university of zurich phd application

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The University of Zurich offers numerous  doctoral degree programs . 

Besides meeting the formal admission requirements , prospective doctoral students must fulfill the relevant academic admission requirements to be admitted to doctoral studies. Whether or not these requirements are met is decided as part of a defined admission procedure . 

Admission constitutes the right to matriculate in the doctoral studies in question at the University of Zurich. Doctoral students must remain matriculated for the full duration of their doctoral studies.

Formal Admission Requirements

Master’s degree diploma from a state-accredited university .

Credits for any transferred coursework must also have been acquired at a state-accredited university.

The diploma itself is state-accredited.

The diploma grants entitlement to pursue doctoral studies at a state-accredited university in the relevant country.

The Master’s degree diploma does not necessarily have to be available at the time of application. If you are admitted, it may be submitted at a later date (by 30 September at the latest for admissions for the Fall Semester, by 15 March at the latest for admissions for the Spring Semester). 

Depending on the doctoral studies in question, admission is also possible with a degree from a university of applied sciences or university of teacher education in a  signatory state to the Lisbon Recognition Convention . Further information can be found on the  website of the faculty concerned .

Academic Admission Requirements

The prospective doctoral student has the academic knowledge and skills required to pursue the doctoral studies in question. Additional requirements and/or conditions (generally in the form of Master’s modules) may be attached to admission in certain cases. Conditions must be met in a preparatory phase within the framework of doctoral studies. No doctoral modules may be booked during this preparatory phase. Additional requirements may be fulfilled during the preparatory phase or in parallel with doctoral modules.

An instructor with the right to award a PhD (generally at the faculty concerned) agrees to be principal supervisor for the planned doctoral thesis. Depending on the doctoral studies in question, further individuals must or may take on a supervisory role, for example as co-advisors. 

Additionally for doctoral programs: The prospective doctoral student is accepted on to the doctoral program in question (following a selective acceptance procedure).

Additionally, depending on the doctoral studies: The prospective doctoral student is employed as a doctoral student, or teaching and research assistant.

Further requirements may have to be fulfilled in certain cases, such as a Master’s degree with a minimum overall grade. 

Details of the academic admission requirements for individual programs of doctoral study can be found on the website of the faculty concerned .

Admission Procedure

The admission procedure begins with the faculty or graduate school concerned. Here, you must: – secure the approval of one or (as appropriate) more supervisor(s) for your planned doctoral thesis, – in the case of doctoral programs, have been accepted on to the program, and – as appropriate, have been offered a position as a doctoral student, or teaching and research assistant. Which of these steps must be completed, and in which order, depends on the doctoral studies in question. Details in this regard can be found on the website of the faculty concerned .

You must also apply to the University of Zurich Admissions Office to pursue your chosen doctoral studies. Before you apply, please find out about the application procedure and documents to be submitted  and apply via the application portal . Please note the relevant  application deadlines . It can take up to three months to process your application. 

If all admission requirements are fulfilled, you will receive the decision on admission from the University of Zurich Admissions Office. You can then matriculate at the University of Zurich and begin your doctoral studies. 

Important Information on the Admission Procedure:

If you have been offered employment for your doctoral studies, and you are a citizen of a state that is a not a member of either the European Union or EFTA , you will need the relevant  visa to enter Switzerland . The University of Zurich will generally apply for this visa on your behalf. Please contact the faculty or graduate school concerned. The visa is issued by the Canton of Zurich Migration Office and is always subject to confirmation of matriculation being submitted within 14 days of entry. You will receive this confirmation of matriculation as soon as you have matriculated at the University of Zurich having received the decision on admission, and paid the bill for the semester fees. Your visa will only be converted into a residence and work permit after the Migration Office has received your confirmation of matriculation. If you are not able to fulfill this condition within the set deadline, you will have to leave Switzerland. 

► Do not travel to Switzerland until you have received the decision on admission from the University of Zurich Admissions Office (i.e. until you are entitled to matriculate) (see point 3 above). 

► Do not begin your doctoral studies until you have matriculated at the University of Zurich, and you hold a residence and work permit. 

To speed up the admission procedure (which may be advisable especially in the case of individuals requiring a visa ), you can submit an application to the Admissions Office (see point 2 above) before the procedure with the faculty or graduate school is complete (see point 1 above). However, the Admissions Office decision on admission (see point 3 above) cannot be issued until confirmation of supervision and, in the case of doctoral programs, the notification of acceptance on to the doctoral program in question have been received.

Students currently matriculated at Master’s level at the University of Zurich must request a change of degree program  to doctoral studies under “My Requests” in the student portal and must not submit an application . 

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To the online application.

• UZH Application Portal
• Information on Application Procedure

Application Deadlines

Please note the different application deadlines.

• Overview of application deadlines

Confirmation of Supervision

• Form for doctoral students at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• Form for doctoral students at the Faculty of Science (PDF, 425 KB)
• Form for doctoral students at other faculties (PDF, 264 KB)

UZH Graduate Campus

UZH Graduate Campus supports UZH doctoral students.

• To UZH Graduate Campus
• Accommodation

If you have questions please contact the Admissions Office .

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• Admission to Doctoral Studies – Faculties

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Graduate Campus

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, guide: how to phd, this section provides those interested in pursuing a doctorate with an overview:.

Food for thought for beginning PhD candidates

• Collection of links to relevant topics for PhD candidates
• Preparation and procedure at UZH (following)

Table of contents

Find a supervisor, admission to doctoral studies, requirements for admission and procedures, content and requirements, individual phd and phd programs, procedures at uzh faculties, employment and funding, for international students and scholars.

First of all, get in contact with a UZH professor who is willing and able to supervise your doctoral project. If you are interested in participating in a PhD program, you should first of all carefully read through the application procedures for the program in question. Doctoral programs at UZH

The doctorate is comprised of a PhD thesis as well as coursework. It serves as a qualification for an academic career or other demanding professions.

As a general rule, a Master's degree or an equivalent degree from an accredited university is the prerequisite for admission to the doctorate. Certain criteria regarding content as well as formal conditions (e.g. grade-point average, qualification phases) are also considered when processing applications.

Admission to Doctoral Studies

The requirements for admission and the admission procedures are set out in the ordinance for obtaining a doctoral degree at the faculty in question. Some faculties also offer a  fast-track  doctoral program, a program for particularly talented students in which the Master's degree and PhD are integrated in a single program of study. The individual programs define their PhD programs' admission procedures – which, as a rule, are highly competitive.

Please note that PhD candidates must be matriculated at the University for the duration of their doctorate, i.e. until they have been conferred the final degree. 

Application and admission Application period

Writing a PhD thesis – independent and original academic work – forms the core part of the doctorate. The thesis can take the form of a monograph or consist of several publications on a single subject which have been published in scientific journals (a cumulative PhD thesis). You can find more information about the formal requirements in the doctoral program regulations for your subject area. As a general rule, however, the thesis should be of such scope and content that it can be completed within three years.

The required coursework serves to enhance subject-specific skills, but also goes toward developing transferable skills. All coursework will be recorded in your final transcript of records and Academic Record. Coursework requirements can be fulfilled by attending courses in your subject area, by visiting classes from the main pool of courses in transferable skills (transferable skills and university-level teaching), or, in some cases by attending courses at another institution. Alongside the required coursework (including transferable skills), it is highly recommended that PhD candidates develop their teaching skills. Transferable skills courses University-level teaching  

In many disciplines at UZH there are two types of doctoral programs offered: the individual doctorate and the structured doctoral programs . Moreover there are also interdisciplinary and inter-university schools or programs, partly financed by third-party funds. Doctoral Programs

Because the various faculties at UZH are thematically and structurally so diverse, each faculty is in charge of designing its own PhD program.

Be sure to read about the specific requirements at the faculty in question.

