Doctoral and postdoc programs

Here you find overviews of existing doctoral and postdoc programmes (the information may not be complete):

• studyprogrammes.ch : selected instruments for the promotion of doctoral programmes

• Programmes doctoraux of the Conférence des universités de Suisse occidentale (CUSO) : The training programmes each cover a scientific discipline and are open to a minimum of ten doctoral students from one or several Swiss universities participating actively in the programme.

• Consult the EURAXESS funding database.

CUSO programmes do not cover the salaries of doctoral students. Candidates wishing to participate in a programme doctoral should contact the person(s) responsible for the programme directly.

PhD

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 cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills as well as the promotion of academic interaction and network building.

Each Swiss university organises and plans the doctorate (sometimes in collaboration with a university of applied sciences and arts) 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 by 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.

The doctoral degree grants candidates the right to use the university-defined title of Dr (...), which corresponds to the PhD used in English.

Further information regarding the development of the doctoral degree by swissuniversities can be found on the website of swissuniversities.

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

1.   a university, or

2.   a professor, who will be the future PhD supervisor (scientific advisor), or

3.   a given doctoral programme.

To help you decide you will find helpful information on the university websites.

Admission to doctoral studies at a Swiss university

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.

To do doctoral studies in Switzerland you must in any case have a supervisor who is willing to admit you. To find a potential supervisor for your thesis in Switzerland we recommend contacting a professor known to you through his or her publications or whom you have met at a conference or on another occasion.

As soon as you have found a supervisor who will accept you as a doctoral candidate, he or she will clarify together with you whether you can be admitted to the respective university or whether a joint doctoral degree is an option. Joint doctoral degrees are based on an agreement between the respective institutions. Model agreements can be obtained at swissuniversities. Be careful not to choose an ineligible institution.

Application for a job with the status of doctoral candidate

Send a complete application dossier, as requested in the job advert.

Postdoc

A PhD is prerequisite for access to a postdoc. The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to pursue additional research, training, or teaching in order to have better skills to pursue a career in academia or in other fields.

Each Swiss university offers postdoctoral positions as do many large companies and research centres. There is no official duration for a postdoc position, but it usually lasts between 1 and 6 years depending on the research field and the university.

Application for a job with the status of postdoctoral candidate

Send a complete application dossier, as requested in the job advert.