The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system to the cantons (Article 62). The Swiss constitution sets the foundations, namely that primary school is obligatory for every child and is free in public schools and that the confederation can run or support universities. The Swiss maintain a high standard for education that is world renowned. Because of its diversity, there are many private international schools in Switzerland that encourage respect for all cultures. Diversification of the education system in 26 cantons is viewed by many as being inefficient. Consequently, the Swiss people have voted on May 21, 2006 to reform the education system in one common program for all the cantons. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks the Swiss education as the 16th best in the world, being significantly higher than the OECD average.[1] The Swiss Constitution (Bundesverfassung in German) is at the highest level of Switzerlands judicial system. ... The twenty-six cantons of Switzerland are the states of the federal state of Switzerland. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a triennial world-wide test of 15-year-old schoolchildrens scholastic performance, the implementation of which is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). ... The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ...

Primary

The obligatory school system usually includes primary education (Primarschule in German, école primaire in French and scuola primaria in Italian) and secondary education I (Sekundarstufe I in German, secondaire I in French and scuola secondaria in Italian). Before that, children usually go to kindergarten. The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons but Obwalden, where it is five years and three months. The cantons Thurgau and Nidwalden allow five year olds to start primary school in exceptional cases. Primary school continues until grade four or five, depending on the school. Any boy or girl can take part in school if they choose to, but kids are separated depending on whether they speak French, German or Italian. For other uses, see Kindergarten (disambiguation). ... Obwalden (German:  ) is a canton of Switzerland. ... Thurgau (Thurgovia) is a canton of Switzerland. ... Nidwalden (German:  ) is a canton of Switzerland. ...

Secondary

At the end of primary school (or at the beginning of secondary school), pupils are separated according to their capacities in several (often three) sections. The best students are taught advanced classes to be prepared for further studies and the matura, while students who assimilate a little bit more slowly receive an education more adapted to their needs. This separation can be summarized as follows: Matura (Matur, Maturità, Maturität) is the word commonly used in Austria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine for the final exams young adults (aged 18 or 19) take at the end of their secondary education. ...

• Pre-gymnasium: this division aims to prepare the students for Gymnasium (German) / gymnase/collège/lycée (French) / liceo (italian) or other schools which deliver a Federal maturity diploma. Students often have the choice between a science stream (with many hours of mathematics, and an introduction to physics and chemistry) and a more literary stream with Latin (and sometimes Greek).
• Intermediate: this division targets intermediate students whose goal it is to go to technical or secretarial schools, for example.
• Pre-professional: This division regroups students who are more interested in manual jobs, and prepares them for an apprenticeship by giving them strong bases in spelling, reading and mathematics.

The purpose of this system is to give every student an education that fits his or her needs and interests, but it is also criticized because it segregates children based on intellectual capacity. Secondary I school continues until grade nine, which marks the end of compulsory school. A gymnasium (pronounced with or, in Swedish, as opposed to ) is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English Grammar Schools and U.S. High Schools. ... Matura (Matur, Maturità, Maturität) is the word commonly used in Austria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine for the final exams young adults (aged 18 or 19) take at the end of their secondary education. ... Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of skilled crafts practitioners, which is still popular in some countries. ...

Tertiary

Tertiary education depends on the education chosen in secondary education. For students with a matura, university is the most common one. Apprentices who did a vocational high school will often add a Fachhochschule or a Höhere Fachschule to their curriculum. Switzerland has the second highest rate of foreign students in tertiary education, after Australia.^[1] A Fachhochschule (plural: Fachhochschulen) or University of Applied Sciences in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland is a university specialized in certain topical areas (e. ...

There are 14 Universities in Switzerland, 10 of which are maintained at cantonal level and usually offer a range of non-technical subjects. Most prominent of these, internationally, are the Universität Zürich and the Universität St. Gallen. The remaining 2 institutions are run by the Swiss Confederation and are known as "Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology". Of these the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) is renowned as a world leader in Science and Technology education and research. 2 Universities are run privatly but accredited by Cantones. The University of Zurich (in German: Universität Zürich) is the largest university of Switzerland, in the city of Zurich. ... The view on the city from the nearby hills. ... The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. ... ETH Zurich (from its German name Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, ETHZ) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland. ...

Federal Universities:

• Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ)[2]
• École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) [3]

Cantonal Universities: ETH Zurich (from its German name Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, ETHZ) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland. ... Location: Polytechnic of Lausanne, in western Switzerland The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. ...

• Universität Basel (BS) [4]
• Universität Bern (BE) [5]
• Universität Freiburg/Université de Fribourg (FR) [6]
• Université de Genève (GE) [7]
• Université de Lausanne (VD) [8]
• Université de Lucerne (LU) [9]
• Université de Neuchâtel (NE) [10]
• Universität St. Gallen (HSG)(SG) [11]
• Università della Svizzera italiana (TI) [12]
• Universität Zürich (ZH) [13]

Private Institutions: The University of Basel (German: Universität Basel) is located at Basel, Switzerland. ... University of Berne The University of Berne is a university in the Swiss capital of Berne. ... For the German university, see Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg. ... The University of Geneva (Université de Genève) is one of the oldest universities in the world. ... Logo of the University of Lausanne Old building of the University of Lausanne, museum and library The University of Lausanne (in French: Université de Lausanne) or UNIL in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. ... The University of Neuchâtel is a university in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. ... The view on the city from the nearby hills. ... HSG may refer to: University of St. ... Università della Svizzera italiana (University of Italian Switzerland, English name University of Lugano) is a Swiss university, in the city of Lugano, in Ticino. ... The University of Zurich (in German: Universität Zürich) is the largest university of Switzerland, in the city of Zurich. ...

• SBS Swiss Business School
• European University(EU) [14]
• Educatis University Switzerland The Educatis University is accredited by the Swiss Canton of Uri.
• European Graduate School - EGS University The EGS University is accredited by the Swiss Canton of Valais.
• Zentrum fuer Agogik ZAK (Centre for Agogics) The ZAK is accredited by the Dutch Validation Council (DVC) and by the Netherlands Quality Agency B.V.

SBS Swiss Business School is a private business school located in Zurich, the main commercial and cultural center of Switzerland. ... Uri (German:  ) is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. ... Capital Sion Population (2003) 278,200 (Ranked 9th)   - Density 53 /km² Area 5224 km² (Ranked 3rd) Highest point Dufourspitze 4634 m Joined 1815 Abbreviation VS Languages French, German Executive Conseil dEtat, Staatsrat (5) Legislative Grand Conseil, Grosser Rat (130) Municipalities 160 municipalities Districts 13 districts, Bezirke Website www. ...

See also

• List of universities in Switzerland
• Licence
• DEA
• Doctorat

This article lists universities in Switzerland. ... Licentiate (from Latin licentia doctorandi = permission/right to teach) is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a license. ... In France, a DEA (diplôme détudes approfondies, or diploma of advanced studies) is a former postgraduate degree. ... Aquatint of a Doctor in Divinity at the University of Oxford, in the scarlet and black academic robes corresponding to his position. ...

References

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ...

External links

• educa.ch The Swiss Education Server
• about.ch Information about Education in Switzerland
• swissuniversity.ch The portal of universities in Switzerland