STUDENTS › Academic Information › Evaluation and ECTS credits

Evaluation and credits

Evaluation Criteria

For all courses, student coursework will be evaluated based on criteria defined and communicated by the faculty at the start of the course. Methods of evaluation generally include one or several written or oral examinations.

Evaluation is based on a grading system ranging from 1 to 6 with quarter point increments, or the mention “pass” or “fail”. A grade equal or superior to 4, or a “pass” will result in the corresponding number of ECTS credits.

  • In the case of a failure to pass a first-year compulsory course : students will be expected to re-sit and successfully pass the course the following year. If the course is no longer offered, a substitute course will be offered ; 
  • In case of a failure to pass a second-year compulsory course : students will be expected to re-sit and successfully pass the course during the fourth semester. If the course is no longer offered during the fourth semester, a substitute course will be offered ; 
  • In case of a failure to pass a non-compulsory course : students will have the option of taking another course for the same number of credits or re-sitting the course the following year, if it is still offered.

The criteria for evaluation and the attribution of credits are governed
by the Academic Regulations, Internal Regulations and curricula, which are binding.

Bologna Process and ECTS Credits

The Bologna Process seeks to create a European Higher Education Area by 2010 by making national academic and quality assurance standards comparable and compatible throughout Europe through the introduction of a European-wide system of credits, the ECTS.

Switzerland and the Graduate Institute are using this system which allows educational programmes to be weighted on the basis of a system of credits. These credits are an expression of the number of hours of study required for the successful completion of a course within any given semester. Under the Masters’ programmes, a semester is equivalent to 30 ECTS credits ; one credit is equivalent to approximately 25 to 30 study hours.
Credits are awarded upon successful completion of a course.