Navigation auf uzh.ch
Navigation auf uzh.ch
Most Language Center courses take place face to face. Experience and research show that the best way to learn is through a combination of face-to-face instruction and asynchronous learning activities using a learning platform. In addition, classroom interaction has a positive impact on most language learners’ motivation.
Yes, most Language Center courses take place face to face. Experience and research show that the best way to learn is through a combination of face-to-face instruction and asynchronous learning activities using a learning platform.
No. For didactic reasons, the Language Center does not record any of its courses.
No. For didactic reasons, the Language Center does not stream any of its courses.
No. The Language Center does not offer any hybrid courses. The simultaneous teaching of groups of participants in the classroom and online is extremely demanding and ultimately not ideal for either group.
Members of UZH and ETH Zurich; members of our partner universities, which are Zurich University of Teacher Education (PH Zurich) and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
The following groups are not entitled to enroll in our language courses: UZH and ETH on study leave; members of universities that are not partners of the Language Center of UZH and ETH Zurich; spouses and life partners of UZH and ETH members; and auditors and guests.
The UZH course catalog provides information about language courses offered by various UZH seminars and institutes. Some of these allow auditors to participate. The following link describes how to find such courses and how to register as an auditor: https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/en/outreach/events/audit.html
Our course fees vary according to your target group; fees are also dependent on the format of a course and on the maximum number of participants admitted to a course. When enrolling for one of our courses, select your target group first. Then select the title of your chosen course to access the course description. The course fee is listed at the top of the course description.
This information is provided in the detailed course description. When enrolling for one of our courses, select your target group first. Then select the title of your chosen course to access the course description.
Enrollment dates are listed in the detailed course description and on the entry page of our website (left-hand side). They differ from the general module booking deadlines of UZH and ETH Zurich. For Language Center courses, the enrollment and withdrawal dates that are posted on our website are binding.
On our entry page, click on the language of your choice. This will take you to a page with information about the courses and services offered in that language, as well as the comment: “Please choose your university and your target group.” Once you have selected these, you will be directed to a list of courses that you can enroll in during the enrollment period. Dates for enrollments are posted on the left-hand side of our entry page.
Once you have submitted the online form, you will immediately get a browser message and an automatically generated email to confirm that your enrollment request has been received. When we have processed your enrollment, you will receive another email informing you whether or not you have a place on the course. If you do not receive a confirmation email from the Language Center, your enrollment is invalid.
You can no longer enroll in a course once the first two weeks of a course have passed.
You can, however, choose one of the following options
If a place becomes available, we will let you know immediately. If you do not receive any information from us by the enrollment deadline, this means that we are unable to offer you a place on the course. Unfortunately, we cannot provide information in the interim about your chances of getting a place.
If you do not get a place on a course, you can try again in a later semester, or you can study the language independently. Please contact the Self-Access Center for help with autonomous learning.
No. We cannot award ECTS points twice for the same course. You are only permitted to re-take a course if the first time around you failed to complete the course assessments or you failed the course entirely. If you have already passed a course and still wish to brush up your skills, please contact the Self-Access Center for help with autonomous learning.
You can do a self-assessment of your language level using the descriptors and checklists provided by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Click here for more information.
In addition, please read the entry requirements and course levels listed in our course descriptions carefully before enrolling.
The Language Center reserves the right to cancel enrollments after a course has started if a participant’s language skills differ significantly from those listed in the course description. ECTS points are issued only for progress made and assessed in connection with one of our courses.
At higher language levels, the language of instruction is the same as the target language. At beginner level, explanations are sometimes given in German. At beginner level, English is used to teach German as a foreign language courses.
If, as an ETH student, you wish to attend a course where you can gain Science in Perspective (SiP) points from the D-GESS, you need to enroll via the Language Center website. You cannot enroll via myStudies. The courses that are included in the Science in Perspective (SiP) program can be identified by their course number, which begins with “ETH 851” and figures after the University of Zurich catalog number. Our GESS/SiP courses are also published in the electronic ETH Course Catalogue. You are only enrolled in one of our courses if you have received an official confirmation email from the Language Center.
