The doctorate lies at the interface between teaching and research, whereas the Bachelor and Master levels focus primarily on teaching. Gaining academic competence via a personal and original contribution to research is the main part of a doctoral degree. At the same time and in addition to the development of academic competence, key objectives of the doctorate are the acquisition of subject-specific, methodological, and transversal knowledge and skills as well as the promotion of academic interaction and network-building.
Each Swiss university organises and plans the doctorate in keeping with the institution's profile and under consideration of the particularities within a certain discipline. Doctoral students plan and write their dissertations within the framework of a traditional doctorate or within the framework of "schools" or "programmes". They usually have access to various educational offers such as courses, seminars, or summer schools. A frequent way of financing doctoral studies is working in a university department as an assistant, or through funding (for individuals or projects/programmes) obtained from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) or other sources or third parties.
Admission to candidacy for a doctoral degree lies within the jurisdiction of the individual universities. As a rule, a university Master's degree is prerequisite for access to the doctorate. There may also be further admission requirements.
The doctoral degree grants candidates the right to use the university-defined title of Dr (...), which corresponds to the Ph.D. used in English.
Further information regarding the development of the doctoral degree by the Rectors Conference of Swiss Universities (CRUS) can be found here (ProDoc).
Candidates interested in earning a doctoral degree who fulfil the admission requirements (i.e. a Master's degree acquired at a university or an equivalent diploma) choose
a) a university, or
b) a professor, who will be the future Ph.D. supervisor (scientific advisor), or
c) a given doctoral programme.
You will find helpful information for your decision-making at the university Web sites. The 'proff'-database is useful for searching professors. Existing doctoral programmes can be found by searching the databases listed under the navigation button Doctoral Programmes. Successful application to doctoral studies usually requires a professor's agreement to serve as your Ph.D. supervisor, but an admission decision by a committee may also be needed. Information regarding the university-specific admission requirements can be obtained via the units or student administration offices responsible for doctoral studies.
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