phd in computer science in switzerland

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General information about the ph.d. studies, ph.d. brochure.

Universität Fribourg Course offerings

Universitas friburgensis.

Computer Science

Fribourg profile.

Fascinated by software , logic , computing infrastructures or artificial intelligence ? Take your career to the next level with a PhD in Computer Science!

Why study Computer Science? Computer Science is today at the heart of our society. Computational techniques are transforming all aspects of our daily lives, from Smart Cities infrastructures to transportations, banking, the media or the manufacturing industry. Demand for highly qualified computer scientists is high, both in Switzerland and around the world. With a PhD in Computer Science, you will be able to face the tsunami of data that we are confronted to and help both our society and companies evolve towards a more efficient digital society.

Our PhD Programme in Computer Science The University of Fribourg is proud to offer a PhD programme in Computer Science that will make you ready to tackle key scientific problems both for academia and the industry. Computer Science has a transformative impact on many facets of our society. Research topics that can be explored as part of a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Fribourg are quite diverse, and include:

• Applied Statistics and Modelling
• Decision Support and Operations Research
• Document, Image and Video Analysis
• Data Science and Big Data Infrastructures
• Foundations of Dependable Systems
• Digitalisation and Information Systems
• Software Engineering
• Human Computer Interaction
• Smart Cities and Cognitive Computing

Apart from detailed knowledge in the field, PhD students will also learn to conduct independent research projects, to guide bachelor and master students, to interpret and present scientific data, and to put their work into a general context. We also actively promote exchanges and interactions with other universities and with companies by organising workshops and research visits. We give all our PhD students the opportunity to present their work at international conferences and to meet people working on similar questions from close and far.

PhD students also have the opportunity to take graduate courses, by following free courses and workshops organised by the CUSO Doctoral Program in Computer Science in Western Switzerland. Funding for PhD projects is available in two main ways: 1) through project funds attributed to individual research groups. Interested candidates are encouraged to select a research group in which they would like to carry out their PhD (see Contact for a current list) and contact the group leader directly to ask for a possible opening; 2) through funds acquired by the PhD candidate (including Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists : http://studies.unifr.ch/go/en-swiss-gov-scholarships ). Before applying for funds, candidates should contact the group leader they would like to work with.

Studies organisation

Structure of studies.

No ECTS credits can be earned.

Doctoral school

https://informatique.cuso.ch

In order to be admitted to a doctorate the candidate must have been awarded an academic bachelor's and master's degree or an equivalent qualification from a university recognised by the University of Fribourg.

Before applying for a doctorate the candidate must contact a professor who would be willing to supervise the thesis work.

There is no general right to be admitted to a doctorate.

The respective conditions of admission for each doctoral study programme are reserved.

Faculty of Science

Doctoral degree program in computer science.

The goal of a doctorate in computer science is the development and dissemination of new knowledge in computer science. A doctorate usually takes three to four years and ends with the award of a doctorate in computer science.

A doctorate is carried out in close collaboration with a supervisor from the Institute of Computer Science. Possible research topics are mostly in the areas covered by the research groups of the institute. These include computer graphics, computer vision, communication and distributed systems, software composition, and logic and theory. Interested persons can contact a leader of a research group directly to clarify the possibility of a doctorate and to discuss potential research topics.

It is expected that scientific papers will be independently prepared during a doctoral degree and published in international journals. Research results will also be presented at conferences in lectures and posters. Furthermore, cooperation with international research groups is often one of the activities during a doctorate. The dissertation ends with a written thesis and a final examination in the form of a lecture.

Legal basis

• Studienplan für das Fach Informatik (Bachelor, PhD, Minor) vom 01.08.2011 mit Änderungen (PDF, 62KB)
• Anhang zum geltenden Studienplan Informatik (PDF, 762KB)
• Promotionsreglement der Philosophisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Bern (PromR Phil.-nat. 19) vom 12.12.2019 (PDF, 1.1 MB)
• Regulations governing doctoral studies at the Faculty of Science of the University of Bern (PromR Phil.-nat. 19) of December 12., 2019 (PDF, 244KB)

Phd Degree in Computer Science & IT, Switzerland

Explore the best universities for Phd degree in Computer Science & IT in Switzerland, based on their reputation and research in the field.

