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Welcome to the Department of Political Science at the University of Zurich! Here you will find information about your study visit as part of your mobility.
If you are studying at UZH and would like to obtain a degree here, you can find basic information on the requirements and application process here.
Students who want to get a general overview of a mobility stay at UZH can find general information and helpful links on the website of UZH' Global Student Experience (GSE): Studying at UZH
If you have specific questions about a semester abroad at the Department of Political Science, you can find answers in our FAQ or contact the IPZ mobility coordinator: mobility@ipz.uzh.ch.
Contact your home university to find out about existing exchange programs that allow you to study at UZH from an administrative point of view. The UZH Global Student Experience (GSE) provides an overview on this website: Exchange programs within and outside Europe
If your home university does not have a program or agreement with UZH or our institute, you can organize your stay with us independently. Information on self-organized guest studies at UZH can also be found on the GSE website: Visiting Students
Students who undertake a mobility within the SEMP agreement, which links Switzerland with the Erasmus area, generally receive a grant to cover a part of the travel and accommodation costs.
Students planning an exchange via a university-wide or faculty agreement can find up-to-date information on financial support options on UZH's Global Student Experience (GSE) website: Finances and Scholarships
The cost of living in Switzerland and especially in Zurich is rather high by international standards. However, there are various job opportunities that are well suited to foreign students and are just as well paid. For example, a part-time temporary job during the semester, a position as a research assistant at the department or a well-paid internship can cover a large part of the costs.
The nomination is made via the responsible office at your home university. Once you have been successfully nominated with us, the next step is to compile and submit your application dossier. Depending on the exchange program, different points must be taken into account.
If you would like to come to our institute via a SEMP agreement, please refer to the information on the application process on the following UZH's Global Student Experience (GSE) website: Applying to UZH as part of SEMP
If you would like to apply for an exchange via an institutional agreement at the Department of Political Science, please note the following steps:
The complete application documents should be uploaded to the Mobility Online application platform by March 30 (exchange in the fall semester or academic year) or September 30 (exchange in the spring semester) at the latest. Please contact your home university in good time to enquire about the individual submission deadlines
For exchange places via interdisciplinary (university-wide) agreements, the steps defined by the GSE apply to the application process: Application to UZH within University-wide Agreements (non subject-specific)
General information on the organization and structure of the degree course can be found on the Bachelor's or Master's in Political Science pages. The specific content of the courses offered in the modules of the Bachelor's and Master's programs varies slightly from semester to semester. The final course offerings for each semester are published in the UZH course catalog a few months before the start of lectures.
To get an insight into which courses are offered in the respective modules or to fill out your Learning Agreement, you can take a look at the courses offered in previous semesters in the UZH course catalog. Many lectures are repeated annually and hardly change in content. Seminar topics at Bachelor's and Master's level change more frequently and are adapted to current research developments and research interests at our institute. If a specific course from the previous year is no longer offered, there will certainly be a course on a similar topic.
Module Catalogue Bachelor Political Science
Module Catalogue Master Political Science
The course format, the language of instruction and the number of ECTS credits can be found in the course description of the respective module in the course catalog, as well as the examination requirements. Lectures usually end with a written exam, seminars with the writing of a seminar paper and an oral presentation during the semester. Examinations usually take place at the end of the semester. Detailed information on dates can be found in the syllabi of the courses.
In our elective area, we offer a range of modules from other institutes, e.g. Sociology, Ethnology, Popular Cultures, as well as courses from the School for Transdisciplinary Studies. You can therefore choose from a very wide range of courses.
We offer a wide range of courses in English. While some lectures are only offered in German (e.g. on Swiss Politics), the modules in our wide range of seminars often include at least one course in which the language of instruction is English. All details are published in the current UZH course catalog and are visible when you open the detailed view of the individual courses.
In addition, there are interdisciplinary courses offered by various institutes of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, which change every semester. You can find these on the faculty website.
