Careers after bachelor's degree Energy and Environmental Engineering

"We need engineers who are well-informed both in the field of energy technology as well as in ecology and economy. We have got to know students and graduates of the Energy and Environmental Engineering degree programme and recognised that these have exactly these competences".

Lars Kunath, Director and CEO of Vela Solaris AG

Career opportunities

Finding a job and salary

Career opportunities

A Bachelor degree in Energy and Environmental Engineering will open up a wide range of interesting professional assignments to you in industrial, service and power companies, as well as in consulting agencies and public administration.

Focus Renewable Thermal Energy Systems

The possible fields of application range from development and technical planning to repair and maintenance through to design and sales. Possible employers include, for example, planning agencies, power utilities or plant construction companies.

Improvement and increase in the energy efficiency of products and processes such as in refrigeration and waste heat utilisation
Planning and design of new energy-related systems in the areas of water and wind power and the use of thermal solar energy or geothermal energy
Economic computations of investments in energy and environmental technology systems

Focus Renewable Electrical Energy Systems

The possible fields of application range from development and technical planning to repair and maintenance through to design and sales. Possible employers include, for example, planning agencies, power companies, plant construction companies or producers from the solar power industries.

Improvement and increase of the energy efficiency of products and processes in the fields of electrical energy engineering such as for photovoltaics, power electronics or electrical networks
Planning and design of energy-related systems with renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic power plants
Economic computations of investments in energy and environmental engineering systems

Focus Environment and Sustainability

You will develop and design products, equipment and systems over the whole spectrum of services and energy flows and will be responsible for their start-up and maintenance. Possible employers include industry, SME, those from the CleanTech field or power utilities and public authorities.

Development and implementation of projects for energy producers
Development and implementation of projects of energy consumers
Simulation and realisation of new energy and material flows
Project management and consultation in industry, business and administration
Sales and training
Analysis of technological and political issues

Graduate portraits

“For me as someone who was changing careers, I learned a great deal from the internships and from the application examples for the theoretical knowledge that we were taught. I also learned, however, to rapidly familiarise myself with new topics and get to grips with new applications.”

Tilon Holtz, ZHAW graduate and project manager at Energie Netzwerk GmbH
Portrait

"Project work has taught me how to work in a structured way, recognise problems, find solutions and thus execute and manage projects efficiently. I have also further developed myself personally during the three study years: I am much more confident today, particularly, for example if I have to present a project to larger groups of people".

Stefan Felder, graduate in Energy and Environmental Engineering, Project Manager at BKW Energie AG
To the Project Manager graduate portrait

"The degree programme is very varied; this means that many different career options are open after graduation. Irrespective of which term drops into everyday working life: thanks to the studies, you have certainly already heard it and can classify it. This makes it easy to also participate in interdisciplinary teams".

Daniel Hug, graduate in Energy and Environmental Engineering, project team member at ewz

Finding a job and salary expectations after graduating

Most graduates quickly find a suitable entry-level job. The median starting salary is CHF 85,000, with the chosen industry and specialization playing a crucial role. In 2022, the median annual salary for engineers, when extrapolated to 100% full-time equivalent, is CHF 119,000. (Source: Salaries for Engineers and Architects 2022/2023)