Swiss education system

The ICT training programmes in Switzerland include federal and international qualifications. Swiss (federal) training programmes include: The apprenticeship with a federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ), which includes practical and academic training. After the apprenticeship, further training is possible with a Federal Certificate of Competence (FCC) and a Federal Diploma (FD) or at a higher technical college (HF).

The Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD (doctorate) degrees are international. Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes are available at universities of applied sciences and universities, while PhD degrees are only available at universities.

Higher vocational colleges offer postgraduate diploma programmes (NDS) and universities offer various courses with ECTS credits, such as Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS), Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS), Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) or (Executive) Master of Business Administration (MBA, EMBA). Practical experience is often assessed for admission in addition to completed training programmes.

Further information on ICT apprenticeships and federal certificates and diplomas in IT can be found on the website of ICT Vocational Education and Training Switzerland www.ict-berufsbildung.ch, berufsberatung.ch Information on certificate and diploma courses offered by higher technical colleges and universities can be found on their websites.