Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering
The Bachelor's degree program in Mechanical Engineering equips students with a solid foundation in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. They develop the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to address complex engineering challenges and gain the academic preparation required for a master's degree at ETH Zurich or another university.
Curriculum
After each semester, the subjects are assessed in examination blocks. Each examination block is evaluated with an average grade, which must be at least 4.0 for the block to be considered passed. Passing the examination blocks A and B from the first and second semester is a prerequisite to start the third semester. All blocks can be repeated once.
The examination blocks are composed as follows*:
*subject to change
Additional basic subjects in the first year
- Engineering Design and Material Selection: This basic subject is studied in the 1st semester and examined separately.
- Physics Lab: This is a practical introduction to the basics of experimentation. Various experiments from the fields of mechanics, optics, and thermodynamics will be performed. In total, three physics experiments will be completed. More information on the physics labs can be found on the website of D-PHYS (German only). Enrolment as usual via myStudies.
Projects
The innovation project takes place in the 3rd semester. The goal of the innovation project is to independently apply the theoretical and methodological fundamentals from the individual Bachelor subjects (such as machine elements, mechanics, computer science, control systems, CAD) in a team-based project in order to gain practical development experience.
In the 5th and 6th semesters you can choose electives. They serve to expand the theoretical and methodological basic knowledge. Elective subjects with a total of 24 credit points must be attended and passed.
The electives of the current semester are published in the course catalogue.
In the Science in Perspective courses, students learn to understand and critically question the correlations between scientific knowledge, technological innovations, cultural contexts, individuals and society. Students must acquire 6 credit points. A maximum of 3 credit points from language courses may be recognised in the category "Science in Context" throughout the entire Bachelor's and Master's degree programme.
The SiP courses can be found in the course catalogue.
Information video external page Science in Perspective and FAQs.
The focus, together with the fundamentals of mechanical engineering, is the focal point of the Bachelor's programme. The focus extends over two semesters and is completed in the 3rd year of study.
Students choose between a focus specialisation with a Bachelor’s thesis of 16 credit points or a focus project with a Bachelor’s thesis of 8 credit points. Admission to a focus project is granted after a thorough examination of the application.
The Bachelor’s thesis concludes the Bachelor’s programme and promotes the ability to work independently, in a structured and scientific manner. It is written in the 6th semester under the supervision of a professor of D-MAVT or another engineering department.
The prerequisites for starting the Bachelor’s thesis are:
- Passing the examination blocks A and B and other subjects from the first year of study
- Passing examination blocks 1 and 2
- It is strongly recommended to start the Bachelor’s thesis only after achieving at least 150 credit points.
The thesis must be registered in myStudies no later than one month after the start date. The submission deadline must also be defined during registration. These details are binding.
Focus Project with Bachelor’s thesis at 8 credit points
The goal of a Focus Project is to develop and realise a product during two semesters. A Focus team consists of five to ten students. Starting from a market-oriented problem, all processes of product development are worked through in a realistic scenario: market analysis, finance, conception, design, engineering, simulation, draft and production.
The structure of the Focus Project and the Bachelor’s thesis is based on:
- Project (20 credit points) offered by a professor (10 weeks full-time during an academic year).
- Bachelor's level lectures (8 credit points) with graded performance review. These courses must be selected from the categories “Electives” and “Focus Specialization”. The professorship responsible for your focus project is available to advise you on the selection.
- Students who complete a focus project must undertake a reduced Bachelor’s thesis. The reduced Bachelor’s thesis is worth 8 ECTS and corresponds to 240 hours of work (6 weeks full-time). We recomment the reduced thesis to be thematically based on the focus project.
The proposal for the potential projects starting in the fall semester must be submitted by a D-MAVT professor by the end of March. The accepted focus projects are presented to the students during an information event in May.
The topics for the Bachelor's theses are published by the professors or can be determined in discussion. The supervisor determines the conditions for the thesis. D-MAVT Professors and affiliated Professors are available as supervisors of the Bachelor’s thesis.
Extension of a Bachelor’s thesis
In the case of valid reasons, an extension of the Bachelor’s thesis can be requested. To do so, the following form must be completed and submitted to the D-MAVT study administration by email: Download Request for Extension of the Bachelor’s Thesis (PDF, 662 KB) (PDF, 662 KB).
The supervisor (professor) must agree to the requested extension beforehand. The request must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the submission deadline.
Contact student administration
ETH Zurich
D-MAVT
Leonhardstrasse 21
LEE K 208
8092
Zurich
Switzerland
Desk opening hours (LEE K 208)
during the semester
- Monday-Tuesday: 09.00-12.00
- Wednesday: 12.00-15.00 (new!)
- Thursday: 13.00-16.00
- Friday: 09.00-12.00
during the semester break
- Tuesday: 09.00-12.00
- Thursday: 13.00-16.00
- Friday: 09.00-12.00