What makes ETH graduates so sought after?
ETH graduates are primed to excel – and they bring far more to the table than just technical expertise. This makes them popular among employers. But can ETH maintain its winning formula for education in the future?
What do GetYourGuide CEO Johannes Reck, Sulzer CEO and executive chair Suzanne Thoma, camera phone inventor Philippe Kahn and Albert Einstein have in common? You guessed it: all are alumni of ETH Zurich.
Each year, about 3,000 holders of a Master’s degree and around 1,000 holders of a doctorate emerge from ETH to begin their professional careers. Some of those with doctorates take up academic posts, whether at ETH or elsewhere. A few dozen alumni will set up their own companies – like Johannes Reck, who created ETH’s first unicorn with start-up GetYourGuide, a travel activities booking platform now valued at over one billion Swiss francs. But the vast majority of these highly qualified graduates will share their knowledge and skills with an employer, with 86 percent of them accepting a position in Switzerland after completing their Master's degree. When including doctoral graduates, the Swiss labour market gains more than 3,000 new skilled specialists each year.
Globe A winning formula for education
This text appeared in the 25/02 issue of the ETH magazine Globe.
A federal government survey that tracks graduate employment and further education outcomes one year after graduation shows that the vast majority of ETH students obtain a qualified position shortly after finishing their studies – evidence of how coveted they are by employers.
Competing for graduates
Another sign of ETH graduates’ popularity is the annual Polymesse job fair, organised by the university’s student association VSETH. Over three days, more than 140 national and inter?national companies and institutions converge to recruit talent in the ETH Main Building and in a large tent on the Polyterrasse. The emphasis is on personal, direct engagement with students.
“This event is an excellent opportunity to make initial contact and often leads to an internship or an opportunity to complete a Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis,” explains Stefan Preier, head of HR at maxon, a global leader in drive systems. Each year, 20 to 30 students take up maxon’s offer, allowing both parties to assess whether they might make a good match. So what sets ETH students apart? “They combine a rigorous theoretical and mathematical grounding with superb problem-solving skills and a strong work ethic,” says Preier.
ETH students are equally prized in the academic world, says ETH Presi?dent Jo?l Mesot: “Our students help make us more attractive to world-class faculty.” The impressive reputation of its students boosts ETH’s ability to recruit top-tier academics.
In turn, direct exposure to internationally renowned experts helps ETH students achieve exceptional results, with the interaction between young talent and outstanding researchers creating a dynamic all of its own. Undergraduates get the chance to work on cutting-edge research projects and to produce meaningful contributions early on – whether through semester projects, Bachelor’s theses or Master’s theses.
Expanding skill sets
In recent years, ETH has placed a major emphasis on metadisciplinary skills. Project-based teamwork – whether in labs or prototyping – now features in nearly all degree programmes. Students are also encouraged to pursue their own ideas through initiatives such as the Student Project House, which offers infrastructure such as makerspaces as well as guidance from experienced coaches.
Some students also acquire additional expertise as teaching or research assistants, helping faculty prepare and deliver courses and supervising practical sessions and exercises. “Alongside specialist knowledge, an ETH education also gives you skills such as creative problem solving, rapid information processing, precise task execution and rigorous argumentation,” says Nic Cantieni, President of the VSETH student association. However, he also warns that the broadening of the curricula can lead to increased pressure, which students may find challenging.
Deeper understanding
Rector Günther Dissertori acknowledges these pressures. “In the fast-paced world of today, new knowledge emerges and then becomes obsolete much more rapidly. Employers increasingly expect graduates not only to understand emerging technologies but to apply them immediately in real-world settings,” he says. Dissertori cautions that a research-driven approach can lead teaching staff to overload the curriculum: “If we’re not careful, this approach could overwhelm learners.” Many ETH students report having just two weeks’ holiday a year, he says, with 50 of their 52 weeks allocated to classes, revision and examinations.
He argues for a fundamental rethink. Rather than simply accumulating more knowledge, students increasingly need to grasp the core principles of their discipline and master essential tools. “At the same time, we need to equip them to independently acquire new knowledge throughout their careers,” explains Dissertori. Students should be able to recognise where they can still apply their existing knowledge and where they need to acquire more.
These are key challenges that affect every degree programme. Under the banner of PAKETH, Dissertori has therefore launched a major reform of ETH’s academic calendar and examination system, which is due to take effect in the Autumn Semester of 2027. PAKETH will shed burdensome requirements and simplify the complex examination system. Summer exams will be scheduled earlier, giving students eight weeks for internships or other professional activities – and, crucially, time to recharge their batteries. There will also be a new lecture-free week in the autumn to further improve overall balance.
AI in education
With or without reforms, profound changes in teaching and learning are already on the horizon, says Dissertori. Pure know?ledge transfer is becoming more personalised and digital, a trend accelerated by AI chatbots, which are now able to provide students with fully auto?mated, individualised support. And although ETH is still experimenting with AI in teaching, Dissertori says, the university in general has a positive stance on the issue – and few qualms. Many lecturers have pro?actively developed custom chatbots for their courses. Some of these help students understand and improve code written in programming languages, while others act as tutors to help with revision. These AI tutors are typically built upon existing large language models. What makes them unique is their incorporation of course-specific materials such as lecture notes, slides, whiteboard recordings and exercises. One bot developed by ETH can even give feedback on handwritten answers.
Machine learning, after all, is well established in academia, and the university has plenty of in-house expertise. “Our students should be able to benefit from research in this field, too,” says Dissertori. In its AI guidelines, ETH explicitly encourages both students and teaching staff to engage with and utilise AI, provided they take responsibility for any content generated in this way and disclose its use. Moreover, students benefit twice over from the successful implementation of AI tutors, which help them consolidate their knowledge and address any gaps, so they arrive better prepared for classes. In turn, this leaves contact time free for lecturers to explain concepts, deepen understanding and provide context.
Rather than fully replacing personal interactions, Dissertori argues, AI tutors actually make these even more important: “Genuine learning can only happen when people come together and engage in critical dialogue.” For this reason, Dissertori also encourages students to make their voices heard. At ETH, student input has always been essential to shaping teaching. As VSETH President Cantieni explains, the student association and the Rectorate have a close partnership based on mutual trust and goodwill. “This enables us to shape projects starting from their early stages and secure improvements for students – whether in regard to the use of AI in teaching or major reforms like PAKETH.” Close collaboration allows students themselves to contribute to the evolution of teaching – and to ensure that their successors will be as coveted in the job market as they are today.