The Direct Doctorate: A unique opportunity for top international undergraduates
The Direct Doctorate in Computer Science was developed to draw talented undergraduates from all over the world. Six years after welcoming its first two enrolees, the programme now receives more than 100 applications every year. Students and professors testify that direct access to doctoral studies and the great atmosphere at ETH Zurich are large parts of its success.
Linfei Pan has recently started her third year in the Computer Vision and Geometry Group of Professor Marc Pollefeys. She discovered ETH Zurich during an exchange internship. When the time came to decide where to apply for her doctorate, she immediately knew she wanted to return to ETH. The Direct Doctorate in Computer Science allowed her to begin her degree right after her undergraduate studies, as is more common in North American and Asian universities.
Straightforward access to doctoral studies
The Department of Computer Science established ETH Zurich’s largest direct doctorate programme in response to a university directive published in 2016. In the Autumn Semester of the following year, Amir Joudaki and Andisheh Amrollahi were the first two candidates to enrol. Originally created to appeal to students from outside Europe, more accustomed to starting their graduate studies immediately after their Bachelor’s, the Direct Doctorate in Computer Science now attracts excellent undergraduates from all over the world.
The programme allows students aiming at a career in research to complete their Master’s and doctoral studies within six years, while benefitting from the quality of ETH Zurich‘s education, and being in close contact with research groups very early on.
“This is a unique and highly competitive programme that allows research groups to attract the very best international undergraduates to our department. It allows these students to experience the top-quality education and research opportunities that ETH Zurich has to offer.”Professor Zhendong Su, Director of Studies of the Department of Computer Science
According to Professor Peter Müller, the opportunity to start a doctorate immediately after the Bachelor’s degree is a deciding factor in many students’ decision to apply and enrol. Most of them would otherwise prefer to join an American university for their graduate studies. “I can say for sure that the two people I supervise would not have come to ETH Zurich without the programme,” he explains.
It is also a way to get in contact with research groups and professors sooner than one would usually do while following the typical Master’s curriculum. In addition to the financial support provided by the Department of Computer Science during the first two years, students greatly benefit from these early connections. They have often already met or worked with scientists at the department before or during their first years.
Sankalan Pal Chowdhury started his direct doctorate in 2021 after one year of working as a scientific assistant in Professor Mrinmaya Sachan’s group. Thanks to the programme, he felt integrated as a graduate student from the very beginning. While he must still fulfil all the requirements of the Master’s studies and finish his fourth semester, he is confident that he will continue working in the same group and appreciates being allowed to focus on his classes and research projects. Streamlined access to the doctorate gives students the necessary freedom to develop their potential in the Master’s courses without the added pressure (and time constraints) of having to apply to positions elsewhere.
“I think the fact that we do not need to worry about applying to doctoral positions as much as other Master’s students do is a great advantage of the programme. Instead, we can focus more on courses and research.”Linfei Pan, third-year direct doctoral student in the Computer Vision and Geometry Group of Professor Marc Pollefeys
A strong theoretical background
Although the course work from the computer science Master’s degree is not to be taken lightly, Linfei, who has recently started working on her doctoral thesis, really enjoyed her first two years of studies. “In the Master’s, compared to the Bachelor’s, classes are much more specific. You acquire a lot of knowledge and tools before starting to work on real projects.”
Students also see these first years as an excellent opportunity to discover new areas of computer science, as “one tends to become very focused on a particular topic when doing research,” according to Sankalan. A broad theoretical knowledge base that will certainly be useful for their future career as well, Professor Müller believes: “I would advise students not to be too impatient to start their research project without taking the Master’s courses seriously. Building up a solid foundation is very valuable.” Finally, attending classes, Sankalan remembers, was a perfect occasion to meet people and make friends.
Attracting young international talent
The quality of the research carried out at ETH Zurich, along with its reputation, attracts scientists from around the world. Thanks to the direct doctorate, the Department of Computer Science now draws talented young people at the very beginning of their scientific careers as well. Like many of their more senior colleagues, students in the programme relish the collaborative and international culture at the university. Furthermore, “because ETH Zurich is so multicultural, the alienation feeling that can come from studying so far away from home is not there anymore,” Sankalan notes.
“I think the trajectory of the programme is very positive.”Peter Müller, Professor in the Programming Methodology Group at ETH Zurich and supervisor of two direct doctoral students
While Amir, who was one of the first to join, hopes that more people will enrol in the future, Professor Peter Müller is very confident: “The overall experience is very positive among professors and students. The word is spreading about the direct doctorate. Our applicant pool is growing, as well as the quality of the applications."
Direct doctoral students testify:
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"I feel very well integrated already: my professor considers me a full part of his group, like any other doctoral student." -
"Make use of the opportunity the Master’s practical courses represent to explore different research fields. This way, you will know what you want to do later in your studies." -
"Given the freedom that the programme gives you, I would advise new students to try different things, get out of their comfort zone to really find out what they like and what they are good at."
More information
Students enrolled in the direct doctorate programme at the Department of Computer Science are entitled to financial support and tuition waivers in the form of a full scholarship during the first two study years (Master’s studies), as well as to a doctoral student’s salary during the following four years.
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