Various types of academic employment opportunities at UZH are open to junior scholars. During doctoral study, you can find employment as a «PhD candidate» or an «academic assistant»; postdocs receive positions as «postdocs» or «senior research and teaching assistants». These junior academic positions are an integral part of the procedure when pursuing an academic career. Junior academic positions are by nature temporary and are funded either by the university department in question or by a third party. Junior academic positions give young scholars the opportunity to achieve their next professional goal and to further qualify themselves for a career in academia. The main requirement for earning the necessary academic qualifications is performing individual research, but junior researchers are also given the opportunity to qualify themselves for teaching roles. In 2003 the guidelines for specifications at UZH faculties for employees holding junior academic positions were issued to define the rights and duties of UZH employees in junior academic positions. These were revised in fall 2023 and a new employment model was defined, which will come into effect on January 1, 2024. Employees with the status of a junior academic receive individual specifications which refer explicitly to their job description.

This UZH platform provides neccesary information from visits & exchange at the UZH to Visa, entry and residece permit. UZH for International Students and Scholars FAQ for International Students and Scholars

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Successful phd.

Food for thought for beginning PhD candidates

Collection of links to relevant topics

Mobility, Continuing education and courses, Career & Networking, Scientific integrity and Counseling

Best Practice for Doctoral Education

The guideline shows ways and possibilities to strengthen the quality, attractivity and internationalization of the doctorate at UZH.

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Faculty of Science

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd programs, doctoral studies and graduate schools.

Students who complete our doctoral program are awarded the doctoral degree of Dr. sc. nat. – doctor scientiarum naturalium ). The degree requires students to conduct original, independent research and usually takes between three and four years. We offer doctoral programs that have an excellent international reputation in the following fields. Graduate Schools

• Life Science Zurich Graduate School
• Zurich Graduate School in Geography
• Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics
• Graduate School in Chemical and Molecular Sciences Zurich
• Graduate School in Physics
• Graduate School for Computational Science and Astrophysics and Cosmology

Ansprechpersonen

Biomolecular Structure and Mechanism Director:  Prof. Dr. Raymund Dutzler

Cancer Biology Director: Prof. Dr. Maries van den Broek

Chemical and Molecular Sciences Director:  Prof. Dr. Roland K.O. Sigel

Computational Science Director:  Prof. Dr. Romain Teyssier

Ecology Director:  Prof. Dr. Owen Petchey

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Director:  Prof. Dr. Milo Puhan

Evolutionary Biology Director:  Prof. Dr. Kentaro K. Shimizu

General Doctorate Director:  Prof. Dr. Ulrich Straumann

Geography/Earth System Science Director:  Prof. Dr. Ross Purves

Integrative Molecular Medicine Director:  Prof. Dr. Thierry Hennet

Mathematics Directors:  Prof. Dr. Thomas Kappeler  and Prof. Dr. Michael Struwe

Microbiology and Immunology Directors:  Prof. Dr. Leo Eberl  and Prof. Dr. Annette Oxenius

Molecular and Translational Biomedicine Director: Prof. Dr. Christian Wolfrum

Molecular Life Sciences Director:  Prof. Dr. Michael Hottiger

Neuroscience Director:  Dr. Wolfgang Knecht

Physics Director:  Prof. Dr. Andreas Schilling

Plant Sciences Director: Prof. Dr. Samuel Zeeman

Public Understanding of Science Director:  Prof. Dr. Kai Niebert

RNA Biology Director: Prof. Dr. Frédéric Allain

Science and Policy Director:  Prof. Dr. Ueli Grossniklaus

Systems Biology Director: Prof. Dr. Jörg Stelling und Prof. Dr. Uwe Sauer

Theoretical Astrophysics and Cosmology Directors:  Prof. Dr. Ben Moore  and  Prof. Dr. Lucio Mayer

Application and Admission Procedure

Important note: If you originate from a foreign country, which is not a member of the European Union it is of utmost importance, that the following procedure is followed exactly as specified below.

Chart - How to become a PhD student and what the administration offices will do for you (PDF, 97 KB) .

• Application to the Admissions Office of the University of Zurich .
• Visa application for non-EU students.
• You cannot start working on your doctoral thesis in Zurich until you have obtained a visa and a work permit.

Contacts for PhD students

If you encounter problems during your PhD studies, there are several offices at the Faculty of Science you can contact.

• Your first point of contact is always your doctoral committee or the  human ressources representative at your institute. 
• Then you should contact the director of your PhD program.
• In the last resort you can contact the Persons of Trust of the Faculty of Science .

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Department of Economics

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd programs, table of contents, zurich graduate school of economics, marlene porsche graduate school.

PhD in Economics at the University of Zurich

The Zurich Graduate School of Economics  at the University of Zurich, ZurichGSE in short, was launched in its current format in 2009. It offers a set of courses taught (in English) by internationally renowned academic faculties at the University of Zurich and world-class research opportunities. A specific feature of the doctoral program is a close attachment between graduate students and advisors and a strong team spirit among students. The goal of the program is to produce independent young researchers who can obtain academic jobs in the best universities, central banks, and international organizations.

Overview Zurich Graduate School of Economics

PhD in Neuroeconomics at the University of Zurich

The Marlene Porsche Graduate School of Neuroeconomics was launched in 2017, enabled by a donation by the Marlene Porsche Foundation. The interdisciplinary degree program in the cutting-edge field of Neuroeconomics has a strong scientific focus, with the goal of enabling students to become independent researchers of the highest caliber. Its faculty consists of internationally renowned scholars with expertise in behavioral economics, neuroimaging, neuropharmacology, brain stimulation techniques, and computational modeling.

Overview Marlene Porsche Graduate School of Neuroeconomics

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Graduate Campus (GRC) – for early career researchers

Global Student Experience

• Marlene Porsche GS Neuroeconomics

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Department of Psychology

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd in psychology.

All important administrative information about the doctoral studies in Psychology can be found on the webpages of the Graduate School of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences: https://www.phil.uzh.ch/en/studies/doctorate.html

• Curricular coursework within the PhD
• Regulations
• Research Funding and Grants for Doctoral Students
• External links
• The Life Course: Evolutionary and Ontogenetic Dynamics (LIFE)

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German Version

Subscribe to the PhD mailing list by sending an e-mail to

[email protected]

Central offers of the University of Zurich for PhD students

Graduate Campus Continuing Education in University Teaching and Learning

• PhD according to regulations 2019
• Research Funding / Grants

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Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, doctoral programs and admission.

The Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics offers various Doctoral programs for very good Master's and excellent Bachelor's degree holders. Acceptance and admission are granted after individual reviews conducted by both the program directors and the University.

General process for acceptance and admission

Persons who are currently not enrolled at the University of Zurich must first apply with one of the study program directors to be accepted to a program (in the Informatics department, with the respective professor). Additionally, they must apply online with the Admissions Office, who reviews the application on behalf of the University. Acceptance to a program is only possible after these steps have been completed.

Persons who begin a Doctoral program immediately after completing a Master's program at our Faculty must also apply for acceptance with the study program director (in the Informatics department, with the respective professor). They must also register for the corresponding Doctoral program in the scope of semester enrollment.

Candidates can apply for different tracks (Tracks A, B, or C). An application for Track A requires an explicit confirmation of a professor from our Faculty to act as the applicant's supervisor. More information regarding the different tracks is available on the following website:

Doctoral programs

When applying, please note the information and deadlines published on each study program website. Only complete and properly submitted files will be considered.

Program contacts

Doctoral programs in economics and neuroeconomics.

Graduate School of Business

Doctoral program in Finance

Doctoral program in Informatics

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Further information

• Regulations
• Graduation PhD
• Graduate Networking Event

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Department of Informatics

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd program, welcome note.

