Federal Institutes of Technology

The two Federal Institutes of Technology produce highly qualified engineers, architects and scientists.

Since the mid-19th century, the Confederation has played an active role in national science policy. While it began by creating its own polytechnic in Zurich, the Federal Institutes of Technology now comprises six schools : the two Federal Institutes of Technology, in Lausanne (EPFL) and in Zurich (ETHZ), and four research institutes – the Paul Scherrer Institute, the Federal Institute for Woodland, Snow and Landscape Research, the Federal Laboratory for Materials Testing and Research, and the Federal Institute for Water Supplies, Waste Water Treatment and Water Resources Protection.

Universities of Applied Sciences

Switzerland has since 1997 seven universities of applied sciences, which are organised regionally. The missions of the universities of applied sciences (UAS) cover teaching applied research and development, services to third parties and joint endeavours with other training and research institutions in Switzerland and abroad. They play an active role in the country’s economic and social life by acting as an intermediary in transferring knowledge and technologies. National networks of UAS competencies should give significant impetus to cooperation among them, as well as with universities and the economy.

The UAS offer degrees in Engineering and IT; Architecture, Building Engineering and Planning; Chemistry and Life Sciences; Business, Management and Services; Design; Sport; Applied Psychology; Applied Linguistics; Music and Theatre; Arts; Social Work.

Each UAS corresponds to a particular region and in fact consolidates a number of previous independent partner institutions. The regional UAS are : Haute Ecole Spécialisée de Suisse occidentale (HES-SO), Berner Fachhochschule (BFH), Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW), Zürcher Fachhochschule (ZFH), Fachhochschule Zentralschweiz (FHZ), Fachhochschule Ostschweiz (FHO) and Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI).

Universities of teacher education

The universities of teacher education are relatively young in Switzerland and most of them are either part of the public cantonal universities or of the universities of applied sciences. For more information on universities of teacher education see www.skph.ch

For more information:

Universities: www.swissuniversity.ch, www.crus.ch, www.proff.ch
For doctoral candidates and researchers: www.sbf.admin.ch/eracareers
UAS: www.kfh.ch