PhD Programs

Students who complete our doctoral program are awarded the doctoral degree of Dr. sc. nat. – doctor scientiarum naturalium). The degree requires students to conduct original, independent research and usually takes between three and four years. We offer doctoral programs that have an excellent international reputation in the following fields.

Graduate Schools

• Life Science Zurich Graduate School
• Zurich Graduate School in Geography
• Zurich Graduate School in Mathematics
• Graduate School in Chemical and Molecular Sciences Zurich
• Graduate School in Physics
• Graduate School for Computational Science and Astrophysics and Cosmology

Important note: If you originate from a foreign country, which is not a member of the European Union it is of utmost importance, that the following procedure is followed exactly as specified below.

1. Application to one of the graduate schools listed above or to a doctoral program of the Faculty of Science.  
2. Application to the Admissions Office of the University of Zurich.
3. Visa application for non-EU students.
4. You cannot start working on your doctoral thesis in Zurich until you have obtained a visa and a work permit.

If you encounter problems during your PhD studies, there are several offices at the Faculty of Science you can contact.

1. Your first point of contact is always your doctoral committee or the  human ressources representative at your institute. 
2. Then you should contact the director of your PhD program.
3. In the last resort you can contact the Persons of Trust of the Faculty of Science.