Questions Answered

The DAS as an academic degree stands for „Diploma of Advanced Studies“. The Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS) is a postgraduate level. In Switzerland, a DAS reflects 30 ECTS credits, equaling minimum of 900 hours of student workload.

The DAS Work+Health is an interdisciplinary postgraduate program with specialization in either Occupational Medicine or Occupational Hygiene. In two years’ time, you learn and exercise together with your colleagues in the same, and the other, specialization to become a recognized work and health specialist. The DAS Work+Health comprises of total ten common modules, 5 specialization modules and a concluding interdisciplinary group project. Each module starts with a pre-assignment, followed by the campus phase and a final exam.

Successfully participating in the DAS Work+Health makes you become a recognized work and health specialist in your field. For Occupational Hygienists and Occupational Physicians, the DAS Work+Health is a mandatory basis for getting recognized as an ASA
(ASA=Arbeitsärztinnen/Arbeitsärzte und andere Spezialistinnen/Spezialisten der Arbeitssicherheit) specialist in Switzerland. For Occupational Hygienists, the DAS Work+Health is also the basis for the additional, International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) accreditation. For Occupational Physicians, the DAS Work+Health is a mandatory part to become a specialized physician accredited by the Swiss Association of Occupational Medicine (SGARM/SSMT). For Occupational Health Manager, it is the only interdisciplinary and most comprehensive postgraduate program in Switzerland, giving you all the options available for your future career.

A module is a learning unit on a specific topic or block of topics. It consists of a total of minimum 2 and maximum 10 days of classroom instruction and an additional 2 to 10 days of self-study.

A module is divided into 3 sections: a pre-assignment, face-to-face teaching, and an exam.

The pre-assignment represents 50% of the teaching per module and is primarily intended to convey the theoretical foundations of a subject or topic. Typically literature, case studies or webinars are to be worked on for this purpose. The preparatory task concludes with a learning assessment to ensure that all module participants enter the face-to-face teaching phase of a module with a minimum level of theoretical knowledge and understanding.

The DAS modules take place either at the Unisanté Lausanne or University of Zurich. Individual days of a module can be taught online, or the entire module in special circumstances (e.g. pandemic). Individual teaching days can also be held with, and at the locations of, external partners. In addition, some modules include site visits to companies in Switzerland.

The module exam is the individual proof that the specified learning objectives have been achieved. This may consist of e.g. a written assignment, an oral examination, a practical examination or a combination of different elements.

There is a module portrait for each module, which states the module name, the dates, the learning objectives and the learning content. The module portrait is usually made available on the OLAT learning platform six months ahead of the module start.

There is also a timetable, which gives the daily schedule with times, learning content, lecturers and class location. In general, the timetable is made available on the OLAT learning platform 4 weeks ahead of the start of a module. Short-term deviations from the timetable and the teaching location are possible if external circumstances, such as the absence of a lecturer due to illness, arise.

To successfully pass a module, you have to successfully pass the pre-assignment, actively participate during all campus lectures, do all the required readings and/or homework seriously and pass the exam. Take advantage of the assignments and campus lectures to learn as much as you can from them and from your colleagues, to share your opinions, skills and experience and to be open to new mindsets and topics you have never heard of.

During your DAS studies, you’ll get feedback in several ways:

• In group work and in-class discussions.
  • Your peers and lecturer will give you feedback on your contributions. Furthermore, you’ll get feedback on all written work, e.g. homework assignments, essays and other written work or presentations you may have to hand in.
• On performance in all the individual module’s formative and summative assessments.
  • The DAS module manager and lecturers will be ready to serve you if you have further questions on your learning development and needs.
• ECTS credits acquired by successfully passing a module.
  • The ultimate feedback in your DAS Work+Health studies is the DAS Diploma that we’ll be happy to hand you at the final DAS Work+Health diploma ceremony. Enjoy all the shoulder taps and handshakes, and congratulate yourself for your great achievement!

Each pre-assignment and/or exam may be repeated (number of repetitions varies by module). If this repetition of pre-assignment and/or exam is not sufficient, the module has to be repeated in the next course available. Exam work handed in too late gets considered as failed.

You may miss up to 10% of a module’s campus lectures, if your absence is considered as justified. Please explain an absence as soon as possible to the administration team. Beyond these 10% you have to negotiate with the program manager, whether it is possible to compensate the missed lectures by an extra assignment. If the amount of lectures missed cannot be reasonably compensated by an extra assignment, you get the opportunity to take the module in the next DAS Work+Health course available.

