Centre for Higher Education Students Macao, 5 March 2016 SWISS EDUCATION SEMINAR

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Centre for Higher Education Students Macao, 5 March 2016

SWISS

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What do you know about Switzerland?

Consulate General of Switzerland 3

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What is the Link between these Objects?

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What you also ought to know

Hotspot for

research &

development

Small but high

performing

A country full of

bright minds

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Facts & Figures

41,285 km

2 area of Switzerland

Berne

is the capital

8 million

inhabitants

4 national languages

German, French, Italian, Rhaeto-Romanic

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History

• Loose confederation of small independent states

• According to legend, three men met on the Rü tli meadow on August 1,

1291, vowing not to recognize any

external judge or law → Federal Charter of 1291

• September 12, 1848 the Swiss

Federal Constitution established the Swiss Confederation

• Constitution and structure of the state heavily influenced by the

American constitution and the

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High Standard of Living

Diverse music scene

• Folk music - yodelling and the

alphorn

• Open-air rock and pop festivals,

Jazz festivals Museums

• Over 1100 museums

• One of the highest densities in the world

Architecture:

• Rich tradition in Switzerland, birthplace of Le Corbusier

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Strong Private Industry & International Environment

• United Nations’ European seat in Geneva

• 24 international organizations

• Several hundred international NGOs • International conferences

• Headquarter of companies such as Nestlé, Swatch, UBS, Swiss Re,

Novartis, Roche, Bally, Holcim, ABB, Rolex, Credit Suisse, Ciba Chemicals

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Quality of Living – City Ranking

Inspiring Cube | August 2015 | © SWITZERLAND GLOBAL ENTERPRISE 10

Rank City Country

1 Vienna Austria

2 Zurich Switzerland

3 Auckland New Zealand 4 Munich Germany 5 Vancouver Canada 6 Dusseldorf Germany 7 Frankfurt Germany 8 Geneva Switzerland 9 Copenhagen Denmark 10 Sydney Australia Source: Mercer 2014 Source: Mercer 2015

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Education Expenditure

Education expenditure per capita in USD

9487 10412 10454 10646 10711 10857 10904 10905 11585 11701 12136 12426 13116 14288 15345 16090 OECD average United Kingdom France Japan Australia Ireland Germany Finland Belgium Netherlands Denmark Sweden Austria Norway USA Switzerland

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Responsibility for education is shared between the federal authorities,

the Cantons and the communes.

• 60% of young people opt for the vocational training route

• This system provides the labor market with highly qualified career entrants

Compulsory schooling (9 years):

Primary and lower secondary

Swiss Education – dual, decentralized and free

Post-compulsory schooling:

Upper secondary schooling based on a "dual system“ - Choice between

Vocational Training Routes

(apprenticeship)

General Education Routes

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Vocational Training

• 250 different professions can be learned through direct channels

• The courses focus on professional

qualifications that are actually in

demand and on jobs that are currently available

• The highly-educated professionals form the basis for an excellent

talent pool for companies based in

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Higher Education Landscape

• Diverse and comprehensive range of high-quality cantonal universities,

federal institutes of technology, universities of applied sciences

and universities of teacher

education

• “Bologna” system in all Swiss universities (Bachelor & Masters degree programmes)

• 6 out of the 12 Swiss cantonal

universities and federal institutes of technology are among the global Top 200

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Swiss Universities

Consulate General of Switzerland 16 University of Zurich University of St. Gallen ETH Zurich University of Basel University of Lucerne

Università della Svizzera italiana University of Neuchâtel University of Bern University of Fribourg University of Lausanne EPFL University of Geneva

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Swiss Universities

ETH Zurich EPFL University of Zurich University of Geneva

University of Bern University of Basel University of Lausanne University of Fribourg

University of St. Gallen University of Neuchâtel Università della

Svizzera italiana

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Top 10 and Swiss Universities 2015

Rank

2015 Top 10 worldwide

1 California Institute of Technology, US

2 University of Oxford, UK

3 Stanford University, US

4 University of Cambridge, UK

5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US

6 Harvard University, US

7 Princeton University, US

8 Imperial College London, UK

9 ETH Zü rich, CH 10 University of Chicago, US Rank 2015 Swiss universities 9 ETH Zü rich 31 EPF Lausanne 101 University of Basel 104 University of Zü rich 120 University of Bern 131 University of Geneva 144 University of Lausanne 201-250 University of Fribourg 351-400 University of St Gallen 401-500 University of Neuchâtel