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Department of Informatics

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd program, welcome note.

The Doctoral Program of Informatics is where academia and industry meet, where theories are developed and challenged in praxis, where new knowledge is created, and where scholars emerge. The Department of Informatics offers Switzerland’s best application oriented informatics and, internationally, ranks among the best institutions in its field. Application areas range from business information systems to social sciences, linguistics, natural sciences, and medicine. The Department creates joint research ventures and integrates their results in the teaching of students. In addition, internationally renowned visiting professors regularly give courses on special topics. All of us in the Department of Informatics wish you good fortune as you pursue your advanced degree, and we hope you will contact us if we can help you along the way.

Direct Links

Programs Description of our Doctoral Programs

Admission Information about the admission process

PhD: While studying All the information you need while doing your PhD (e.g. Curriculum, PhD Proposal Defense, PhD Thesis, PhD Defense, Publication)

Summer Schools Information about the current and past PhD Summer Schools

IfI Colloquium Information about the current and past IfI Colloquium Series

Team/Advisory Service Contact information

PhD Theses Archive

Here you find the PhD theses published at IfI since 1968.

Weiterführende Informationen

Best practice guideline for doctoral education at the university of zurich.

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Department of Computer Science

Application and admission.

Students holding a Master's degree in computer science or a related field are cordially invited to apply for doctoral studies in Computer Science.

Application and admission are possible at any time; there are no deadlines.

Applicants need a Master's degree with a strong background in computer science or a closely related field. Also, applicants need to be proficient both in written and spoken English. Language tests are not required. However, if you have documental proof, please include it in your application. Typically, personal interviews are conducted with candidates considered for admission. GRE tests are not mandatory. However, if proof of results is available, please include it in your application.  

Applications are always accepted in one of two ways:

Option 1 : You can contact a professor in an area of your interest to find out whether they have openings and may be interested in supervising you as a doctoral student.

List of professors and research groups: Research Groups

Once you have found a supervisor, you must submit your application via eApply. Details and further information you will find here .

Option 2 : You can submit your application online via our central application system . This way, your application will automatically be available to and reviewed by our entire faculty. The application is free of charge.

The online application is exclusively electronic. Please provide the following documents:

• Scans of diplomas of completed degrees
• Scans of grade records for all attended universities
• Statement of objective (text only in English)
• Contact information of three references providing recommendations

Note that all uploaded files should be unprotected PDFs each not exceeding 2 MB in size.

Once your application is submitted, it will remain active for four months. In this period, you may be contacted by any interested faculty member. Otherwise, you will receive a notification at the end of this period.

Doctoral students are employees and students. Therefore, upon admission, they receive an employment contract and a confirmation of provisional admission. Only after having passed the aptitude colloquium, which must take place after twelve months at the latest, doctoral students are admitted definitively.

Enrolment in myStudies at the beginning of every semester is compulsory right up to the decision on conferral of the doctoral degree.

In addition to conducting research, doctoral students are also teaching assistants and supervise student projects from the bachelor's and master's programmes. Open positions for teaching assistants are to be found here .  

Doctoral students generally have an employment contract. At D-INFK, the salary rates for doctoral students are Rate 4 or Rate 5, which enables them to cover their living expenses  comfortably in Switzerland.

Additional information on admission costs, tuition and semester fees, and living costs can be found here .  

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Department of Astrophysics

Quicklinks und sprachwechsel, main navigation, phd programme in computational science, graduate school for computational science.

The PhD programme in Computational Science is a joint initiative of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, which aims to:

• Foster sustained interactions between PhD students, faculty and staff
• Promote exchanges between academia, industry and society enabled by computational science

Computational Science (CS) integrates Information Technology and Mathematics to address scientific and societal challenges such as Energy, Health, Climate and Finance.

CS is a unique method of scientific inquiry, complementing theory and experiments, providing us with unprecedented potential for scientific discovery and innovation.

Application and enrollment

The Computational Sciences PhD programme is a 3-4year MSc to PhD program. Participating students can choose from a broad selection of research topics and classes. Enrollment into the program is decided by an admission committee. In order to graduate, students need to fulfill the following requirements:

• Acquisition of 12 credit points of advanced courses
• Deposition and defense of a Ph.D. thesis describing the student’s original research work,
• Additional requirements imposed by the host institution (University of Zurich or ETH Zurich) so as to comply fully with their regulations.

