University of Geneva

The University of Geneva is a public research university in Geneva, Switzerland, founded in 1559 by John Calvin as the Academy of Geneva and later reconstituted as a cantonal university. It is a comprehensive French-language institution in an international city that hosts United Nations offices and many specialized agencies. English-taught master’s programs have expanded, but the historical medium remains French.

Nine faculties cover science, medicine, humanities, law, Protestant theology, psychology and educational sciences, translation and interpreting, economics and management, and society. Graduate strengths include particle and astrophysics (with ties to CERN), life sciences, international law, and conference interpreting at the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting. University hospitals in Geneva support medical training; science faculties work with nearby international laboratories.

About 19,000 students are enrolled, of whom more than 35 percent are international, from well over 100 countries—one of the higher international shares among Swiss universities. Faculty include scientists such as Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, who identified the first planet around a Sun-like star. Alumni and former students appear in Swiss public life, diplomacy, and science; the city’s international organizations also employ many Geneva graduates.

Graduate study follows the Bologna model: master’s degrees (often 90–120 ECTS) and doctorates by research, with professional paths in medicine and interpreting. Supervision is the core of the doctorate; many master’s programs are taught and seminar-based. The year uses Swiss semesters. Support includes Swiss National Science Foundation posts, cantonal assistantships, and some international scholarships. Students live in a compact city on Lake Geneva, with trams between faculties, the hospital, and the international district.

In the Grad School Navigator directory, University of Geneva lists 14 graduate programs across 8 subjects: 12 master's programs and 2 doctoral programs, with the widest choice in biology, business & management and physics. University of Geneva holds rank 154 in the GSN Overall University Ranking.