The Doctoral Program of Informatics is where academia and industry meet, where theories are developed and challenged in praxis, where new knowledge is created, and where scholars emerge. The Department of Informatics offers Switzerland’s best application oriented informatics and, internationally, ranks among the best institutions in its field. Application areas range from business information systems to social sciences, linguistics, natural sciences, and medicine. The Department creates joint research ventures and integrates their results in the teaching of students. In addition, internationally renowned visiting professors regularly give courses on special topics. All of us in the Department of Informatics wish you good fortune as you pursue your advanced degree, and we hope you will contact us if we can help you along the way.

Direct Links

Programs Description of our Doctoral Programs

Admission Information about the admission process

PhD: While studying All the information you need while doing your PhD (e.g. Curriculum, PhD Proposal Defense, PhD Thesis, PhD Defense, Publication)

Summer Schools Information about the current and past PhD Summer Schools

IfI Colloquium Information about the current and past IfI Colloquium Series

Team/Advisory Service Contact information

PhD Theses Archive

Here you find the PhD theses published at IfI since 1968.

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Best practice guideline for doctoral education at the university of zurich.

• Best Practice Guideline

Bereichs-Navigation

Unterseiten von phd.

• Admission/Registration
• PhD: While studying
• Summer Schools
• IfI Colloquium
• Team/Advisory Service
• Previous IfI Colloquia

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Faculty of Medicine

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, doctoral program clinical science, table of contents, application, program management, curricular content.

The doctoral program Clinical Science, which focuses on research with healthy or sick people in a clinical setting, has been established to open a university postgraduate qualification opportunity in the field of clinical research. The university hospitals will keep on promoting clinical research, making this program a true trendsetter.

The Clinical Science program allows candidates to carry out an in-depth clinical research in the field of medicine. It is open to highly motivated candidates who have proven to be academically outstanding and show a strong interest in clinical research.

This program is coordinated by the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Medicine.

The doctoral program consists of original research as well as of curricular content, with mandatory and optional modules of at least 12 ECTS points, for which a minimum of three years in full-time employment is scheduled. However, in justified cases exceptions to this may be authorized by the doctoral program commission.

In order to apply for this doctoral program, candidates must have a university degree of master in either medicine, biomedicine, biology or psychology. Further academic qualifications which are compulsory for eligibility as well are listed in the following document “Doktoratsordnung”. All candidates must have good skills in English.

Doktoratsordnung vom 9. Februar 2022 (PDF, 64 KB)    

The guidelines govern the doctoral program Clinical Science, which is offered at the faculty of Medicine of the University of Zurich. They formalize the promotion regulation for the title Dr. sc. med. (equivalent to a PhD) from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zurich

In order to apply for this doctoral program, candidates must at least hold a university master's degree in either medicine, biomedicine, biology or psychology. Further academic qualifications that are compulsory for eligibility as well are listed in the document "Doktoratsordnung". All candidates must have good skills in English and German.

Double Matriculation*

Double matriculation in the general doctorate of the Faculty of Medicine (Dr. med.) and in the PhD program Clinical Science is not planned. If, at the time of your application for the PhD program, you are about to graduate as Dr. med., please indicate this in your application. Otherwise, the simultaneous completion of the general doctorate and the PhD program is not intended. *Applies to future PhD students

Application Deadline

November 1, 2024

The registration fees are set by the Student Administration Office of the University of Zurich and also apply to doctoral students. Doctoral students must be enrolled throughout the entire period of study.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted by using the online application portal of the Life Science Zurich Graduate School exclusively (for the links for Track 1 and Track 2 see at the bottom of the website in the teasers Application, Track 1 Application, Track 2 Application). Applications sent by e-mail or mail will not be accepted.

There are two ways to apply for the Clinical Science doctoral program:

Track 1: Applicants without a PhD position have to apply via track 1. Within the doctoral program, PhD positions will be advertised competitively in each application round. Open positions will be published on www.jobs.uzh.ch in spring/autumn. All applications received via track 1 will be checked for their suitability for the open positions. In an interview, the admissions commission examines the admission to the doctoral program. The person who has an open PhD position also takes part in the interview.

Track 2: Applicants who already have a supervisor for their PhD-project have to apply via track 2. In an interview, the admissions commission evaluates the qualification and motivation of the candidate. Please do not start your PhD-position before the interview. For the applications track 2 the deadlines May 1 and November 1 apply.

License to Practice Medicine

For some PhD positions, the licence to practice Medicine from the Swiss Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG) is mandatory for candidates with a master’s degree in Medicine that was not issued in Switzerland.

Applications will be reviewed by the admissions committee after the deadline. Please refer to your personal Glowbase account to find out about your current status. Interviews will be held in English and German.

The general responsibility for the doctoral program Clinical Science lays within the program committee which is set up by the Faculty of Medicine.

The doctoral program is managed by:

• Prof. Beatrix Latal, MD, Director
• Lea Schwab, MLaw, M.A., Program Coordinator

The current senior members of the doctoral program committee are:

• Prof. Beatrix Latal, MD, Director website
• Prof. Milo Puhan, MD, PhD, Deputy Director website
• Prof. Maries van den Broek, PhD, Vice Dean of Research website
• Prof. Dr. phil. Gerhard Rogler, MD website
• Prof. Barbara E. Stähli, MD website
• Prof. Susanne Wegener, MD website

Additional members of the doctoral program committee are:

• Lea Schwab, MLaw, M.A., Program Coordinator ( contact )
• Anna Joachimbauer, MD, PhD Student Representative
• Parisa Rahimzadeh, MD, PhD Student Representative

This committee decides on the development of the curriculum, coordinates the curricular requirements, is involved in the selection and admission of candidates and supports the cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine.

Member's Meeting

The Member's Meeting consists of faculty members taking part in the program. In addition, supervisors who are not faculty members but supervisors of students (mostly with private research programs) may be elected members. Tasks of the General Assembly include the strategic direction and organization of the doctoral program, the selection of the Directress or the Director as well as their deputies, and active participation in the doctoral program.

Compulsory Modules

Introduction to epidemiology (milo puhan, viktor von wyl et al.).

The overall goal of this 4-week block course Introduction to Epidemiology is to introduce students to the major questions of clinical and epidemiologic research and to methods to address these questions. The course follows an overall framework (Figure) that describes the course of scientific discovery from the detection and burden of disease and its causes, to diagnosis and prognosis of disease up to the development and evaluation of preventive and treatment interventions and their consequences for population health. We will discuss study designs in the context of existing knowledge and the type of evidence needed to advance knowledge for specific questions. Thereby, students learn to combine subject knowledge and methods expertise to design, conduct and interpret substantive medical research. The course will provide a basis for further studies and research in the fields of Medicine and Public Health (on Master or PhD level), both of which are very dynamic and diverse fields.

Conduct: Mondays, October 21 – November 18, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOL-G-210 Tuesdays, October 22 – November 19, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Karl Schmid-Strasse 4 resp. Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KO2-F-151 , KOL-G-210 Wednesdays, October 23 – November 20, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOL-G-210 Exceptions: Monday, October 28 , 2024, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOL-H-309 Tuesday, October 29 , 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Karl Schmid-Strasse 4 resp. Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KO2-F-151 , KOL-H-309 Wednesday, October 30 , 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOL-G-216

Advanced Medical Research Methods (Milo Puhan, Henock Yebyo, Miquel Serra-Burriel)

Modulleitung: Prof. Milo Puhan, MD, PhD Link: Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute

This course has been designed for Clinical Science PhD students to learn and experience the scientific and practical aspects of applied clinical research methods.

Course Description:

The aim of this course is to introduce students to advanced research methods and apply previous knowledge in epidemiology and biostatistics into real-life research. To achieve this, the lectures will cover novel study designs (special designs of RCTs and observational studies like factorial RCTs and nested case-control studies), advanced statistical methods (propensity scores, missing data). We will introduce special topics in epidemiology related to modifiable risk factors (nutrition and physical activity) which can be applied to a variety of outcomes, as well as current topics in research (molecular epidemiology, big data and translational research). The ‘lab’ sessions will provide practical techniques, (using R) that will further expand the set of tools that the future PhDs will be able to apply in their research. Furthermore, the practical experience will be complemented by the group exercise of writing protocol for a fictional RCT (designed and developed during the semester) under a guidance of an epidemiologist/researcher at the ZAM.