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Swiss Universities

Swiss higher education institutions have made significant contributions to the economic, cultural and social development of Switzerland

• Diverse range of high-quality study options in all disciplines and fields of study

• Open access to higher education: enrolment is possible for everyone who has recognised upper-secondary level qualifications

• High employment rates of university graduates

• High level of internationally recognised research performance

• Strong international appeal: Foreign nationals account for around a quarter of all students and over 40% of researchers enrolled at Swiss higher

education institutions

• International research cooperation very important. In terms of volume of published scientific articles per inhabitant, Switzerland tops rankings in international comparison

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Grading and Credit System

6 = excellent

5 = good

4 = pass

Below 4 = fail

6-point grading scale, where 6 represents the highest and 1 the lowest grade

European Credit Transfer and Accumulations System (ECTS):

• one credit corresponds to 25-30 working hours

• 60 ECTS attached to the workload of a full-time year of formal

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Academic Calendar

The academic year is divided into two semesters:

Examination dates differ according to university and faculty and can

take place at the end of a lecture period or during the semester break.

FALL SEMESTER

Lectures from September (week 38) to December (week 51)

SPRING SEMESTER

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Average Study Time

BACHELOR DEGREE

• 180 ECTS

• Can be completed within 3 years

MASTER DEGREE

• To be completed in 3 semesters (1,5 years/90 ECTS)

• Or 4 semesters (2 years/120 ECTS)

Research doctorate degrees are generally awarded after 3-5 years of postgraduate research and study, and submission of a thesis.

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Language Requirements

Bachelor’s level:

The language of instruction is the official language of the location of the university, i.e. German, French or Italian

Master’s programs:

The language varies from university to university. Some programs offer course work in English and German/French, some are predominatly taught in English

PhD:

Can usually be completed in English

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How to apply?

BACHELOR DEGREE

• Fulfill national admission

requirements plus requirements of the cantonal universities

MASTER DEGREE

• High-quality Bachelor’s degree or equivalent first academic degree from internationally recognized university

• Previous studies must comply in quality, depth and breadth with requirement profile

The application deadlines vary between institutions

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Tuition Fees

• Higher education publicly funded – both for Swiss and international students very modest tuition fees • Tuition and semester fees for

international students vary from

CHF 500 to CHF 4’000 (HKD 4’000-30’000)

• The currency used in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF), which is unique to Switzerland and

Liechtenstein

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Living Expenses

• Cost of life similar to that of other

European cities

• Typical student budget around

CHF 1’500 to 2’500 (HKD 12’000-20’000) per month, including tuition,

housing, subsistence, insurance, transport and other living costs

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Scholarships

Scholarships to talented foreign

graduate and PhD students

• University scholarships – check universities’ websites for appliaction details and deadlines

• Swiss Government scholarships – check website of the State

Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI)

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Working in Switzerland

• International students are generally allowed to work a maximum of 15 hours

a week

• Within the first six months, Bachelor’s students from non-EU countries are not allowed to work

• Master’s students from non-EU countries are only allowed to work at their

university

Detailed regulations for work permits depend on the canton of the university and your country of origin.

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Dormitories / Housing

• Most universities have a number of rooms reserved for

international students

• Affordable housing is hard to find, especially in Zurich and

Geneva

• Subletting from a student is probably the best option and easier in

the summer months

• Check with local university listings, airbnb, wgzimmer.ch,

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Immigration

Students who are admitted to a Swiss university can apply

for a student visa.

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Useful Links

Consulate General of Switzerland 37 www.sbfi.admin.ch www.educa.ch www.studyinginswitzerland.ch www.swissuni.ch www.kfh.ch www.crus.ch www.edk.ch www.swiss-schools.ch www.echanges.ch www.swisstalents.org

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation Basic information to all international student who wish to study in Switzerland

Portal of the Swiss University

Association of Swiss University Continuing

Rector's Conference of the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences

Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities

Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education Swiss Federation of Private Schools

Center for Youth Exchanges

Network of highly skilled professionals living abroad

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WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO

WELCOMING YOU IN SWITZERLAND!

Andreas Rufer

Deputy Consul General of Switzerland in Hong Kong