Up until the end of the enrollment period, you can withdraw free of charge from a course that you have enrolled in. Dates of the enrollment period are listed in the detailed course descriptions and on the entry page of our website (right-hand side).
If you withdraw after the deadline, or if you simply fail to appear, you will be charged the full course fee. Withdrawals must be made in writing by email to the Language Center Administration. Written and/or verbal withdrawals made to a lecturer do not count as proper withdrawals. Non-payment or partial payment of the course fees do not constitute a withdrawal from a course. For more information, please read our General terms and conditions.
Withdrawals must be made by email to the Language Center Administration. Written and/or verbal withdrawals made to a lecturer do not count as proper withdrawals. Non-payment or partial payment of the course fees do not constitute a withdrawal from a course. For more information, please read our General terms and conditions.
Up until the end of the enrollment period, you can withdraw free of charge from a course that you have enrolled in. Dates of the enrollment period are listed in the detailed course descriptions and on the entry page of our website (right-hand side). If you withdraw after the deadline, or if you simply fail to appear, you will be charged the full course fee.
You can change courses during the enrollment period in consultation with the Secretariat and your lecturer, but only if the course you wish to change to still has available places.
In general – for all languages except for Ancient Greek, English, and Latin – UZH and ETH Bachelor’s and Master’s students can initially only enroll for one course. On Thursday before semester starts (9am), you can add other courses. You will get a browser message when you enroll if the one-course rule applies.
As an UZH or ETH PhD/doctoral student, staff member, or alumni and as a member of Zurich University of Teacher Education (PH Zurich) and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), you can enroll for as many courses as you like.
UZH and ETH Zurich provide their Bachelor’s and Master’s students with a wide range of language learning options through the Language Center. When we plan our course program, we assess what the demand for our courses is likely to be. However, in many cases, the demand exceeds the number of course places we are able to provide. For this reason, we cannot guarantee that everyone will be able to take the course of their choice.
When we allocate course places, we take the following criteria into consideration:
If you are a member of PHZH or ZHdK, you can register on OLAT by selecting your university on the OLAT entry page.
If you are a UZH or ETH alumni, you can create a SWITCH edu-ID at the time of registration.
If you are a member of PHZH or ZHdK, you can register on Moodle by selecting your university on the Moodle entry page.
If you are a UZH or ETH alumni, you can create a SWITCH edu-ID at the time of registration.
When you have completed a Language Center course and have passed the course assessments, we will issue a certificate of achievement. This lists the number of ECTS points awarded for successful completion of the course. The transmission of your course results to UZH and ETH Zurich occurs automatically at the end of the semester. The accreditation of ECTS points to your degree is not the Language Center’s responsibility. For more information about accreditation and recognition of course results, click here.
You will find our general assessment guidelines via the ECTS points link on our website. Your lecturer will give you more information about the assessment criteria for individual assignments and about how they calculate grades.
If you successfully complete one of our language courses, you will receive a certificate of achievement from the Language Center. Your certificate will state the number of ECTS points you have gained and your grade. The assessment requirements are published in the course description.
If you don’t need the ECTS points from a course, or if you have not completed the assignments needed to pass a course, but you would still like a confirmation that you took the course, you must have attended at least two-thirds of all lessons. For courses of 26-28 lessons, you must have attended 18 lessons; for courses of 52-56 lessons, 36; and for courses of 14 lessons, 9.
The Self-Access Center offers a range of services and media (including ones that you can borrow) to help you study your chosen language independently, including the following:
We don’t make recommendations for private language schools and/or for language courses run by universities abroad.
Language courses and services that are offered by UZH departments and institutes are listed in the UZH course catalog. Some of these allow auditors to participate. The following link describes how to find such courses and how to register as an auditor: https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/en/outreach/events/audit.html
