EPFL

The engineer’s, architect’s or scientist’s title is delivered upon successful completion of the Master’s program at EPFL. The best diploma to be accepted to a Master’s program at EPFL is an EPFL Bachelor’s degree. Each EPFL Bachelor’s degree gives access without any condition nor capacity restriction to at least one EPFL Master’s program (‘consecutive Master’s program’). The best certificate to be accepted to a Bachelor’s program at EPFL is the Swiss maturité gymnasiale. The maturité gymnasiale gives access without any condition nor capacity restriction to every EPFL Bachelor’s program, regardless of selected options and acquired results. Mathematics and physics being important foundations in the Bachelor’s curriculum at EPFL, it is however recommended to select options which place an emphasis on these subjects, regardless of the education sought at EPFL.

Yes, following the evaluation of their application and within the places available, in the Cours de mathématiques spéciales (foundation year), provided that their title fulfils all of the following conditions: the certificate is a pre-University title granted on the basis of a general education the certificate is granted after at least twelve years of primary and secondary education (excluding kindergarten), including at least three years of upper secondary education the following subjects were studied during the upper secondary education: 1) mathematics, 2) physics, 3) official language of the country granting the certificate, 4) second modern language, 5) chemistry or biology, 6) history, geography, or economics, and 7) applied mathematics, computer science, philosophy, or third modern language at least six of these seven subjects are present on the final grade transcripts used to determine the award of the certificate, including mathematics and physics mathematics and physics were studied and examined at the highest possible level (see below) and the certificate is in a scientific stream (should streams be offered by the country granting the certificate) the final grades in mathematics and physics are at least 80% of the maximum grade the general average is at least 80% of the maximum grade ‘At the highest possible level’ means that the numbers of years and hours of study for the given subject are the highest possible in the

No. Students are part of EPFL’s research and innovation forces. They are integrated in labs projects where they sometimes receive very serious responsibilities. However, during the first two years of the Bachelor’s program, a majority of the time is spent on lectures, a preparation for the future hands-on research tasks.