k-flash audio commentProfessional Officer Career Now Also Possible with a University of Applied Sciences Degree
k-flash audio commentProfessional Officer Career Now Also Possible with a University of Applied Sciences Degree

The case

The Swiss Armed Forces are introducing a new training pathway for prospective professional officers.

Source: admin.ch

The commentary

In the future, candidates will first complete a technical bachelor’s degree at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) before acquiring their basic military training through a Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS) at ETH Zurich.

On 28 November 2025, the Chief of Training Command of the Swiss Armed Forces, Corps Commander Hans-Peter Walser, and the President of the FHNW, Prof. Dr. Crispino Bergamaschi, signed a letter of intent formalising this cooperation.

With this initiative, the Swiss Armed Forces aim to strengthen technical expertise within the professional officer corps. Consequently, only technical degree programmes will be eligible under this cooperation.

A pilot phase begins in the winter semester of 2026, initially offering bachelor’s programmes in Computer Science and Systems Engineering. The experience gained during this phase will be used to further develop and expand the model. In a second phase, additional technical disciplines will be added and the programme will be extended to all interested Swiss universities of applied sciences.

As the programme is fully funded, admission will be regulated by the Swiss Armed Forces by means of a quota system.

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