Cancer Biology PhD Program

Key facts

The Cancer Biology PhD steering committee consists of leading oncology research experts from both the University of Zurich (UZH) and the ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The members represent areas of basic, clinical and translational cancer research.

The aim of the international PhD program in Cancer Biology (CB) is recruiting excellent young scientists and training them at an advanced level for their future careers in science and society. Since PhD students enrolled in the program work in both basic and clinical research groups, the emphasis of the program is to actively promote and foster interaction between the students and research groups to facilitate the exchange of research ideas and to encourage interdisciplinary research.

The program offers a choice of courses covering molecular and cell biology of cancer and clinical cancer research, as well as courses in scientific writing and ethics. In addition, students are asked to attend advanced specialized courses and transferable skill courses, as well as conferences and student retreats. One key aspect of the program is its mentoring system: The students must formulate and defend their project in front of a PhD thesis committee within the first 6 months after starting the PhD. The PhD thesis committee will review the student’s progress and give advice on an annual basis.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

• Cancer biology
• Tumors and the immune system
• Mechanisms of cancer induction and progression
• Cancer treatments
• Translational cancer biology
• Science ethics
• Scientific writing

Admission requirements

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.

Other requirements

General requirements

• As a rule you must hold or anticipate receiving a university Master’s degree or equivalent in the field of natural sciences, computer sciences or engineering.
• With an excellent track record and good skills in spoken and written English you are welcome to apply to our PhD programs.

Fees and funding

Tuition Fees

• International — 853 AUD / year ≈ 500 CHF / year
• Domestic — 853 AUD / year ≈ 500 CHF / year

Living costs

Zürich, Switzerland: 3,277-4,390 AUD / month. The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.