ETH Zurich: Where the Future Begins

Also known as The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich is a paramount institution that is playing as a hub for knowledge and innovation since its inception. Possessing qualities like freedom and responsibility, the university is globally acclaimed for its high-end education in STEM courses. The university has been able to create a lot of buzzes after it grabbed the 6th position in the QS list of top 10 universities around the world 2020. ETH Zurich has been a holy grail to more than 21 Nobel Prize Winners, including the inventor of the general theory of relativity and the father of modern physics, Albert Einstein. Are looking forward to becoming a part of this academic institution? If yes, then, let us go through this blog and take a look at various aspects of it.

ETH Zurich: Overview

Located in the heart of Europe, it is a profound academic institution that is globally well renowned for its excellent education and cutting-edge fundamental research opportunities.  Having more than 30,000 people being a part of the institution from more than 120 countries,  the institution aims to promote independent thinking and caters an environment that it inspires excellence. The Swiss Federal Government in 1855 established the institution vision to create a common platform for science and technology. 

The university offers a wide range of UG, PG and PhD courses specifically in the fields of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, System Oriented Natural Sciences, Construction Sciences, Engineering Sciences and Social Sciences. All the major bachelor’s courses at the university are taught in German but master’s and PhD course are taught in English as well.

Programs at ETH Zurich

Recognized as a leading name in the field of education, the institution offers a wide range of programs to meet the diverse choices of the youth. Ranging from popular STEM courses to Arts and Culinary Courses, the university has it all. Mentioned below are the popular fields you can pursue Bachelor’s and Master’s courses in-

Bachelors Program

Here are the major fields of study for UG courses-

• Engineering Sciences: Materials Science; Information Technology and Electrical Engineering; Computer Science; Mechanical and Process Engineering
• System-oriented Sciences: Earth Sciences; Agricultural and Food Sciences; Environmental Sciences
• Construction Sciences: Civil; Architecture; Environmental and Geomatic Engineering.
• Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology; Chemistry; Biology; Health Sciences and Technology; Computational Science and Engineering; Human Medicine; Pharmaceutical Sciences; Mathematics; Physics

Candidates must note that all the undergraduate programs are taught in German. If students have not studied in German previously, and it is not their first language, they need to prove their proficiency with a test like TestDAF. Depending on the subject, students might sit for an entrance exam. All the undergraduate programs at ETH Zurich have a tenure of 6 semesters or 3 years.

Masters Program

Main steams to pursue Master’s courses are-

• Engineering Sciences
• System-oriented Sciences
• Food and Agricultural Sciences
• Construction Sciences and Architecture
• Environmental Sciences
• Earth Sciences and Natural Sciences
• Mathematics
• Management
• Social Science

The curriculum focuses on research and its practical applications. Other than the lectures, practical assignments, and lab work is also a part of the course, students also get an opportunity to take part in placements for work as part of the course they are pursuing. The institute offers consecutive Master’s degrees programmes, which continues right from the Bachelor’s degree, as well as interdisciplinary, specialized Master’s degrees. Most postgraduate programs are taught in English.

Admission Requirements to Study at Eth Zurich

The admission requirements at ETH Zurich tend to differ as compared to other institutions of abroad. In our discussion regarding the university, it is important to get a hold of what all is necessary for one to become a part of it. Let us now take a look at the important eligibility requirements for this academic institution.

For UG Courses

To enter into the UG courses, there are three pathways, such as-

• Admission without entrance exams
• Admission conditional upon passing reduced entrance examination
• Admission conditional upon passing comprehensive entrance examination

For the German Language, the following tests/ certificates are accepted-

• Goethe-​Zertifikat C1 with minimum grade ‘gut’
• TestDaF with minimum score 4 in all four exam sections of the same session
• ÖSD Zertifikat C1 with minimum grade “gut bestanden”. Both written and oral examinations must be sat in the same session.
• DSH-​3 (only the registered by the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber).
• Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz – second level with minimum level C1 in each examination part.
• telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule with minimum grade ‘gut’. Both written and oral examinations must be taken in the same session. 

For PG Courses

The basic prerequisites for seeking a master’s degree at the ETH Zurich tend to differ upon your previous education as well as the destination of the institution. Let us take into account the requirements an international student having a UG degree from non-swiss universities must fulfil-

• The candidates must belong to a recognized university
• The UG degree must be of 3years duration and must have 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System)
• Minimum 7.0 band score in IELTS or 100 in TOEFL iBT/ TOEFL iBT Home Edition

Class Structure and Student Life at Eth Zurich

With a total of about 20,000 students on-campus, nearly 53% are pursuing a postgraduate program and the rest 47% are pursuing an undergraduate program. The institution houses over 7,500 international students widening the scope of learning from experiences around the world. With a student to staff ratio of just 14.6, ETH Zurich makes sure that each student gets a sufficient amount of attention and time to achieve a favourable growth trajectory. ETH Zurich houses over 100 student associations. Amongst them, the most notable one is the VSETH, comprising of all department associations. They frequently organize events with varying popularity and size. ETH students also attend events of the neighbouring “University of Zurich” and many others. VSETH organizes events such as the Polyball and the Erstsemestrigenfest which are housed in the main building of the campus and capture great public attention. The ASVZ or the Academic Sports Association of Zürich has more than 120 sports to offer. SOLA-Stafette(SOLA relay race), the largest annual sports event, incorporates 14 sections with a total distance of 140 km.

Campus and Location

Zurich, a city which is known to provide the best quality of life to its residents, is also the largest city in Switzerland. Being the central location, it is the ideal starting point for excursions. Places like Bern, Basel, Schaffhausen, and Lucerne can be reached by train within an hour. Other attractions in the Alps like Santis, Pilatus, and the Rigi are also quite accessible from the location. The ETH Zurich campus is so huge that it can be equated to some of the small towns in Switzerland. Over 25,000 people study, teach and work on-campus. There are numerous attractions including scientific events, cinema shows, concerts, and of course, the “big” social event which is well-known even beyond the campus- Polyball.

If you are one of the aspirants wanting to go study abroad at the ETH Zurich and are confused about your short-term course of action, it’s time to rejoice. Leverage Edu experts take no time to ease out every issue related to higher education. Come knock our door, we will take care of the rest.