesis Defense must be scheduled within four years of passing the Qualifying Exam.
The thesis defense consists of a public oral presentation of the draft thesis (normally 40 – 50 minutes) in the presence of the thesis committee, followed by questions and answers on the thesis.
Once a final thesis is submitted, within two months of the defense, and accepted by the thesis committee, the PhD degree is awarded by the Institute."
Universität Innsbruck, three to five years.
http://www.uibk.ac.at/fakultaeten/betriebswirtschaft/study_programs/phd-program/program_details.html
These are just two examples of Ph.D. program offerings in Austria.
One year for Ph.D. in Austria?
Bullshit, plain and simple.