Group Project:

Three groups of 3 to 4 students, preferentially with diverse interests and backgrounds, will design a feasible RCT to address a real public health problem. One lecturer will be assigned per group. Further administrative information will be provided at the beginning of the first lecture.

Prerequisites :

Intro to Epidemiology or RCT course (BME361) & Basic course in Biostatistic (ie Clinical Biostatistics or similar) & experiences in R.

Conduct: Tuesdays, September 17 – December 17, 2024, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., large seminar room (i.e. rooms 290, 288 and 286), Careum 2 , 2nd floor, Gloriastrasse 18, 8006 Zurich

Clinical Biostatistics (Leonhard Held, Stefanie von Felten)

The aim of the course "Clinical Biostatistics" is to give students an introduction to statistical methods in clinical research.

The following topics will be addressed: randomized controlled trials, bias, hypothesis tests and sample size calculation, randomization and blinding, confidence intervals and p-values, analysis of continuous and binary outcomes, multiplicity, subgroup analysis, protocol and protocol deviations, some special designs (crossover, equivalence, and clusters), analysis of diagnostic studies, analysis of agreement.

Please note that PhD students are asked to use the time between 12 and 15 h to prepare work for the lab.

Conduct: Thursdays, September 19 – December 19, 2024, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (lecture) and 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (lab), Irchel Campus, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Y03-G-91 (lecture) and online (lab)

Case Studies in Clinical Biostatistics (Ulrike Held, Manja Deforth) (1 ECTS Credit)

The aim of the course is to give students practice in different stages of clinical research projects: study design, primary outcome definition and sample size calculation, plausibility checks, data analysis and modelling, computation, interpretation, and communication of results, as well as dissemination according to EQUATOR guidelines. In 3 research projects, students will face real-world problems typically associated with study design, data analysis and reporting. A focus of the course will be on good research practice, application of statistics knowledge and reproducibility. We will use the statistical programming language R in combination with R Markdown for reproducibility and dynamic reporting.

Project 1: Comparison of the means of two populations, hypothesis testing with parametric and non-parametric tests, confidence intervals. Baseline adjustment with ANCOVA model.

Project 2: Research protocol for a clinical study, primary outcome, secondary outcomes, sample size determination.

Project 3: Estimation of the treatment effect in a randomized experiment with a time-to-event outcome, Kaplan-Meier curves, Cox proportional hazards model.

Students are encouraged to work in groups. At the end of each project, students will be asked to hand in individual reports and present their results in a 15 min talk. The talks and reports will be assessed. In order to enroll in this course it is mandatory without exception to have passed CS16_003 Clinical Biostatistics (Vorlesung und Übung).

Next conduct in Spring Semester 2025

PhD Seminar (Malcolm Kohler, Alisa Berger, Milo Puhan)

The objective of this course is to have a more detailed look into diverse research topics, methods and problems. Sessions are either based on a talk by an experienced researcher followed by a student lead discussion or on a general research topic which is being prepared by a group of PhD students for discussion with peers. Examples for discussed topics include personalized medicine, biomarkers, evidence based medicine, graphs in publications a.o.

Biomarker, Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 4:15 – 5:45 p.m. , large seminar room (i.e. rooms 290, 288 and 286), Careum 2 , 2nd floor, Gloriastrasse 18, 8006 Zurich

How to Perform a Search for a Systematic Literature Review , Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 4:15 – 5:45 p.m. , large seminar room (i.e. rooms 290, 288 and 286), Careum 2 , 2nd floor, Gloriastrasse 18, 8006 Zurich

Graphs for Display of Data and Publications , Tuesday, November 19, 2024, 4:15 – 5:45 p.m. , large seminar room (i.e. rooms 290, 288 and 286), Careum 2 , 2nd floor, Gloriastrasse 18, 8006 Zurich

Optional Courses

Winning the publication game (jürgen barth).

Jürgen Barth teaches in this module the relevant steps to publish a manuscript. Participants will have the chance to exercise the process. This process includes the preparation work, writing the paper and submitting it. There are 10 major topic involved in the successful publication of a paper. Publication starts with the identification of the target group. Further, the main message has to be shaped. The lecturer gives advice on the covering letter for the editor. He instructs how to handle the comments of the reviewers. Prerequisite for the participants is to have specific plans for a manuscript, that will be submitted within 6 months. In the course, the relevant steps for the submission of the manuscript are conferred. The lecturer will deal with all individual manuscripts. All PhD students in their 2nd or 3rd year are welcome to register. By actively participating and doing the exercises, the participants will be able to develop the skills to win the publication game.

Conduct: Friday, November 29, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. , large seminar room (i.e. rooms 290, 288 and 286), Careum 2 , 2nd floor, Gloriastrasse 18, 8006 Zurich Friday, December 13, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. , by Zoom

Get R_eady: Introduction to Data Analysis for Empirical Research (Ulrike Held, Monika Karin Hebeisen, Stefania Iaquinto)

The course offers an introduction to data analysis in the transdisciplinary field of empirical research in the programming language R. The R system of statistical computing is openly available from https://www.r-project.org and provides a simple and flexible software environment for statistical analyses and graphics. Tailored to the application of empirical research the course covers basics of functions and data formats in R, as well as the essential steps of a data analysis including data manipulation, descriptive statistics, statistical tests and graphical representations. Reflections on research methodology and transdisciplinarity will take place and critical thinking will be enhanced.

Conduct: Fridays, October 18 – November 1, 2024, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. , Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOL-E-18

Implementation Science in Health Care (Lauren Clack, Rahel Naef et al.)

Implementation science is the scientific study of methods to promote the systematic integration of research findings and evidence-based practices into care delivery and the de-integration of low value care. Implementation science is a newer field of study that addresses the know-do gap in health care and builds on the insight that proving effectiveness of an innovation (practice, model of care, intervention, treatment modality etc.) does not automatically translate into effective adoption in clinical practice.

Implementation science therefore aims to:

• increase and accelerate the adoption of research findings and evidence-based practices;
• scale-up effective interventions to different contexts;
• develop knowledge on implementation strategies that are tailored to contextual barriers and enablers to adoption and research use;
• increase the involvement of clinicians, patients, families, and the public in research;
• achieve knowledge circulation i.e., to enable the transfer of knowledge from practice to research.

In this course, students will gain an understanding of the role of implementation science in clinical health research, familiarize themselves with implementation science methods, and develop skills by applying implementation science methods in their field of research.

Applied Implementation Science in Health Care (Lauren Clack, Rahel Naef)

This module will help students to gain a deeper and applied knowledge of Implementation Science. Students will have the opportunity to tailor course content to their current projects and interests by selecting from a pre-defined list of implementation topics to be covered during the semester. Working in small groups, students will prepare their chosen topics and present them to the class. Every session will furthermore provide the opportunity to transfer learnings from the presented topic (s) to one’s own project. Topics to choose from (finalization in the first session):

• Human-centered design (co-design) and implementation science
• Tailoring implementation strategies
• Evaluating context
• Research logic models
• Theories, Models, and Frameworks
• De-implementation
• Quantitative & qualitative measures
• Health economic evaluation and implementation science

Statistische Modelle mit R ( Christina Ramsenthaler )

Der Kurs widmet sich den wichtigsten statistischen Auswertungsmethoden für unterschiedlichste Arten von Studien (Experimentalstudien, Beobachtungsstudien (Kohorten-, Fallkontrollstudien, deskriptive Quer- und Längsschnittstudien), Sekundäranalysen (z. B. Metaanalysen)). Es werden die wichtigsten Auswertungstechniken quantitativer Daten und die wichtigsten statistischen Modelle der Gesundheitswissenschaften mit der Open-Source Software R besprechen:

• lineare Modelle und deren Spezialfälle (LM: t-Test, ANOVA, Regression);
• Regressionsmodelle für ausgewählte Datentypen wie Zähldaten und zweiwertige Daten (GLM: Poisson, logistische Regression);
• multivariate Verfahren (Hauptkomponenten- und Faktoranalyse);
• Einführung in Überlebensanalysen (survival analysis);
• hierarchische Modelle (LMM: lineare gemischte Modelle); 
• ausgewählte Methoden der Metaanalyse;
• Arbeit mit dem Grafikpackage ggplot2, Arbeit mit den Packages im Tidyverse und Einführung in RMarkdown zur Berichterstellung.

