Switzerland Secondary II Syllabus - Baccalaureate > One Further Subject

The Swiss Matura, or Maturität, requires students to choose one further subject, often referred to as an Ergänzungsfach, in addition to their core subjects and specialization area. This supplementary subject allows students to broaden their knowledge and explore an area of interest outside their primary focus.

A key aspect of the Swiss education system is its decentralized nature. While federal guidelines exist for the Matura, cantons and individual schools have considerable autonomy in determining their curricula, including the specific supplementary subjects offered. This results in a diverse range of options available to students across Switzerland.

While a definitive, comprehensive list of all possible supplementary subjects is not readily available due to this decentralized structure, searches revealed examples of subjects offered at various schools. These examples include:

• Arts: Bildnerisches Gestalten (Visual Arts), Musik (Music)
• Humanities: Geschichte (History), Geographie (Geography), Philosophie (Philosophy), Pädagogik/Psychologie (Pedagogy/Psychology), Religionslehre (Religious Studies), Wirtschaft und Recht (Economics and Law)
• Sciences: Biologie (Biology), Chemie (Chemistry), Physik (Physics), Anwendungen der Mathematik (Applications of Mathematics), Informatik (Computer Science)
• Other: Sport (Sports)

It is important to consult the specific curricula of individual schools or cantons for a definitive list of supplementary subjects offered in a particular region or institution. The links provided in the searches offer starting points for further investigation. For example, the Kantonsschule Zürich Nord website provides a list of supplementary subjects offered at that specific school: Similarly, the website of the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz lists supplementary subjects such as Chemistry, Economics & Law, Geography, History, and Information and Technology: These examples highlight the variability of supplementary subject offerings.