Introduction

Over the last decades, doctoral students in economics from all Swiss universities have participated in the Study Center’s Swiss Program for Beginning Doctoral Students in Economics. The program sequences in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics cover the material of a US-style first-year PhD program. They target excellent beginning doctoral students who seek a broad and thorough training in economics to understand and conduct first-rate academic research.

Program

The program consists of an optional mathematics review as well as sequences in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. In each sequence, leading international academics teach four week-long courses. A typical course day includes classroom lectures of three hours per day as well as exercise review sessions. Course weeks start on Monday at 10:30 and end on Friday at noon. Returning to their home institutions in the periods between the course weeks, participants review and prepare the material covered in class, solve mandatory take-home problem sets, and study for the exams. On successful completion of the program, participants are awarded a certificate. It is the responsibility of participants to obtain credit with their universities. Read more about the upcoming course 2025/2026. 

Funding and Organization

The program is heavily subsidized. The fee for the full program amounts to CHF 2'000 of which CHF 1’000 is refunded if the full program is successfully completed within one year; the fee for one sequence amounts to CHF 500; and the fee for two sequences to CHF 1'000. The fee covers tuition as well as the cost of a single or double room with full board. For information about the hotel services, see the website of the Study Center’s hotel. No accompanying persons are admitted.

Admission

The Study Center invites Swiss universities to nominate candidates. As space is limited, the Center cannot admit all qualified nominees. Repeat nominations are possible. The call for applications is issued in January and the application deadline is end of April.
Nominees must hold an undergraduate degree and must be enrolled in the doctoral program at a Swiss university. They should hold a MA degree or complete their MA studies before the program starts. Under exceptional circumstances, an applicant without MA degree may be fast tracked into the program. Preference is given to applications for the full program. 

Application

Candidates affiliated with a Swiss university should indicate their interest to the representative at their home institution listed below. The representative can provide the online application link to the candidates.

University Representatives

EPFL, G. de Rassenfosse
ETH Zurich, P. Egger
The Graduate Institute, C. Tille
University of Basel, Y. Lengwiler
University of Bern, D. Niepelt
University of Fribourg, H. Herz
University of Geneva, F. Robert-Nicoud
University of Lausanne, R. Hakimov
University of Lucerne, S. Luechinger
University of Neuchâtel, D. Kaufmann
University of St.Gallen, R. Föllmi
Università della Svizzera italiana, L. Kueng
University of Zurich, R. Weber

Contact

All mail as well as inquiries should be addressed to:

Study Center Gerzensee
Swiss Program for Beginning Doctoral Students in Economics
Ms. Rahel Zainhofer
Dorfstrasse 2
CH-3115 Gerzensee
Switzerland

E-mail: bdp(at)szgerzensee.ch