Überfachliche Kompetenzen

Zu den Kursen des Graduate Campus für Doktorierende im Herbstsemester 2024 gelangen Sie hier .

University of Zurich Dean's Office / Office of the Board of Directors of the Academic Medicine Zurich (UMZH) Pestalozzistrasse 3 CH-8032 Zurich

Lea Schwab, MLaw, M.A. Telefon: +41 44 634 48 39 E-Mail: [email protected]

Weiterführende Informationen

Application to the doctoral program track 1: the track 1 application link will be provided once a PhD position is available. Application to the doctoral program track 2: click here Next deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024, 11:59 p.m.

Track 1 Application

Candidates seeking PhD positions may apply for a PhD position within the PhD program Clinical Science. The job announcement and the track 1 application link will be posted here once a PhD position is available.

Track 2 Application

Candidates who have a PhD position use the following link to apply.

Employment Rules

Employment should be in line with the rules of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF).

• Clinical Science_Empfehlung Anstellung (PDF, 158 KB)

Life Science Zurich Graduate School

Graduate Campus

Promotion regulation.

The promotion regulation for the title Doctor scientarium medicarum (Dr. sc. med.) of the University of Zurich can be found under the following link (available in German only).

• Promotion Regulation of September 6, 2021
• Overview Applicable Regulations (PDF, 101 KB)

Regulations for the General Outline of Rights and Responsibilities and Individual Outline of Rights and Responsibilities

The Regulations for the General Outline of Rights and Responsibilities of the Faculties for Teaching and Research Assistants and Doctoral Candidates, as well as the Individual Outline of Rights and Responsibilities for Doctoral Candidates at the Faculty of Medicine, can be found at the following link: Regulations for the General Outline of Rights and Responsibilities Individual Outline of Rights and Responsibilities MeF

Information on the modules can be found in the course catalogue under the following link.

• Curriculum Overview (PDF, 121 KB)
• Curriculum Mandatory Modules DO 2022 (PDF, 143 KB)

Recommended MOOCs

The doctoral program committee recommends the following high-quality massive open online courses (MOOCs) on the topic of systematic review and meta-analysis:

• Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
• Understanding Systematic Reviews – an Introduction for Health Professionals
• Meta-Analysis – Advanced Methods Using the Stata Software

Summary of Teaching Activities

This form is to be completed and signed by the PhD student at each annual PhD committee meeting, endorsed by the responsible professor.

• Summary of Teaching Activities (PDF, 696 KB)

Guidelines Multiple Affiliations

The guidelines should be followed when specifying the affiliation in all publication. This assures recognition of the scientific achievements.

Information

Information on the promotion within this program:

Fact sheet Completing a Thesis in the Doctoral Program Clinical Science DO 2022

Example of the cover sheet of your thesis:

Please follow the instructions concerning the print of your thesis. Spiral binding is not permitted.

The following contact persons and counseling centers are available to you in the event of a conflict: Program Specific Consulting Lea Schwab, MLaw, M.A. Conflict Management for PhD Candidates Psychological Counseling Services Advice on Problems Related to Employment, Job Specifications and the Position as a Member of the UZH Mid-Level Staff Association of Junior Researchers of the University of Zurich (VAUZ) Advice also for External PhD Candidates in Case of Difficulties at the Workplace Employee Assistance Office (MBS) Contact Point for Suspected Scientific Misconduct Among UZH Researchers Ombudsperson and Deputies Research Integrity

We congratulate

our PhD student:  Florian Alexander Wenzl, MD, for the FAN Award 2023 in the field of medicine and natural sciences for his research on the topic: "Sex-specific evaluation and redevelopment of the GRACE score in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes in populations from the UK and Switzerland: a multinational analysis with external cohort validation."

our graduates: Melanie Ehrler, PhD, for the FAN Award 2024 in the field of medicine and natural sciences for her research project: "Die Verbindung zwischen Herz und Hirn – ein interdisziplinärer Ansatz zur Verbesserung der Entwicklung von Kindern mit angeborenem Herzfehler." 

Antonio Giulio Gennari, MD, PhD, for the Anna-Müller-Grocholski-Prize 2023 of the Swiss Society of Neuropaediatrics for his work: "Lesion volume and spike frequency impact perfusion in focal cortical dysplasia: a pediatric arterial spin labeling study" (1st prize in the scientific work category).

Kevin Sven Akeret, MD, PhD, for the Annual Prize 2023 of the Faculty of Medicine for his dissertation: "Cerebrospinal fluid hemoglobin in the pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapy of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage related secondary brain injury". Florentia Dimitriou, MD, PhD, PD, for the Research Fellowship 2023 of the Siegenthaler Foundation for her research focus: "Delineating the role of the microbiome and immunotherapy response across melanoma subtypes", the Skin Cancer Award 2022 from the Association for Skin Cancer Research at the University Hospital Zurich for her research project: "Serum and tissue biomarkers associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patient treated with anti-PD1-based immune checkpoint inhibitors" and to the Georg Friedrich Götz-Prize 2022 of the UZH Foundation for her research topic: "Immunotherapy in advanced mucosal melanoma". Egle Ramelyte, MD, PhD, for the Pfizer Research Prize 2022 for her research topic: "Effects of oncolytic viruses on cell function in skin lymphoma" and for the Skin Cancer Award 2020 from the Association for Skin Cancer Research at the University Hospital Zurich for her research project: "Ocolytic virotherapy mediated anti-tumor response through a single-cell’s perspective".

Impressions from the retreat on September 22, 2023

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Zurich PhD Program in Molecular Life Sciences

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation.

Miriam Sarah Weber, Postdoctoral Scientist at ETH Zürich. Keratin filaments mouse keratinocyte

Robert Theofanis Bill, Collective Cell Biology of Organ Self-Assembly (Gilmour, Darren) research group. Theofanis Development of Zebrafish Skin

Salome Brütsch, Molecular Biologist. Immunofluorescence staining of the bronchi of the adult mouse lung

Marina Kunzi, How does cell size affect cell function? (Neurohr, Gabriel) research group. Pretty bursting cells

Phd program in molecular life science.

The Zurich Ph.D. Program in Molecular Life Sciences is a joint program of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich , two highly prestigious Swiss universities with excellent research facilities.

The program offers research and education opportunities in a highly stimulating interdisciplinary, collaborative and international environment. It provides various platforms to bring all the students together, for instance annual retreats and weekly/monthly meet-ups.

Students accepted into the program perform their research project in one of the participating research groups , according to their scientific interest.

Weiterführende Informationen

Next Application Deadline

November 1, 2024

Online Application via

• Life Science PhD Application

Other Links

• Doctorate at ETH Zurich
• Doctorate at University of Zurich
• Life Science Zurich Graduate School

PhD Programme/Application Queries

Contact 

Dr. Susanna Bachmann,

Program Secretary

Department of Molecular Life Science 

University of Zurich

Winterthurerstr. 190

CH-8057 Zurich

E-mail >>

• Admission and Application
• Research Groups
• Teaching and Training
• Documents&Links
• Participants

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Life Science Zurich Graduate School

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, frequently asked questions.