The final degree is conferred by either the University of Zurich or the ETH Zürich, depending on the academic affiliation of the host laboratory.

Official PhD regulations for the Computational Science Programme: PDF EN / PDF DE

Link to the Regulations Governing PhD Studies at the MNF

Link to the official page of the Graduate School for CS

Admissions to Promotion - Useful links and documents:

Admission to Doctoral Studies at the University of Zurich

Factsheet Admission to a PhD Program at the Department of Astrophysics (PDF, 621 KB) Checklist for PhD students

"Confirmation of Supervision for Doctoral Students" (PDF, 242 KB)

"Acceptance Confirmation Structured Doctoral Program" (PDF, 225 KB) Annual committee meeting minutes (PDF, 1 MB)

Confirmation Sheet - TA Hours (PDF, 224 KB)

Fact sheet PhD Defence (EN) / Merkblatt (DE)

Program Director Prof. Dr. Robert Feldmann [email protected]

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Phd programme, doing a phd at the zhaw school of engineering.

The ZHAW School of Engineering offers students with a Master’s degree the opportunity to do a doctorate in cooperation with its partner universities. While studying for your PhD, you work on applied research projects at the university of applied sciences and are supervised jointly by professors from the ZHAW and its partner university.

You thus benefit from the strengths of both types of university and, with your dissertation project, also contribute towards raising the profile of research at the School of Engineering. The School of Engineering, for its part, creates favourable conditions and prerequisites for supporting high-quality research.

As a doctoral student, you are enrolled in a regular PhD programme at a partner university and are required to go through its admission process. After completing the programme, you will receive a doctorate from the partner university in question. Most PhD networks are also open to students with a Master’s degree from a university of applied sciences. They are, however, required to complete the processes (specific to each faculty) that are necessary for admission to the partner university. In addition to formalised PhD programmes, it is also possible for individual agreements to be concluded between partner universities, doctoral students and ZHAW.

https://www.zhaw.ch/en/jobs/vacant-positions/

Formal PhD programmes with partner universities

ZHAW is part of the PhD Network Data Science . We thus participate in the University of Zurich’s PhD Programme in Data Science . A broad selection of topics is available for doctoral studies in data science and these explicitly include data-intensive areas of Industry 4.0, such as predictive maintenance, data analytics and risk management, and cloud computing.

ZHAW graduates with a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) are also eligible for the joint doctoral programme run by ZHAW and the Università Ca' Foscari in Venice. They can complete their doctoral studies in data science over a period of four years. They spend one year in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics at the University of Venice and three years at the ZHAW School of Engineering. MSE graduates from ZHAW can participate directly in the programme without having to catch up on additional ECTS from the Master’s degree programme.

Important to know

• The doctorate is always awarded by the partner university. It is therefore the regulations of the partner university that are decisive.
• In most cases, doctoral students at ZHAW School of Engineering are employed as scientific assistants; the dissertation is normally embedded in a fairly large research project (Innosuisse, SNSF, Horizon Europe).
• ZHAW School of Engineering supports dissertation projects that are related to one of its main research areas.
• The dissertation topic is agreed on directly by the doctoral student and their supervising professors from the university of applied sciences and the partner university.
• Doctoral students are expected to display a high degree of independence and discipline and to actively exchange ideas with the contact persons in the institutes and centres.

How will the ZHAW School of Engineering support me with my dissertation project?

• Financial support through PhD programmes and internal calls
• Time support, including for caregivers
• Networking within the PhD community
• Access to foreign universities and networks (e.g. Horizon Europe Doctoral Network, PhD networks)

ZHAW employees and students will find further information in the Intranet .

Interested? Then venture to take the next step

A dissertation project requires careful planning and preparation in both the professional and private environment.  We will be happy to offer you a consultation.

PhD Computer Science & IT programs in Switzerland

Bioinformatics.

University of Geneva

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is the only global university performance table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

Computer Sciences

Information systems.

Webster University Geneva

Computer science, computer science for the humanities.

