Higher Education in Switzerland

The Swiss education system is a reflection of its federal system. Confederation, cantons and communes (municipalities) share responsibility for various parts of the system. Universities in Switzerland follow the Bologna system, meaning it is easy for international students to move between universities in other countries. More than 50,000 international students, comprises 20 percent of the country’s total student population prefer to study in Switzerland. Although there is The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) which is the associated body responsible for the education in Switzerland.

Structure of Higher Education in Switzerland:

Grading System:

Types of Higher Education Institutions:

University:

There are ten cantonal universities and two Federal Institutes of Technology. The universities in Basel, Bern, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) are in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, while the universities of Geneva, Lausanne and Neuchâtel and the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) are in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The University of Fribourg is in the bilingual canton of Fribourg (French and German), and the Università della Svizzera italiana in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. The universities organize their courses of study in a three-year Bachelor degree (full-time study) and a Master programme lasting one-and-a-half to two years.

Universities of Applied Sciences:

The universities of applied sciences organize their courses of study in a three-year Bachelor programme (full-time study); the Bachelor degree qualifies graduates for a profession and represents the standard qualification. At the Bachelor level the students are taught specialist practical knowledge. The courses are closely linked to a profession and the corresponding fields of activities and prepare students directly for entry into professional life. There are seven universities of applied sciences recognized by the Confederation. These are distributed over seven Swiss regions and comprise around 60 affiliated schools and departments.

Private University:

There are also a number of private universities and educational institutes in Switzerland. Switzerland in general has earned international acclaim for the excellence of their private schools. They offer language studies, a wide variety of hospitality and service programs, as well as commercial and management courses for MBA, Executive MBA, DBA and BBA degrees.

Types of Degrees:

Bachelor’s Degree:

The nominal duration of the bachelor’s programmes (first cycle programme) at universities and federal technical universities is 3 years (180 ECTS). Successful completion of the programme leads to a bachelor’s degree stating the relevant field, such as Bachelor of Arts / of Science / of Law / of Theology.

Master’s degree:

The master’s programmes (second cycle programme) last 1½ to 2 years (90-120 ECTS). The master’s programme in the area of medicine has a nominal length of 3 years. The second cycle programme sees a more in-depth focus on subject content, building on the knowledge acquired during the first cycle. The programme concludes with the writing of a final paper. After having completed the programme, students obtain a master’s degree stating the relevant field, such as a Master of Arts / of Science / of Law / of Theology /of Medicine.

PhD:

The third cycle of university education is solely provided at universities and federal technical universities (ETH). In order to be admitted to the PhD phase, students must obtain a higher education master’s degree with good results. Most programmes last 3 to 4 years, and comprise independent research which may or may not be combined with an educational programme. After having publicly defended their thesis, students are awarded the degree of Doktor.