Admission requirements

Can I apply before I receive my degree?

I hold a medical degree (MD). Am I eligible?

I hold a degree from a university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule). Am I eligible?

I hold a Bachelor's Degree/B.Tech/B.Sc (Hons) and have research experience, which gives me access to a PhD in my home country. Am I eligible?

I hold a Master in Public Health/a Master in Clinical Research/a Master in Psychology/ another biology related M.Sc. Do I qualify for the program?

Does the LSZGS have specific language requirements?

Does the LSZGS require candidates to have taken a GRE test?

Application process

How much is the application fee?

How many letters of recommendation are required and can I add a reference letter after submission?

• My referee has not been contacted by the LSZGS.

How many times can I send invitation to my referee?

Can I upload scanned copies of recommendation letters instead of having them submitted online?

Can I change the chosen program?

Do I need to choose and contact a specific group leader with whom I wish to work with before applying to the LSZGS?

Where do I find a list of open positions?

Can I save the data of my application and resume completing it later?

• Will I receive a confirmation after having registered and submitted my application?

Why am I not able to download a pdf of my application?

How can I check the status of my application (references, upload of certificates, result of my application)?

Do I need to have my certificates translated into English and authenticated?

Should I send a hardcopy of my application and curriculum vitae by post as well?

My first choice program has turned down my application. Will my application be considered by the second choice program?

Am I allowed to apply a second time?

How and when will I hear about the outcome of my application?

What is the meaning of "University best possible grade"/ "University worst possible grade"?

My university uses a percentage system instead of grades or scores. What should I indicate?

My PDF files are too big. What can I do?

I am pursuing an integrated BSc-MSc degree and do not have a BSc certificate. What kind of document should I upload instead?

PhD studies, Tuition Fees, Employment, Living in Switzerland

When do I start my PhD / when does the PhD Program start?

How long does it take students to complete their PhD?

How do I proceed to enroll at the ETH and the University of Zurich?

Are there any tuition fees?

How will I finance my PhD studies?

How do I prepare my entry in Switzerland?

Can my spouse join me if I accept a PhD position in Zurich?

How do I go about finding accommodation in Zurich?

Do I need to organise my own health insurance in Switzerland?

Where do I find practical information regarding life in Switzerland?

Yes. Applications can be submitted before obtaining the degree. You should, however, obtain your degree within 6-9 months after the application deadline. If your Master's degree is not available at the time of your application, we kindly ask you to upload a copy of your Bachelor degree and your latest academic transcript instead.

If you hold a Medical (MD) you can apply either to the MD-PhD program or the Clinical Science program. For all other programs a MSc or Mphil degree is required - mind that a MD is not considered an equivalent of a MSc degree. Applicants with a Veterinary degree (DVM) can apply to the MD-PhD program. For more information, check the websites of the  MD-PhD program  or the  Clinical Science program .

Students with a MSc of a university of applied sciences are welcome to apply. However, please note that the Life Science Zurich Graduate School - as it does with all applicants - will only evaluate your scientific ability. After the successful acceptance to the Life Science Zurich Graduate School all applicants have to apply for their formal admission as PhD students at the University of Zurich or ETH. The admission might not be granted because of formal reasons or it might be granted with or without further admission requirements.

Unfortunately, our universities do not consider a Bachelor's Degree/B.Tech/B.Sc (Hons) as equivalent to a Masters and therefore an application is not possible.

In this case, please contact the coordinator of the program you would like to apply to prior to registering as it will have to be looked at individually. Eligibility depends on the specific curriculum/credit points.

The program language is English throughout. Proficiency in English is therefore required. A formal proof of competence in English (IELTS, CPE or TOEFL) is recommended but not mandatory.

The only program that requires fluent German is the PhD program in Clinical Science.

At present, the LSZGS does not ask for a GRE test.

The Life Science Zurich Graduate School does not charge an application fee.

Two letters of recommendation are requested but you can upload up to 4 letters. Once you submit your application references cannot be added anymore. The link for the recommendation letters expires the moment you submit your application.

My referee has not been contacted by the LSZGS .

Check whether his or her email address is correct. If it is wrong, please use one of the remaining slots for the correct entry and invite again. If the email address is correct the following might have happened:

a) The email ended up in the junk box of your referee because the spam filter blocked our email -> Resend the email and, importantly, tell your referee to also check the junk box.

b) There was another problem and the email was not delivered -> Resend the email and inform your referee accordingly. After 24 hours the link gets reactivated twice.

You can invite your referee three times. After 24 hours the "invite" button gets active again and you may re-send the invitation. After the third time the "delete" button gets active and you can exchange your referee (or correct mistakes in the email address). 

No, it is not possible to upload letters of recommendation. Your referees must fill in our online form.

Yes, you can do so before the application deadline expires and again after having been admitted to the LSZGS. In case your prospective supervisor is affiliated with another program than the one you applied to you can easily change programs, there is no need to re-apply.  If he or she is a member of more than one program, you may choose together with him or her which program you will join.

No. It is neither necessary nor recommended to contact group leaders individually. Students who are invited for an interview will get access to a list of open positions and project descriptions before coming to Zurich.

The list of open positions is only published after the application deadline. Only invited students will automatically have access to the list of open positions.

Yes, you can save your application and take up editing again later. Once you have submitted your application, no more changes can be made. 

Will I receive a confirmation after having registered and submitted my application?  

Yes, after having registered you will receive a confirmation email to the mail address stated. After having submitted your application you will again receive a confirmation. 

If you did not receive any confirmation email, most likely our email ended up in the spam or junk folder. If you cannot find your confirmation email there, you might have misspelled your email address during registration. In that case, simply fill in the registration form again.

If you still do not receive your registration email, please contact the graduate school office and let them know about it.

Most likely one of the documents you uploaded is not a pdf or it is bigger than 1 MB. The difficulty may also lie with the security settings of the pdf, which is often the case with certificates. Please make sure the pdf you upload is viewable (click on it after the upload and check whether the download works). If the upload or download does not work, it is best to convert the documents once more into a pdf.

1) References: You can easily check yourself whether the letters of recommendation have arrived or not. On the dashboard your referees will be listed. Please indicate which letters of recommendation you would like to submit.

2) Upload of certificates: To check whether you uploaded your documents correctly, you can download the pdf version of your application. You will find the corresponding button on your dashboard. If you are not able to download the pdf, this means that your documents are not correctly uploaded.

3) Result of your application: The status of your application will be indicated on the dashboard.

There is no need to have your certificates authenticated prior to the online application and you may provide the translation yourself for this purpose. Official translation and authentication of the certificates and degrees is required, however, for the registration at the ETH or the University of Zurich.

No, there is no need to send a hardcopy as the whole application process is online and no post mail is exchanged. However, you will need to bring along the hardcopy originals of your certificates when you start your PhD, as you will need them for registration at the University or the ETH Zurich.

No. Our programs all apply the same quality standards, which would not be guaranteed if a program invited a student who has been rejected by another program.

Yes, you are welcome to apply a second time to a PhD program of the LSZGS. However, please be aware that we will not accept a third application.

In case you have been shortlisted and have attended the interviews you cannot apply a second time irrespectively of whether you have successfully passed or failed the admission interview.

Students who have submitted a complete application will be informed on the dash board about the outcome. If possible, you will know about the result by mid November and mid May, respectively. There will be no further correspondence on the decision.

The "University best possible grade" is the best grade your university awards (e.g. 6 in Switzerland, 1 in Germany), whereas the "worst possible grade" is the lowest degree (e.g. 1 in Switzerland, 5 in Germany). If a percentage system is used in your country, just indicate the "best-grade-value" and "worst-grade-value" in percentage.

Please upload the key to the grades of your university. Also indicate the percentage you obtained and which percentage is the worst possible that can be achieved according to the grading scale of your university.

