From the Large Hadron Collider to Swiss Watches, Switzerland has always been at the forefront of engineering and technology. With this in mind, if you would like to study engineering in this scenic country, the following universities are some of the best in Switzerland for engineering.
Top Universities for Engineering in Switzerland
1. The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland
The first university we will discuss today is a bit of a black sheep when compared to others in Switzerland. The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) is unique as the majority of its courses are taught in Italian. Even so, the University still upholds the high educational standards that Switzerland is known for. The university also offers a broad selection of engineering options with civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering all available at an undergraduate level.
With nearly 4,000 students in attendance, this top engineering university in Switzerland is a much more tightly knit community when compared to the larger universities in Switzerland. In particular, the Student Life Service aims to make sure that the time students spend studying at SUPSI is as stress-free and productive as possible, offering career support and guidance throughout one’s time at the university.
2. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
Also known as the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne is easily one of the best engineering universities in all of Switzerland. Ranked by the Times University Rankings as one of the 20 best universities in the world, it is easy to see why. The university offers degrees in a whole host of engineering subjects, including but not limited to micro, mechanical, and materials engineering.
The university is notable for its many public contributions to science, including the construction of Switzerland’s first satellite, a solar-powered plane known as Solar Impulse that has managed to circumnavigate the world. As well as this, the university has successfully operated its own nuclear reactor. These are just some of the activities that the EPFL is involved with, many of which are open to student participation.
The 11,000 students of the EPFL are well serviced by the many on-campus clubs and associations, including its own sustainable clothes brand, a radio show, and a newspaper.
3. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
The sister university to the EPFL, the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich matches the former’s reputation and may in fact exceed it. The ETH Zurich is ranked 6th in the world by the QS university rankings and has been home to 21 Nobel laureates. The main distinction between the EPFL and the ETH is that the majority of classes in the former are taught in French while German is the most used language in the latter.
At an undergraduate level, this top engineering university in Switzerland has courses that cover subjects such as electrical, mechanical, civil, and geospatial engineering. If students choose to continue their studies to the master’s level, they may specialize in areas like nuclear, quantum, and process engineering.
Beyond the academic side of life, ETH Zurich’s urban campus gives students access to the largest city in all of Switzerland. Within the city, students may visit locations such as the No Show Museum, the Zoological Garden, and the old town’s beautiful medieval buildings.
4. Bern University of Applied Sciences
Located in the picturesque city of Bern, the Bern University of Applied Sciences offers unique opportunities to study engineering in the whole of Switzerland. With over 7,000 students enrolled in the college, the university awards degrees in automotive, biomedical, industrial, and mechanical engineering at a bachelor’s level. At a master’s level, the university offers a special opportunity for students to work on real-life projects with a research team of their choosing.
The Bern University of Applied Sciences takes pride in offering a multicultural environment that is welcoming to international students. While smaller than other universities in Switzerland, it is just as multilingual, with degrees being taught in German, French, and English. As well as this, international students are offered courses in German in cooperation with the University of Bern to make sure they can participate fully in their courses.
5. Zurich University of Applied Science
The final university we will discuss here today is the Zurich University of Applied Science. Similar to the Bern University of Applied Sciences, this top engineering university in Switzerland focuses on the practical application of engineering theory to real-world problems. At an undergraduate level, students can take courses involving the study of aviation, environmental, and systems engineering, amongst others.
Masters programs are similarly diverse with topics of study including civil engineering, data science, and photonics. Additionally, the university’s master’s program can be done while studying abroad in one of the sixty partner universities.
The university also benefits from its location in one of the cities outside of Zurich, Winterthur. The city is well connected to the rest of the country with Zurich only a 20-minute train ride away. As well as this, the city is a hub of culture with some especially good museums including the Kunst Museum Winterthur (Winterthur Museum of Art) and the Swiss Science Centre Technorama which are well worth seeing if you decide to study at the Zurich University of Applied Science.
We hope that this information will give you some insight into what studying engineering in Switzerland is like and what it takes. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs in Europe!
