Thoughts on ETH Zurich?

[eBopBob]

What do people think of ETH Zurich for economics, specifically international economics?

 

I know ETHZ is amazing for sciences and engineering, but in economics it seems lacking a bit. But they do have Peter Egger for international trade. I couldn't find anything on where previous PhD grads have ended up though.

 

Cheers

[CakeTea]

As you indicated, ETH as a Tech is best known for STEM subjects. But its small econ department is well ranked within its concentrations (Quant Econ) and Egger is one of highest profile profs. But for international econ at Swiss unis, one would see more research at Geneva, Uni Zurich and St Gallen.

[Aschkan]

Hi,

I am a student in Applied Mathematics from ETH but I am doing my master thesis in the Economics department and I am mainly taking PhD courses in Economics.

The ETH Zurich Economics department is of moderate size, but remains competitive in the german-speaking world. I believe it to be perfect for students looking for a demanding and liveable PhD : you will get from it what you put in it. The environment is close to perfect and the salary (yes, salary not scholarship) is amazing. It is not a department applying pressure on its PhDs but if you look for challenge, you'll find it. It is one of the perfect places to be if you seek to work for the Swiss National Bank (SNB) or any other official institution in Switzerland. Remember, the Bank for International Settlements is in Basel ;-), one hour away from Zurich. 

The city of Zurich is the paradigm of european cities : everything is at walking distance, there are tramways everywhere, the landscape is breathtaking etc. I am not mentioning that the city is exceptionally expensive because your salary will be more than enough to compensate for it. If you're willing to learn a few words of German, then you'll have the highest standard of living in the world. And I mean it. The Swiss just don't brag about it, that's all. 

The University of Zurich (UZH) is literally at the same place, you might even have to register for courses there. But the spirit is very different. At ETH, you'll have to take 2h/week courses and start reading articles for your research immediately: you learn what you need and get to work. If you haven't studied economics before, this might be hard at first, but it will remain doable. At UZH, you'll be back at school for at least one year; you will have to take heavy (6h/week) courses and see for your thesis later. 

If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Aschkan

[kristint117]

On 10/22/2015 at 6:52 PM, Aschkan said:

Hi,

I am a student in Applied Mathematics from ETH but I am doing my master thesis in the Economics department and I am mainly taking PhD courses in Economics.

The ETH Zurich Economics department is of moderate size, but remains competitive in the german-speaking world. I believe it to be perfect for students looking for a demanding and liveable PhD : you will get from it what you put in it. The environment is close to perfect and the salary (yes, salary not scholarship) is amazing. It is not a department applying pressure on its PhDs but if you look for challenge, you'll find it. It is one of the perfect places to be if you seek to work for the Swiss National Bank (SNB) or any other official institution in Switzerland. Remember, the Bank for International Settlements is in Basel ;-), one hour away from Zurich. 

The city of Zurich is the paradigm of european cities : everything is at walking distance, there are tramways everywhere, the landscape is breathtaking etc. I am not mentioning that the city is exceptionally expensive because your salary will be more than enough to compensate for it. If you're willing to learn a few words of German, then you'll have the highest standard of living in the world. And I mean it. The Swiss just don't brag about it, that's all. 

The University of Zurich (UZH) is literally at the same place, you might even have to register for courses there. But the spirit is very different. At ETH, you'll have to take 2h/week courses and start reading articles for your research immediately: you learn what you need and get to work. If you haven't studied economics before, this might be hard at first, but it will remain doable. At UZH, you'll be back at school for at least one year; you will have to take heavy (6h/week) courses and see for your thesis later. 

If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Aschkan

Hello, I'm planning to get into either ETH or UZH for my master's. I'm interested in their biology program. Can you please tell me a bit more regarding the differences between either universities in general? Maybe you can advise me which university should i apply to..thanks a lot!

[andysbhai]

Hello,

I am proud to say that yesterday I received a letter of admission for the specialized master in atmospheric and climate science at ETHZ. The only thing left now is to decide whether I want to accept the spot. I have so many question but it has been really hard trying to find information about what its actually like in the track . Because of that I was wondering if there are any students or graduates from the program here that I could pm for some more info.

Thanks in advance!

[andysbhai]

On 3/14/2023 at 12:03 PM, andysbhai said:

Hello,

I am proud to say that yesterday I received a letter of admission for the specialized master in atmospheric and climate science at ETHZ. The only thing left now is to decide whether I want to accept the spot. I have so many question but it has been really hard trying to find information about what its actually like in the track . Because of that I was wondering if there are any students or graduates from the program here that I could pm for some more info.

Thanks in advance! https://routerlogin.uno/

I got this,..