Self-test for baccalaureate schools for adults: Is this course the right one for me?

What is the Baccalaureate and what is it good for?

The Baccalaureate* is an upper-secondary level qualification - like the Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training (VET Diploma) and secondary school leaving certificates). However, unlike these qualifications, which are geared towards specific professions or occupational fields, the Baccalaureate does not confirm any occupation-specific skills, but rather aBroad general educationand thegeneral university entrance qualification.

The Baccalaureate thus provides unrestricted access to Bachelor's degree courses at Universities (University, FIT) and Universities of Teacher Education (UTE).

If you did not complete the Baccalaureate as a teenager, you can complete it as an adult through the second-chance route.

For theAdmission to the Matura examinationAs an adult, you don't have to attend school - you can prepare yourself independently. In many cases, however, preparation is easier with the support of private or public Matura schools. In this self-test, we describe how to prepare at a baccalaureate school.

* There are various Baccalaureates in Switzerland - in addition to the Baccalaureate, there are also the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate and the Specialized Baccalaureate. However, access to Universities with Federal Vocational Baccalaureate and Specialized Baccalaureate is restricted. These do not entitle students to study at universities, but at Universities of Applied Sciences and Universities of Teacher Education, and there are restrictions on the choice of courses.

Who are baccalaureate schools for adults suitable for?

The courses offered by Matura schools for adults are aimed at

• Adults who want to receive a broad and well-founded general education
• Adults who wish to obtain a general higher education entrance qualification and study at a university without subject restrictions

Indispensable personal requirements:

• High motivation
• Learning ability
• Perseverance and determination

Requirements for admission to Matura schools for adults

The requirements for admission to Matura courses for adults depend on the provider:

• Private baccalaureate schools usually have different conditions for admission to baccalaureate courses that conclude with an internal, federally recognized baccalaureate and those that prepare students for the external Swiss baccalaureate examination, which is held twice a year.
• The requirements for public Matura schools are regulated at cantonal level.

Private baccalaureate schools generally require:

• 18 years of age or older
• Completed compulsory schooling or equivalent knowledge including French and English
• good knowledge of German
• Interest in a broad general education
• partly: Entrance examination

In some cantons there are public baccalaureate schools for adults. These require:

• Age of majority in the year before entry. In some cases there are age limits (e.g. Canton of Zurich: 40 years)
• Secondary school leaving certificate
• Completed vocational training or at least 2-3 years of professional activity. Apprenticeships, internships, proven unemployment, housework and childcare are partially counted as professional activity.
• good knowledge of German
• partly: Entrance examination

Course content: Subject matter and skills

The Baccalaureate is made up of education in four different areasBasic subjectsin the areas of language, mathematics/computer science/science subjects, humanities and social science subjects as well as artistic subjects and other compulsory subjects. The individual Matura profile results from the combination of these compulsory subjects with aMain subjectand aSupplementary subjectand theMaturity thesis. 

Basic subjectsare:

• first national language
• a second national language
• third language: third national language or English or an ancient language (Latin, Greek)
• Mathematics
• Computer science
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Geography
• History
• Economy and law
• visual arts and/or music
• Possible further basic subject: Philosophy

Main subjectsEach of the basic subjects can be chosen as a core subject and supplemented by other subjects. The range of subjects offered depends on the canton in which the Matura school is located and the school itself.

For example: Russian or Arabic (modern languages), Physics & Applications of Mathematics (PAM) or Philosophy, Pedagogy & Psychology (PPP)

Supplementary subjectsserve to deepen or broaden your disciplinary or interdisciplinary knowledge. You can choose one of the basic subjects as a supplementary subject, but not the one you have chosen as your main subject. Many schools offer additional supplementary subjects (e.g. religious education, sport), although the range of subjects on offer depends not only on the school, but also on the canton in which it is located.

Costs

TheSchool costsdepend on the school and form of teaching and total around CHF 30,000-65,000 - depending on the proportion of face-to-face teaching, self-study and supervision. They are usually paid on a semester or monthly basis.

At some Matura schools, theTraining materialsincluded in the price. Others may incur additional costs of several hundred up to almost CHF 3,000 (for the entire course).

As a rule, no fees are charged for in-houseExamination feesare charged. For the external Swiss Matura examination, the fees for registration, assessment of the Matura paper and examination are around CHF 870-1,200 (some schools may charge slightly more).

Some cantons contribute to the school costs or pay them in full.

Course duration and time required

TheFull-time programsof most baccalaureate schools for adults last 6 semesters, thePart-time programsusually 7 semesters. Very compact courses last 2 semesters full-time and 4 semesters part-time.

Depending on the school and time model, the part-time programs can be combined with a 40-80% workload.

The full-time programs comprise 24-39 lessonsClassroom teachingper week plus (partially supervised)Self-study time. Part-time programs include 1-2 days of classroom instruction per week. They often start with less classroom teaching and more self-study time in the early semesters and increase the proportion of classroom teaching in the later semesters.

Degree and diploma

The federal baccalaureate comprisesWritten and oral examinationsin the twelve school subjects as well as the writing of aMatura thesis. There are two ways to take the baccalaureate examinations: Internal baccalaureates and external federal baccalaureate examinations (some schools refer to these as "external baccalaureates").

Grammar schools withIn-house baccalaureatemay take the examination at their own school and with their own teachers. The actual examination covers 6 of the 12 subjects and the preliminary grades are taken into account when calculating the Matura grade. In the remaining subjects, the preliminary grades from the semester reports count as Matura grades.

With theexternalAll subjects are examined in the federal Matura examination; however, candidates are free to take the examination in one examination session or in two parts.

The first part of the examination covers the basic subjects:

• Biology (written)
• Chemistry (written)
• Physics (written)
• History (written)
• Geography (written)
• Visual arts or music (subject-specific)

The second part of the examination comprises:

• First language (written and oral)
• Second national language (written and oral)
• third language (written and oral)
• Mathematics (written and oral)
• Main subject (written and oral)
• Supplementary subject (oral)
• Presentation of the Matura thesis (oral)