|
"ETH" redirects here. For other uses, see ETH (disambiguation). The ETH Zurich, often called Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is a science and technology university in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. Its full name is , with ETHZ also being a common unofficial abbreviation. Locals sometimes refer to it by the name Poly, from its original name Eidgenössisches Polytechnikum or Federal Polytechnic Institute. The ETH is an internationally oriented university. It is a member of the IDEA League and the International Alliance of Research Universities IARU.
History
Reputation In national comparisons of the swissUP Ranking, the ETH traditionally achieves best marks in natural sciences, computer science and engineering sciences. However, it scores low in categories involving student opinions. A ranking published by CHE in May 2006 compares the ETH with other universities in the German-speaking countries. The ETH ranked first by peer review and reputation in all natural sciences, computer science and engineering sciences. It also scores high in categories like number of publications and citations. The ETH is regularly ranked among the top universities in the world. It is placed between 3rd and 6th in Europe and between 10th and 27th in the world in international rankings by the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings. It was also ranked 12th by the latter in both sciences and technology in 2005. Historically, the ETH achieved its reputation particularly in the fields of chemistry, mathematics and physics. There are 21 Nobel Laureates who are associated with the ETH, counting only graduates of the ETH and Professors who have been honored for their work at ETH. The most recent Nobel Laureate is Kurt Wüthrich who has won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2002. Admission and Education The ETH is not selective in its undergraduate admission procedures. Like every public university in Switzerland, the ETH is obliged to grant admission to every Swiss citizen who sat through Matura. However, most applicants from foreign countries are required to take either the reduced entrance exam or the comprehensive entrance exam; an applicant can be admitted to the ETH even without any verifiable educational records by passing the comprehensive entrance exam. There are no obligatory examinations during the first academic year which is divided into two semesters. However, the actual selection process takes place in the summer shortly after the second semester. Students have to pass the block examinations of courses of the first year, called the Basisprüfung. If the weighted average score is not sufficient, you are required to retake the entire Basisprüfung which usually means that you have to resit through the first year. More than 50% of the students fail Basisprüfung on first try and many of them choose to drop out after the failure. The structure of examinations in higher academic years is similar to the Basisprüfung, but with a higher success rate. The regular time to reach graduation is six semesters for the Bachelor of Science degree and three further semesters for the Master of Science degree. The last semester is dedicated to writing a thesis. Education at the ETH tends to be theoretically oriented with a high amount of mathematics involved throughout the courses. The main language of teaching in undergraduate studies is German while English is lingua franca in Master's studies and graduate studies. Campus The ETH Zürich has no single campus. The main building was constructed in the 1860s in the heart of the city, and when the university grew, it spread out into the surrounding quarters. Its Zentrum location consists thus of various buildings and institutions throughout Zurich, firmly integrating the ETH in the city. The main building is literally across the street from the University of Zurich. Because this geographic situation substantially hindered the expansion of the ETH, a new campus was built from 1964 to 1976 on the Hönggerberg in the outskirts of the city. The last major expansion project of this new campus was completed in 2003; since then, the Hönggerberg location houses the departments of materials science, architecture, civil engineering, physics, biology, and chemistry. Student Life ETH students were found to be the busiest students of all institutions of higher education in Switzerland *. A tight curriculum in undergraduate courses with twice as much lectures as comparable courses in other universities of Switzerland. The ETH has well over 100 student associations. Most notably the VSETH (Verband der Studierenden an der ETH) which comprises all department associations. The associations regularly organize events with variing size and popularity. Events of the neighboring University of Zurich are well-attended by ETH students and vice versa. The VSETH organizes events of greater public attention, such as the , the Polyparty and the Erstsemestrigenfest, the first two housed in the main building of the ETH. Of course, the prominent night life of Zurich is an important part of recreational activities of ETH students, too. Despite the high prices, many students can be seen occasionally in bars and restaurants in the City of Zürich. Traditions The annual is the most prestigious public event at the ETH, with a long tradition since the 1880s. The end of November, the Polyball welcomes around 10'000 dancers, music-lovers and partygoers in the extensively decorated main building of the ETH. The Polyball is the biggest decorated ball in Europe. The amicable rivalry between the ETH and the neighbouring University of Zurich is cultivated since 1951. There has been an annual rowing match between teams from the two institutions on the river Limmat. There are many regular symposia and conferences at the ETH, most notably the annual Wolfgang Pauli Lectures, in honor of former ETH Professor Wolfgang Pauli. Distinct lecturers, among them 24 Nobel Laureates, have held lectures of the various fields of natural sciences at this conference since 1962. Departments As of 2006, the ETH Zurich comprises the following departments: Architecture and Civil Engineering Engineering Sciences Natural Sciences and Mathematics Nobel Prize winners The people listed below were graduates of the ETH or they were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work at ETH as professors. Other Affiliates for a more comprehensive list, see the German version of this article *. See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| |