Bachelor
The Bachelor Study Program in Biology at the ETH Zurich is a three-year, Bologna-conform program resulting in a vocational degree (BS in Biology).
The first year provides the students with a common knowledge base in the natural sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology).
The second year continues the education in the required fundamental core subjects, now focused on the biological sciences including, amongst others, biochemistry and molecular biology, microbiology and cell biology. The faculty of the IMB organizes the “Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” module within the “Fundamentals in Biology” lecture series of the Bachelor curriculum.
In addition, the students choose one of three offered elective modules (biodiversity, cellular and molecular biology, biological chemistry). Although only a small portion of the second year study program this constitutes the first step toward a more focused interest.
The third year allows the students to arrange an individualized study program. They choose between two different types of courses, the concept courses in traditional lecture format that provide fundamental concepts and in-depth knowledge in a particular discipline of biology, and the block courses, short blocks of 3.5 weeks each, during which the students obtain insights into the process of working in Science as the courses teach a mixture of experimental, literature and presentation skills. The block courses connect what is learned in the lectures to the laboratory, scientific seminars and the scientific literature.
For more detailed information on the Bachelor curriculum please refer to the official teaching website of the Department of Biology.