phd in switzerland

You are a master student in Switzerland or abroad, and your are looking for a job in research along with a PhD thesis. Find below some basic information about how and where to start a PhD thesis in Switzerland.

What?

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated to PhD, Ph.D. or D.Phil. in English-speaking countries and Dr. Phil. or similar in other countries, for the Latin philosophiae doctor , meaning "teacher in philosophy", is an advanced academic degree awarded by universities. In Switzerland, the second PhD is the highest degree one can earn after the the habilitation. The PhD or equivalent has become a requirement for a career as a university professor or researcher in most fields. The academic level of degrees known as doctorates of philosophy varies according to the country and time period.

Where?

Recognized PhD titles (fr: docteur, de: Doktor) are only awarded by one the 12 official universities. Universities of applied sciences and companies do not have the right to award PhD titles. However, for the rest, i.e. the daily work, one is usually free to do the research work where he/she wants: at one of the universities, in a private company or at home. The deal is that the results of your research work have to be accepted by a professor at one of the 12 universities.

When?

In Switzerland a PhD work is usually started immediately after the master theses (usually at the age of about 25 to 28 years). The average age of PhD candidates at the end of the PhD is 31. Unlike in the US, Swiss PhD candidates are supposed to start the research project immediatly after beginning their PhD, and they do not have classes anymore. However, they might have a few advanced lectures, summer schools or PhD programs.

Who?

The condition to start a PhD is to have a recognized master diploma (diploma, licence). Unlike in the US, bachelors are not admitted for a PhD. Sometimes, a certain final mark is requested to start a PhD. Each university has its own admission requirements. Ask at the university about the exact conditions.

How long?

The duration of the PhD is not standard: usually, it is between 2 and 6 years depending on the research field. PhD in natural and exact sciences take usually between 4 and 5 years. In economics, for example at the University of St. Gallen, the duration is only 2 years. In arts and humanities, a PhD is done in 4 to 6 years.

How much?

PhD candidates are normally hired as a research assistants/PhD-candidate at a university, though a research position in a company is also possible. The salary greatly varies from place to place: from 2000 CHF to more than 6000 CHF per month (see salary section). The salary must be indicated in the contract of employment. Funding comes from the university, from the Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF, from third-party funds or is mostly a mixture of these sources.

How?

The working conditions varies from institution to institution. It is quite common that PhD candidates are employed only partially (50%, 60%, ...). Sometimes, you can use the whole time of employment for your research, sometimes you have to give lectures or to supervise students beside research. This must be specified in the specification sheet (Pflichtenheft, cahier de charge) you get together with the contract of employment. If you are employed less than 100%, you are free to do what you want in the resting time, e.g. look for a second job. This is quite common in arts and humanities where PhD candidates often have several jobs. In natural sciences, PhD candidates are often supposed to work 100% even if they are only employed part-time. However, legally, they are free to have a second job.

Some disciplines are now better organized in Switzerland and offer so called PhD programs.

How to proceed?

First figure out what subject you are interested in, then find out which university or company is doing research in this field, then find the professor or research group whose work interests you most and contact him/her directly to ask for opportunities.

Links

• Look for a PhD programme in Switzerland.
• The other way is to look at the job portal of myScience.ch.