You will have to reduce their sizes.  There are several online free tools that can easily reduce the size of your PDF files, for example:

• http://smallpdf.com/compress-pdf
• https://www.pdfcompress.com/

Please make sure you understand their privacy policy before using any of these third-party services.

You can upload an official university document stating that you are enrolled in an integrated BSc-MSc degree in lieu of the BSc degree.

Accepted students may start their PhD and the PhD program any time of the year. In general, the student will agree with his or her prospective supervisor on a specific starting date.

Students of the Life Science Zurich Graduate School are expected to submit their thesis within three to four years.

After having been accepted to the LSZGS and accepted a job offer from one of our group leaders, you will have to enroll at the institution your prospective group leader is affiliated with. The enrollment procedures of ETH and University differ considerably; therefore make sure that you stick to the right requirements. Both institutions may ask you to complete specific admission requirements such as examinations. You will be informed whether you have to fulfill such requirements after your enrollment. For detailed information see the regulations of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich.

For the enrollment at ETH please refer to the following web pages: https://ethz.ch/en/doctorate/registration-admission.html

For the enrollment at the University of Zurich you will find all necessary information here: www.uzh.ch/en/studies/application/doctoralstudies.html

Please be aware that you will have to enroll at the general office (Kanzlei) of the university as well as the dean's office for doctoral studies of the relevant faculty!

University of Zurich: Overview of process for PhD students (Track 1) from outside Europe (PDF, 136 KB)

ETH: Before beginning your PhD studies you will be asked to pay an application fee of 150,- CHF. Should you have to fulfill additional admission requirements (qualifying examinations) a fee of 120.- CHF is due. In addition to that, there is a one-time global fee of CHF 1'500 which will be charged at the end of your doctoral studies. Compulsory semester fees are currently CHF 37.-.

ETH fees and contributions

University: PhD students have to pay an application fee of 100 CHF. The tuition fee is  204 CHF per semester.

UZH tuition fees

Research groups within the Life Science Zurich Graduate School provide financial support for PhD students employed at the University of Zurich in accordance with the Ph.D. student salary set by the Swiss National Science Foundation (at present CHF 48’686.40- in the 1st year; 50'238.90 - in the 2nd year; 51'791.40 - in the 3rd and 4th year). These rates are valid for an employment level of 60%. Valid as of 1.1.2024: The rates apply to an employment level of 80%.

For our PhD students with an employment at ETH the amounts will change as of 1 January 2024 to CHF 50'700 in the 1st year; CHF 52'300 in the 2nd year and CHF 53'900 from the 3rd year. Please note that these are gross amounts from which approx. 15 % will be deducted for social security, taxes, etc., not including the private health insurance which is compulsory (approx. 250.- to 300.-/month depending on the scheme you choose). The income is generous compared to international standards and sufficient to make a decent living in Zurich. Living costs (including accommodation, health insurance, transport, meals) sum up to approx. CHF 2'000 per month.

Students from EU and EFTA countries only need a valid passport. For students from the new EU states, transitory regulations apply. Please contact the Swiss embassy or consulate in your country for information about the immigration procedure. Students from countries with a visa requirement need to apply for a visa at the embassy or consulate general in their home country at least three months before entry. More information is provided by  Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs .

Please note that students from the above mentioned countries cannot be matriculated at our universities without having a valid visa. If you have accepted a position with ETH or the University of Zurich, the HR department of that particular institution or the person responsible for personnel in your future research group will contact the immigration authorities and file an official demand for the work permit. You will probably be required to provide additional personal information needed for this procedure. Within approx. one month, you will receive a confirmation letter with which you can obtain the visa for your entry to Switzerland at your local embassy. Once in Switzerland, you have to report to the immigration office who will then finalize the work permit formalities. As a rule you have to reckon with about two months for immigration formalities prior to traveling to Switzerland.

If you are not from an EU or EFTA country, it will be up to the immigration office to decide whether your spouse will receive a permit to join you or not. In general, a PhD salary is not considered sufficient to make a living for two adult persons. Nonetheless, it might be possible to obtain a permit, if your spouse can prove that she or he has enough personal savings or that she or he has a working contract with a company domiciled in Switzerland or a funded PhD position.

You will find an answer to all the above and many more questions you may have at the  ETH Welcome center

For UZH related information on these topics please refer to the

• UZH for International Students and Scholars

Weiterführende Informationen

Phd studies at eth.

General information about PhD Studies at ETH Zurich

PhD Studies at UZH

General information about PhD studies at the University of Zurich

Best Practice for Doctoral Education at UZH

The Best Practice Recommendations can be found here or downloaded under the following link .

ETH Survival Guide by AVETH, 6th edition

Support to new international staff and guests

• ETH Welcome Center

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Department of Astrophysics

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd programme in computational science, graduate school for computational science.

The PhD programme in Computational Science is a joint initiative of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, which aims to:

• Foster sustained interactions between PhD students, faculty and staff
• Promote exchanges between academia, industry and society enabled by computational science

Computational Science (CS) integrates Information Technology and Mathematics to address scientific and societal challenges such as Energy, Health, Climate and Finance.

CS is a unique method of scientific inquiry, complementing theory and experiments, providing us with unprecedented potential for scientific discovery and innovation.

Application and enrollment

The Computational Sciences PhD programme is a 3-4year MSc to PhD program. Participating students can choose from a broad selection of research topics and classes. Enrollment into the program is decided by an admission committee. In order to graduate, students need to fulfill the following requirements:

• Acquisition of 12 credit points of advanced courses
• Deposition and defense of a Ph.D. thesis describing the student’s original research work,
• Additional requirements imposed by the host institution (University of Zurich or ETH Zurich) so as to comply fully with their regulations.

The final degree is conferred by either the University of Zurich or the ETH Zürich, depending on the academic affiliation of the host laboratory.

Official PhD regulations for the Computational Science Programme: PDF EN / PDF DE

Link to the Regulations Governing PhD Studies at the MNF

Link to the official page of the Graduate School for CS

Admissions to Promotion - Useful links and documents:

Admission to Doctoral Studies at the University of Zurich

Factsheet Admission to a PhD Program at the Department of Astrophysics (PDF, 621 KB) Checklist for PhD students

"Confirmation of Supervision for Doctoral Students" (PDF, 242 KB)

"Acceptance Confirmation Structured Doctoral Program" (PDF, 225 KB) Annual committee meeting minutes (PDF, 1 MB)

Confirmation Sheet - TA Hours (PDF, 224 KB)

Fact sheet PhD Defence (EN) / Merkblatt (DE)

Program Director Prof. Dr. Robert Feldmann [email protected]

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Graduate School of Business

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, doctoral programs and tracks, table of contents, study tracks, fields of study.

The Graduate School of Business at the University of Zurich offers two doctoral programs, one in «Business Administration» and the one in «Management and Economics». They are comparable to international PhD programs. The Graduate School of Business at the University of Zurich comprises 26 professors offering PhD courses in four fields of study «Accounting, Auditing & Corporate Governance», «Marketing», «Managing Human Resources and Education», and «Management, Organization, and Strategy».

Talented students with an excellent Bachelor or Master degree who aim at an academic career or leading positions in the public and private sector are invited to apply for one of the doctoral programs at the Graduate School of Business.

Read more about the program structure and the fields of study:

The Graduate School of Business offers two study tracks fitted to the academic background of applicants:

• Track B for students with a Master's degree
• Track C («Fast Track») for excellent students with a Bachelor's degree

Track B: Students with a Master's degree

Track B is considered for students with an excellent Master's degree (likewise a German diploma or a Swiss lic. oec.). Executive MBA programs are not eligible for our doctoral programs. The two semester course program consists of core courses such as Management Theory, Empirical Research Methods, Microeconomics and a number of electives and specialized courses. At the end of their course work, students write their research proposals and start working on their dissertation research under the supervision of a faculty member.

