Department organisation
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences comprises of the Executive Board including the administrative “Stab”, and the three institutes (Geological Institute, Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, and Institute of Geophysics). The members of the department are:
- the professors of the department
- the other members of the department faculty
- the members of the academic association of scientific staff as well as the administrative and technical staff in the institutes, research groups, and the departmental institutions
- the students enrolled in the study degree programmes of the department
The responsibilities and functions in the department and in the institutes are shown in the organisational chart.
Executive Board
The responsibilities in the Executive Board are assigned to three business areas: teaching, research, and administration. These are the basis of the three management areas within the department. The strategic and operative leadership, leadership in teaching and research, and the administrative and organisational area.
Governance
Transparency and the participation of everyone in everyday departmental life are key for achieving excellence. The participation of different groups (from students to professors), through their delegates in various department-level conferences, ensures broadly-supported decision making.
The departmental committees are defined in the Download Organisation Ordinance of ETH Zurich (PDF, 639 KB) and the Download "Geschäftsordnung des Departements Erd- und Planetenwissenschaften" (PDF, 266 KB).
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences consists of the following management and advisory committees:
Department Conference
The Department Conference is the supreme body of the department. As such, it elects the Head of Department and the Deputy Head of Department, the Director of Studies, and the members of several committees. The conference makes decisions on requests from the teaching commission. Thus, it is responsible for approving the curricula of study programmes. It is also in charge of approving doctoral co-referees and doctoral theses after a doctoral defence. Moreover, it decides on all other important academic and business matters, such as the planning of professorships, the reform of study programmes, and the allocation of financial resources.
Professors’ Conference
The Professors’ Conference consists of all the department’s elected and adjunct professors. Associated members are also invited to attend in an advisory capacity. The Professors’ Conference is responsible for all personnel matters at the professorial level (promotions, award of a professorship) and examines habilitation applications.
Teaching Commission
The Teaching Commission deals with all issues related to the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes offered by the departments. It lays the groundwork for decisions to be taken by the Department Conference. The Director of Studies chairs the Teaching Commission.
Executive Board
The Executive Board consists of the Head of Department, the Deputy Head of Department, the Director of Studies, the Outreach Director, and the Heads of Institute representing each of the three Institutes.
Doctoral Committee
The Doctoral Committee is responsible for the approval of co-examiners and for approving the admission to the extended doctoral studies.
The tasks of the Doctoral Committee are governed by the provisions of the Download ETH Zurich Ordinance on the Doctorate (PDF, 255 KB).