Public Policy (Professional Officer)
In the Public Policy programme, prospective professional officers of both sexes are trained in the political, social and military sciences in line with the needs of modern armed forces.
The programme leads to the internationally recognised title “Bachelor of Arts ETH in Public Policy”.
Educational objective and career profile
Professional officers of the Swiss Army are high-level personnel who are responsible for a wide variety of demanding tasks. They assume leadership functions in Switzerland and abroad, train and educate others, act as experts in military matters and also work as trained managers in non-military contexts. They are prepared for these tasks in the Bachelor’s degree programme in Public Policy with military science specialisations at ETH Zurich, which is complemented by practice-oriented military specialist training. The six-semester degree programme is run jointly by the ETH Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences and the Military Academy (MILAC) at ETH Zurich. Professional officer candidates employed by the Swiss Army are permitted to enrol in the programme.
Admission requirements
Admission requirements fall into two categories:
- Military requirements: title of Lieutenant, completed practical military service and pass grades in the assessment for future professional officers, etc.
- Academic requirements: Gymnasium (grammar school) Matura or vocational or specialised Matura with pass grades in the supplementary examination for admission to universities recognised by ETH Zurich
Throughout their training, students are employed by the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS).
Structure of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Public Policy (180 credits)
Aspects of the humanities and social and political sciences (see below) are studied from the point of view of the political and military sciences and taught at ETH Zurich. Practice-oriented and military training, designed to meet the needs of the army, is undertaken during the sixth semester to supplement the theoretical knowledge acquired. This takes place in the form of “practical modules” and 32 weeks of further training, which is taught at MILAC.
Training at ETH Zurich
– Economics, Business Administration and Military Economics
– Law
– Security Policy, including cyber-security policy and technological aspects
– Political Science
– Conflict Research
– History and Military History
– Social Psychology, Military Psychology and Military Educational Science
– Military Sociology
– Leadership
– Strategic studies, etc.
– Methods of empirical social research and history
Training at the Military Academy (MILAC) and at ETH Zurich
9 weeks of practical modules (= part of the course)
Military training between semesters and during 32 weeks of supplementary training:
– Military leadership and training
– Tactical leadership
– Military didactics
For detailed information go to the pages in German Staatswissenschaften (Berufsoffizier)