Федеральная политехническая школа Лозанны (EPFL), BA, Physics

All holders of a Swiss high-school maturité certificate recognized by the Confederation will be admitted at EPFL in 1st year in their Bachelor’s program of choice, under no other condition. All holders of a bachelor’s degree from a Swiss HES will be admitted at EPFL in 1st year in their Bachelor’s program of choice, under no other condition. Holders of a diploma delivered by a Swiss HES before the introduction of Bachelor’s degrees will be admitted as well. Holders of a Swiss professional maturité or a Swiss specialized maturité will not be admitted in 1st year directly. They are kindly asked to apply to the CMS preparatory course. As of the 1st of December, holders of a high-school certificate with a scientific orientation delivered by a EU-member country or an EFTA-member country (baccalauréat, Abitur, matura, A-levels, etc.) will be admitted at EPFL in 1st year in their Bachelor’s program of choice, if their overall average grade equals or tops 80% of the maximum grade. If, in the country of graduation, an additional exam is necessary to be admitted at universities, candidates must prove that they also have been admitted in the wished field of study in their home country. EPFL considers that a B2 level in French is required in order to follow Bachelor’s programs taught at EPFL. A C1 level is recommended. International candidates from non-French-speaking countries must have a possibility to complete their application with a certificate proving their language-level. For countries that do not state an average grade on the high-school certificates or do not deliver scientific high-school certificates, please refer to the detailed admission criteria by country. Holders of an International Baccalaureate will be admitted at EPFL in 1st year in their Bachelor’s program of choice if the following criteria are fulfilled: - 38 points out of 42 (without bonus points); - Higher Level (HL) in mathematics, either physics or chemistry and one modern language (a language at A1 or A2 SL also counts as HL); - 3 additional Standard Level (SL) branches from the following fields: natural sciences, geography, history, economics, a modern language, applied mathematics. - EPFL considers that a B2 level in French is required in order to follow Bachelor’s programs taught at EPFL. A C1 level is recommended. International candidates from non-French-speaking countries must have a possibility to complete their application with a certificate proving their language-level. Candidates who do not fulfill these criteria have the possibility to apply to the Special Mathematics Course (CMS).

A wide palette of mathematical tools is needed in this process, and as a consequence, a student's first two years in the program consist primarily of courses in mathematics, general physics and laboratory work. Theoretical and experimental understanding develops hand in hand with a student's intellectual skills – a sharpening of the critical sense and the power of abstraction, development of scientific rigor, and the ability to create models. The third year is dedicated in part to courses in modern physics such as quantum physics, solid state physics, statistical physics, elementary particles, biophysics, and astrophysics, and in part to advanced laboratory work in which the student reproduces numerous experiments, exercising his/her aptitudes in experimentation and creativity. During the Bachelors cycle, students are initiated into other basic sciences (biology and chemistry) and to other technical areas such as electronics, telecommunications and computer science. Various courses and projects in the humanities and social sciences round out the student's polytechnical education.