Track C: Excellent students with a Bachelor's degree

Any excellent student with a Bachelor's degree may apply for a «fast-track» program. Students start with Master courses and earn their Master's degrees after two semesters of coursework (60 ECTS) and a Master thesis; if permitted, they then go on with their doctoral course work and their dissertation. The fast track program may save excellent and ambitious students up to two semesters. One particular advantage is that their master thesis (30 ECTS) may serve as a research proposal if it is of outstanding quality. After their research proposals have been approved, students start with their dissertation under the supervision of a faculty member.

The Structured PhD-Course Program of GSB-UZH consists of three parts:

General Program Requirements (18 ECTS)

Independent of the research area, all PhD students have to take the «General Program Requirements» to acquire a solid theoretical and methodological basis in business administration:

• Business Administration for Research Students: Theory (9 ECTS)
• Business Administration for Research Students: Empirical Methods (9 ECTS)

We expect entering students to have sufficient background to perform successfully in these courses. In case a student lacks these prerequisites, additional preparatory courses should be taken prior or during the first year doctoral courses. In addition, fields may designate acceptable substitute courses. Substitute courses are only valid for students' course requirements if officially announced on the GSB homepage before taking a possible substitute.

Field Course Requirements (15 ECTS)

In addition to the General Program Requirements PhD-students choose a field of specialization and are within this field free to choose from a variety of courses (18 ECTS). The GSB offers four attractive fields with structured PhD-course programs that guide students to become competitive on the international academic market.

Generic Competencies (3 ECTS)

Last but not least, students have to take 3 ECTS in courses on «Generic Competencies».

In addition to their PhD-title, students who finish the necessary 18 ECTS according to one of the field-specific study programs receive a formal confirmation issued by the department of business administration signaling their field-specific profile as a PhD-student.

The four fields of study offered by GSB are:

• Accounting, Auditing and Corporate Governance
• Management, Organization and Strategy
• Managing Human Resources and Education

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Doctoral study programmes

At ETH Zurich, doctorates are not organised within an overall doctoral study programme in the way that students may be familiar with from other universities. Each doctoral student is free to select and assemble the components of their doctoral studies for him or herself. However, the departments do have the option of organising and offering their range of courses for doctoral studies in the form of doctoral programmes.

The Life Science Zurich Graduate School, for example, offers this kind of programme. There are 16 highly competitive doctoral programmes, run jointly by ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. The aim is to attract the most promising young scientists from across the world by offering a comprehensive and challenging education for doctoral students in biosciences.

If you are interested in one of the doctoral programmes available at ETH Zurich, please visit the following pages:

• external page call_made Life Science Zurich Graduate School
• external page call_made Zurich Graduate School Mathematics
• external page call_made Zurich Graduate School in Computational Science and Engineering CSE

Joint Doctoral Programs

Graduates of the following programs will obtain a joint doctoral degree certificate from ETH Zurich and the partner institution.

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Cancer Biology

(doctoral program), degree program: doctorate faculty of science.

General description Admission requirements ECTS credits Degree Language of instruction

General description

The PhD program in Cancer Biology trains participating students towards a PhD (Dr. sc. nat. or Dr. sc. ETH Zürich) in basic or clinical cancer research. In the course of the studies, the students’ scientific achievements actively contribute to the success of cancer research in Zurich. To be admitted to the program, the students must hold a Master Degree in biological sciences and pass an admission interview. The original research carried out during the course of the studies must be described in a PhD thesis, which is externally reviewed. Subject to a positive review, the students must defend the thesis in a public presentation that is followed by a closed examination by the responsible faculty members. During the course of the studies, the students must acquire at least 12 ECTS credits, and attend four mandatory courses and one students’ retreat. Furthermore, the PhD students are required to hold regular meetings with their thesis committee.

Admission requirements

Admission to doctoral study is governed by the ordinance on admission to studies at the University of Zurich (Verordnung über die Zulassung an der Universität Zürich VZS). The main requirement for admission to doctoral study is a Master's degree from a university or an equivalent degree. Each PhD project must receive approval from a professor at the Faculty of Science or from a person who has the right to confer a PhD at the Faculty of Science. There is no general right to be granted admission to a PhD program. Admission may be made contingent on conditions and/or restrictions in the form of additional coursework. Conditions must be met prior to admission to doctoral study; restrictions may be fulfilled during doctoral study. Coursework required to meet conditions and/or restrictions may not exceed a total of 60 ECTS credits; requirements are specified according to the demands of the subject in which the PhD thesis will be written. The Vice Dean of Studies decides on admission, on recognition of similar degrees, and on conditions and/or additional requirements that may apply. As a rule, the language of instruction in the PhD programs is English. All applicants whose native language is not English, or whose prior studies have not been conducted in English, are required to provide proof of sufficient knowledge of English.

ECTS credits

12 ECTS Credits

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Language of instruction

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Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd program in ecology.

Completing a PhD research project in the joint University of Zurich (UZH) and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, PhD Program in Ecology, in one of the internationally acclaimed research groups, enhances a student’s PhD experience. Students of this program are enrolled at either the UZH or the ETH . The program offers research training in the interdisciplinary field of ecology, general skills training for academic and non-academic excellence, and opportunities to interact with other doctoral students. The program includes a curriculum of at least 12 ECTS credits, teaching experience, and is usually completed within three to four years (full-time). It offers yearly graduate schools, courses on subject specific matters and on methods that are of direct use to the work of doctoral students. Additional courses on transferable skills prepare students for professional life, whether this is in an academic institution or not. Research seminars foster international collaborations and the exchange of experiences among doctoral students and experts from different fields of ecology.

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Featured PhD Project: Fall 2024

The impact of beavers on blue-green ecosystems Valentin Moser

Beavers influencing bat presence. Beaver influence bat activity directly and indirectly through the change of the environment, leading to an increased habitat heterogeneity and changed arthropod community © Valentin Moser

As ecosystem engineers, beavers (Castor fiber) modify aquatic (blue) and terrestrial (green) ecosystems through building dams and felling trees. The resulting elevated water level and open canopy can benefit different species groups and communities. However, compared to aquatic taxa, the impacts of beaver-engineering on terrestrial taxa and across the blue-green gradient are poorly understood. In my PhD, we sampled biodiversity together with ecosystem properties like soil and water chemistry, as well as ecosystem functions like decomposition rates in 16 systems across Switzerland to better understand how beavers change ecosystems. For bats, our results show correlations between beaver activities and a higher bat presence in these systems. Beaver engineering changes habitat heterogeneity and arthropod abundance, correlated with higher bat species richness, bat activity, and feeding activity. The volume of standing deadwood, a critical resource for bat roosting and foraging, had the strongest correlations with bat presence. Our findings suggest that beavers create heterogeneous landscapes that offer highly diverse ecological niches. By creating environments rich in resources and complexity, beavers may act as natural restoration agents, supporting diverse populations of bats and other species groups. Our results could underscore the importance of integrating beaver management into conservation strategies to restore and enhance aquatic and riparian ecosystems.

Photography for Scientists Science and science communication rely heavily and extensively on photography. In this course organised by the PhD Program in Ecology, student scientists were taught how to be more "visually literate", empowering them to more effectively communicate their science.

Filmmaking for Scientists In this course organised by the PhD Program in Ecology, students learnt how to prepare their own documentary films, including how to deal with camera and lighting, screenwriting/storyboard and film editing. At the end of the workshop, the PhD students prepared a short documentary film.

Weiterführende Informationen

Director: Prof. Dr. Jordi Bascompte Program manager: Dr. Debra Zuppinger-Dingley Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich   Phone : +41 44 635 4778 Office: Y38-L-16   Email: phdecology(at)ieu.uzh.ch

Upcoming courses

Photo credit © Valentin Moser

ProgramEcology HS2024

• Courses fall term 2024

General information

• Poster PhD Program in Ecology (PDF, 55 MB)

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