International Institute in Geneva

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne

University of Zurich

People-oriented computing, software systems, informatics, computational science and engineering, robotics control and intelligent systems, deadline information, best universities with computer science & it in switzerland.

Bachelor Computer Science & IT programs in Switzerland

Master Computer Science & IT programs in Switzerland

Most Popular Computer Science & IT programs in Switzerland

PhD Computer Science & IT programs in Switzerland

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19 Best universities for Computer Science in Switzerland

Updated: February 29, 2024

• Art & Design
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Mathematics

Below is a list of best universities in Switzerland ranked based on their research performance in Computer Science. A graph of 11.5M citations received by 342K academic papers made by 19 universities in Switzerland was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

For Computer Science

2. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

3. University of Zurich

4. University of Geneva

5. University of Bern

6. University of Basel

7. University of Lausanne

8. University of Fribourg

9. University of St. Gallen

10. University of Italian-speaking Switzerland

11. University of Neuchatel

12. University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Italian Switzerland

13. University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland

14. University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern Switzerland

15. Bern University of Applied Sciences

16. Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

17. University of Lucerne

18. Lucerne University of Applied Sciences

19. Webster University Geneva

The best cities to study Computer Science in Switzerland based on the number of universities and their ranks are Lausanne , Zurich , Geneva , and Bern .

Computer Science subfields in Switzerland

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Hailie Mitchell

Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Major: computer science  Employer: Google Job title: software engineer

How has Dickinson prepared you for life after graduation?

At Dickinson, I've had the opportunity to take interesting classes that blend my passions for the arts, music and tech, guided by supportive faculty. My study abroad experience in Italy was absolutely unforgettable and truly essential; it not only broadened my horizons but also sharpened my decision-making and creativity. My computer science classes have also been crucial in developing both soft and hard skills for tackling real-world challenges in my future career.

• Google, New York, software engineer intern, summer 2023
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Alum Alexander Levine Honored with Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award

University of Maryland Department of Computer Science alum Alexander Levine (Ph.D. '23, computer science) has been awarded the Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award for his dissertation titled "Scalable Methods for Robust Machine Learning." Levine, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin , focused on developing machine learning models that maintain accuracy amid distortions. The award ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, at the Stamp Student Union. The award is for the dissertation he completed in 2023.

The Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award is given annually by the Graduate School to recognize dissertations that provide highly original contributions that make an unusually significant contribution to the discipline. Levine is among four recipients of the award this year.

Awardees receive an honorarium of $1,000. Additionally, they may be nominated for further recognition at the national level through the CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award competition, which selects outstanding dissertations from across the country to honor achievements in graduate research.

“I feel honored that my work has been recognized by this award,” Levine said. “I am deeply thankful for all of the support I received during my time at UMD from my advisor, my collaborators, my dissertation committee and the rest of the UMD computer science community. I am fortunate to have worked with such talented people on such interesting problems.”

Advised by Associate Professor Soheil Feizi , Levine's dissertation introduces innovative methods for ensuring the robustness of machine learning models, specifically in scenarios where input data may be subtly altered or distorted, including malicious tampering. This research is particularly relevant as machine learning applications become increasingly prevalent in areas requiring high reliability and security.

Levine explained that practitioners can implement these systems more confidently in safety-critical applications by developing machine learning techniques with well-understood robustness guarantees. He noted that the capabilities of machine-learning-based systems have expanded dramatically in just the last couple of years, increasing their use in various sectors. Levine emphasized the growing importance of ensuring these systems' robustness as their applications broaden.

Levine is currently expanding his research focus.

“At UT Austin, my research focus has shifted to representation learning for sequential decision-making tasks,” Levine shared. “In particular, I have been working on frameworks that allow deep learning to be used in combination with search-based planning techniques, so that we can benefit from both the powerful capabilities of modern deep learning and the interpretability, flexibility and efficiency of classical planning methods. ”

Levine received the Larry S. Davis Doctoral Dissertation Award in the Fall of 2023 . Named in honor of Computer Science Professor Emeritus Larry Davis , the award, given by UMD’s Department of Computer Science, highlighted dissertations that were exceptional in their technical depth and potential for significant impact.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications 

The Department welcomes comments, suggestions and corrections.  Send email to editor [-at-] cs [dot] umd [dot] edu .