Pursuing P hD in Switzerland

[Mbuziwengi]

Hi everyone,

I am a 'de facto' masters holder (finished coursework and project, I am currently waiting for Masters project results) in Kenya and I am currently considering undertaking PhD in economics in Switzerland. I have several queries which I believe that forum members currently studying in Switzerland or members with knowledge on Switzerland university education system can help.

Here are my concerns/Querries:

After searching for potential Unis in Switz, I realized that the fee is generally affordable and most Unis give PhD students jobs as research or teaching assistants. However, their PhD system is slightly different from ours. My understanding is that you contact a supervisor (I'm assuming those working in the university) and simultaneously apply for PhD.Frankly details about the initial steps of application- and more particularly how to contact supervisors - are a little vague. Therefore my questions are Which universities would you recommend? How exactly does their system of application work? (I have my eye on Laussane University but I could really use help on this)

Second, Kenya is a developing country and my bet is our universities might not be recognized vis. a vis universities in Switzerland and other developed countries. To this end, is this an important factor that can affect my chances of being selected? Are there other entry exams or criteria used in evaluating applicants?

Third, Kenya is a developing country, their virtually no scholarships, or education loans that can finance my study abroad. Moreover, I am father of two beautiful kids. My priority (at least while pursuing PhD) is not financial posterity but sustainability and financial stability. In this regard, Are there any fees more specifically, application fees, tuition fees etc.I would like to know the chances of getting a job while studying, the 'general' living expenses estimates for a typical PhD student and whether the pay and/or stipend is sufficient.


Sorry for the lengthy post and thanks in advance

[jrdonsimoni]

The only university I know anything about in Switzerland is the University of Zurich. It is particularly suited if you have interests in behavioural/experiment economics or neuroconomics.

Their application system is pretty simple, you just mail them the required material and that s it. As for tuition fees, they're something ridiculous like 140CHF per semester. However, they do not have funding opportunities. Now you can work as research.teaching assistant, this information can be found here: UZH Financing Opportunities.

They run two different types of programme: Track B, which is the regular PhD, and Track C, which includes Master's degree + PhD. Although you already have a Master's degree, you can always apply for this one, if you think your application isn't strong enough for direct admission to the PhD. This is really your choice, you can always contact them to ask further questions.

You can find further information here otherwise.

[tm_member]

Just to note that Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in and there are great PhD programs in many many other countries if finances are an issue.

[jrdonsimoni]

It's true, tm-guru raises a good point. The Netherlands could be another option, stipends for graduate students should be about enough to cover fees. Otherwise, Barcelona GSE or Bocconi are other possibilities in cheaper countries.

[kipfilet]

I would say that both Milan (Bocconi) is far more expensive than any city in the Netherlands

The job situation is not great anywhere in Europe at the moment. Even though you are a qualified migrant, you might have trouble finding a job that is adequate to your qualification level.

The best Swiss universities are, roughly on this order, Zurich, Lausanne and Bern. You should, however, confirm what specialties are they best in. I know that the first two have a very good behavioural/experimental group, Lausanne is also very good at econometrics and Bern is good for finance.

[Mbuziwengi]

Thank you for your reply, Kindly suggest some of the cheaper countries and universities with excellent credentials, thank you

[Mbuziwengi]

To jrdonsimoni and tm_guru, thank you for your response

[Mbuziwengi]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I am interested in Unis with strong econometrics programs. Lausanne University, charges an application fee of 200 CHF while other unis dont. Is this an indication of their competitiveness? I.e. is it hard to get admission in Lausanne? (My grades are slightly above average, G.P.A approximately 2.75)

[bcube]

The best places in Switzerland are Zurich for Experimental/Behavioural, Lausanne for Macro and Econometrics and the Graduate Institute(IHIED) in Geneva for Int Macro, Trade and Development(this place is less oriented towards academia, but they place very strongly into int organizations and have some very good researchers). I'm not sure about Zurich, but the IHIED and Lausanne pay students with TA/RAs CHF 3000 a month. Taking the cost of living into account,this will afford you the normal grad student lifestyle- maybe a little better in Lausanne. If you are interested in finance, then the Swiss Finance Institute is excellent- amongst the top 10 worldwide by research output. It's a consortium of 4 universities though, so I don't know how much access you'll have to various faculty members.

[tm_member]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I am interested in Unis with strong econometrics programs. Lausanne University, charges an application fee of 200 CHF while other unis dont. Is this an indication of their competitiveness? I.e. is it hard to get admission in Lausanne? (My grades are slightly above average, G.P.A approximately 2.75)

It's hard to get into a PhD period. Not just at Luasanne, a GPA of 2.75 is usually below the minimum requirements (usually 3.0) at the lowest US schools, I can't speak for central european schools but I can imagine it's similar.