The final course offer may change slightly before the start of booking. This is no cause for concern. We ask you to complete the Learning Agreement based on the current status of the course catalog, which you can find online. If you need to complete the Learning Agreement before the courses for the upcoming semester are published, you can use the course catalog from previous semesters as a guide. If there are any changes, you can adapt your Learning Agreement accordingly.
The general deadline for submitting the Learning Agreement is September 30 in the fall semester and February 28 in the spring semester. However, please also note the information provided by your home university, as other deadlines may apply. If, in exceptional cases, your definitive LA is not yet available at this time, upload a provisional version to MobOn by the end of this deadline. The definitive version can be submitted later by e-mail to the IPZ mobility coordinator.
In order to simplify your planning of the mobility stay, we will make a pre-booking for the modules after consultation with you. You will be contacted by us in due time after your successful application. In this way, we can ensure that your booking requests are implemented as far as possible. Please note: The pre-booking service is only available for modules offered by the Department of Political Science.
You can also book modules from the entire UZH range, provided there are no technical or content-related booking restrictions. You must make these bookings independently during the booking periods.
You should clarify in advance with your home university whether a particular module can be recognized for your studies. The great freedom of choice you have when booking modules at UZH does not automatically mean that all courses can be recognized. It is therefore entirely up to your home university to decide whether courses can be recognized.
After the end of the exchange semester, the official transcript of records is made available electronically on the student portal and can then be downloaded by students. It is available in German and English. Official Transcript of Records at UZH
All passed and failed courses that you have booked are shown on the transcript of records. Failed attempts are also shown on the transcript of records. Booked courses that were not attended and not canceled in time are also listed as failed attempts (grade 1) on the transcript of records. Courses attended at the Language Center automatically appear on the UZH transcript of records.
The examination results at UZH are graded 1-6, whereby intermediate values (quarter grades) are permitted. The grades have the following meanings:
| UZH Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | excellent |
| 5.50 | very good |
| 5.00 | good |
| 4.50 | satisfactory |
| 4.00 | sufficient |
| < 4.00 | failed |
The University of Zurich offers individual support for students with disabilities that make studying difficult so that everyone can complete their studies under the same conditions as far as possible. To ensure that you receive the appropriate support during your stay abroad, you can make a corresponding note on the Mobility Online platform when you apply for an exchange place.
The examination coordinator at the Department of Political Science will check all applications for compensation for disadvantages. For further information on this topic, please contact studium@ipz.uzh.ch.
UZH's Disability Office is the central point of contact for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses and offers various services to ensure that people living with an impairment that makes studying difficult receive the necessary support and are not disadvantaged in their studies.
In time for the start of the exchange semester, all exchange students are assigned a student from the IPZ as a buddy. The buddy provides support with arriving, finding their way around and orienting themselves at UZH and is an important contact person.
At the beginning of each semester, the IPZ and the Fachverein Polito organize a welcome event for all visiting students and their buddies. There, information about the study visit, an introduction to the library services for political science students and an overview of the events and work of the Polito student association are shared. Most importantly, the event is a great opportunity to welcome all international students and get to know each other. You will be informed in due time by e-mail about all the details of the Welcome Event. The upcoming Welcome Events will take place on the following dates:
All IPZ students can volunteer as buddies for visiting students twice a year (in the spring or fall semester). All Buddies are an indispensable support for our exchange students who have to find their way around UZH and the IPZ. They have the wonderful opportunity to showcase the University of Zurich, make international friends and get to know a future political scientist from abroad with a different academic perspective. In addition to this interesting and enriching contact, a certificate confirming the volunteer work at the IPZ is available on request after a successful buddy assignment.
More information can be found in our Information Sheet for Buddies (Document in German).
If you would like to become a buddy, simply fill out the application form and indicate in the comments field whether you have a specific preference for exchange students from a particular region. Reasons for indicating such a preference can be knowledge of a national language, interest in an exchange or an exchange already completed in the respective region, or a general interest in the culture and politics of a partner country.
The deadline for applying as a buddy is December 30 for the following Spring Semester and August 31 for the following Fall Semester.
The IPZ looks forward to welcoming you as a future buddy!