Yes, the written report combined with the presentation of your inter-disciplinary group project (module C11) is considered as a final thesis. You share the written thesis work with the colleagues of your group. However, every student of each group writes his/her specific part of the report, pointing out who did what. You get extended written feedback to your part of the report as well as oral feedback on your presentation.

As far as we are aware, the DAS Work+Health is the only program currently existing, which provides you with an interdisciplinary university postgraduate degree, and the best mixture of self-organized distance learning, interdisciplinary campus lectures, case studies and site visits. This way you do not only benefit from lectures and discussions by leading professionals and well-respected lecturers, but you also extend your network and share your skills, knowledge and experience with your peers and colleagues. This makes the DAS Work+Health unique and highly beneficial for you. By achieving the DAS Work+Health diploma in either Occupational Hygiene or Occupational Medicine, you become recognized as ASA specialist in Switzerland. Furthermore, the DAS Work+Health is acknowledged by the Swiss associations in the field of work and health, as well as psychology for continuing education. Feel free to select and participate in those modules which support you in your daily work and professional career.

To achieve the DAS Work+Health diploma, you have to take and successfully pass all the common modules (C1 to C10) and all the modules of your chosen specialization (OH1 to OH5 or OM1 to OM5). We offer you the opportunity to take one additional module in the other specialization at no additional expense.

Overall, the modules and its lectures take place either in Lausanne or in Zurich. The location of each module is explained in each module portrait. The site visits take place in several companies all over in Switzerland.

Unfortunately, no. Every module consists of the “distance” part (pre-assignment and exam) and the campus phase. Our intention is to bring you physically together with your colleagues to create a platform of skills, knowledge and experience exchange.

The DAS Work+Health program costs  CHF 22’000.- including all tuition and fees for the University side. Please take into account that travel, food, beverage and accommodation expenses are not included in this fee. Furthermore, you may have to buy and bring in textbooks and/or literature for a few modules. However, the literature required for the assignments and exams is provided to you for free on our learning platform OLAT to which you will be given access once payment is made.

Unfortunately, neither from the DAS Work+Health nor the Universities’ side can provide you financial support. The DAS Work+Health is a postgraduate program, therefore, the universities offer no financial support for the DAS Work+Health fee or any additional costs. However, the Swiss Federal Commission of Safety at Work (EKAS) supports the DAS Work+Health substantially to keep the DAS Work+Health tuition and fees as low as possible.

For the enrollment in the DAS Work+Health, specific professional experience is required. If you already passed a university course in a topic similar to one of the four modules, the program manager reviews your documents on request to conclude whether and how we can grant you up to three ECTS credits.

The ECTS credits you achieve are valid for five years. This means that it is possible to participate in some modules, take a break and finish the DAS Work+Health in the next course available. The completion of the DAS Work+Health course depends on a sufficient number of students’ enrollments, as well as a sufficient financial support from our partners. Therefore, no guarantee can be given that you can take the missed module in the next DAS Work+Health program available.

Yes, as external participant you are welcome to almost all DAS Work+Health modules. After successful completion of a module, you get a written module certificate, explaining the module’s aims and contents, as well as achieved ECTS credits.

The postgraduate program has existed for almost thirty years and is a collaboration of the University of Lausanne and the University of Zurich; in the past, it was with the ETH Zurich. To maintain an excellent and up-to-date standard in education, the DAS Work+Health has the current stakeholders in its Leading Board, Program Commission and Advisory Board. As board members, these work and health experts ensure a high quality university program and well-founded sustainability. The DAS Work+Health is embedded in the national and international professional associations in the field of work and health.

At the beginning of each DAS Work+Health course, the students vote one representative. This students’ representative gets invited to all Advisory Board meetings, bringing in the students’ perspective and needs, as well as passing on to the students all the detail information discussed and shared during the meetings. The students’ representative is also in contact with the program manager for all concerns and general questions arising from both the students’ and the program management’s side.

The amount of coursework is measured using the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).

ECTS credits describe the amount of work that students are expected to need in order to achieve the defined learning objectives of the corresponding course unit (self-study, attendance time, preparation for the assessment, etc.). Each module is assigned a number of ECTS credits that corresponds to the average workload expected for successful completion of the module.

At the University of Zurich and the University of Lausanne, one ECTS credit corresponds to an expected average workload of 30 hours. To be awarded ECTS credits, students need to pass a summative assessment on every DAS module. This means that ECTS credits cannot be awarded on the basis of mere attendance.

In order to achieve the academic title “DAS”, students need to earn a minimum of 30 credits. The exact number of credits required for the DAS Work+Health may vary based on the specialization you’re in (Occupational Medicine or Occupational Hygiene). The study contract you receive after enrolling into the DAS Work+Health gives the exact amount of ECTS credits required.