Studying abroad
In order to be eligible for an exchange stay at one of our partner university, students of D-ITET must meet certain conditions:
- The first and second year examination blocks must be passed at the time of departure – in case of scheduling conflicts between the examination session and the start of the semester, exceptions must be discussed with the departmental exchange coordinator
- In the Bachelor's program: average of 4.5 on the basic examination. Students who have not achieved this grade can still qualify for the exchange by achieving or exceeding a grade of 4.5 in the higher Bachelor semesters. The KP-weighted average grade including all performance assessments (incl. LK without category and failed courses) at the time of application applies.
- In the Master's program: average of 4.5 on the basic examination or a Bachelor's degree of at least 4.5. Students who have not achieved this grade may still qualify for the exchange by achieving or exceeding a grade of 4.5 in the higher Master's semesters. The KP-weighted average grade including all performance assessments applies and there must be at least 20 KP in the Master's program.
- A working knowledge of the language of the host country and/or in most cases good English skills.
IMPORTANT: Many universities require a language certificate, please check the language requirements early on since fulfilling it may require time. - Some Partner Universities will require a minimum average grade of 5.0 (weighted average of the grades accumulated up to the time of application). This requirement is published on the site of the student exchange office.
- Only students holding a Bachelor's Degree from ETH Zürich (or currently enrolled at the Bachelor's level at D-ITET) may acquire credit points from courses taken in another university. However, all students may complete a Semester Project or the Master's Thesis abroad if a suitable subject and a co-supervisor from D-ITET's professors are found.
Also consult the student exchange office's website.
The best timing for exchange studies at a partner university, is clearly during the first to the third semester of the Master's degree programme. Most partner universities offer a substantial number of courses (if not all) in English at this level, the largest possible choice of courses is offered then. At the same time D-ITET Master's students enjoy a large freedom in establishing their study plan. Special rules apply for MSc BME, MSc EST and MSc QE (please ccontact the mobility advisor).
However, technically, exchange studies are also possible during the fifth or sixth semester of the Bachelor's degree programme. A realistic planning of an exchange stay is possible, at the earliest, after passing the first year examinations. The actual application is possible only after passing the first block of examinations of the second year.
As an alternative to enrolling for courses at a partner university, there is the possibility of doing a semester project or the master thesis abroad. This requires a consultation with the mobility advisor. A professor of the D-ITET must be ready to act as co-supervisor for the project/thesis in any case. The final grading is at the discretion of the co-supervisor at ETH Zurich.
Credits can only be transferred upon prior agreement with the .
Credits for core courses of the third year of our Bachelor Programme and in the Master Programme can only be transferred if the lecturer of our core course confirms the equivalence of the course taken abroad (confirmation of equivalence).
For credit transfers from exchange studies to a Master's degree programme at D-ITET, the consent of the tutor or track advisors (Biomedical Engineering) is also required. No credits can be transferred from prior studies outside ETH.
The transfer of subjects and credits after completion of the exchange studies is not automatic, it is the student's responsibility to request a meeting with the mobility advisor.
Master's students at D-ITET who are not holders of an ETH Bachelor's degree may not acquire credits from an exchange stay at a partner university (excluded the Master's thesis).
Interested students should contact the during the fall semester, make an appointment for the (obligatory) meeting and prepare the application for one of the deadlines below.
Applications are made Download online (PDF, 219 KB).
Notes:
- Please note the deadlines of December 1 of the previous year, for applications to an international partner university (outside Europe) for exchange stays in the following academic year (HS/FS). Click here for the pre-selection of the D-ITET.
- The deadline for an application to Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) partners in Europe is March 1 for exchange stays in the following academic year (HS/FS).
- Some partner universities may require a proof of language skills (language certificate), make sure to be aware of the specific requirements in time.
for applications to an international partner university (outside Europe) Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) partners in Europe for exchange stays in the following academic year (HS/FS).