Brief Review

Higher Education Overview

There are two different types of higher education in Switzerland, universities and technical schools. University education is of four different types: general Universities, of which there are 10, Federal Institutes of Technology (2), Universities of Applied Science (11) and Teaching Universities (13).

Although each of the universities has its own characteristics, they all basically have the same structure. They are divided into faculties or departments, including theology, law, economics and social science, arts, natural science, and medicine (Fribourg and Neuchâtel offer only basic medical courses). St Gall specialises in economics, social science, and law; and Lucerne in Catholic theology, humanities and law. The Italian-speaking university in Lugano offers courses in architecture, economics, communication sciences, and informatics (computer science), which is taught in English. The two Federal Institutes of Technology produce highly qualified engineers, architects, and scientists.

The universities of Basle, Berne, Lucerne, St Gall, Zurich and the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich are located in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The universities of Geneva, Lausanne and Neuchâtel, as well as the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne are in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The University of Fribourg is situated in a bilingual canton. Therefore, the teaching language is French and/or German. The Università della Svizzera italiana is located in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland.