About Us

“The ZHAW School of Management and Law relies on three success factors: excellence in research, a national identity with an international focus, and study programs including BSc, MSc, and continuing education programs that are both innovative in their content and teaching methods as well as practically oriented.”
Prof. Dr. Reto Steiner, Dean and Managing Director, ZHAW School of Management and Law

Vision Statement
Our educational programs and our research in management and law enable entrepreneurial activity and contribute to resolving social challenges. We stand for Swiss excellence with a global reach.

Mission Statement
We deliver innovative, interdisciplinary and intellectually challenging education in management, economics and law, enabling our graduates to compete successfully in the domestic and international environment.
We contribute to the success of private and public sector enterprises and organizations through research, continuing education and consulting.
We practice and actively promote sustainable development and corporate responsibility.
Our highly qualified faculty and staff utilize their expertise to advance knowledge and practice in areas most relevant to our stakeholders.
Rooted in the Zurich metropolitan area we cultivate strong national and international alliances and partnerships.
Building Competence. Crossing Borders.
Strategy
Strategic Positioning
The ZHAW School of Management and Law (ZHAW SML) is a nationally recognized leader with a global reach in teaching, research, and executive education. Through academic excellence and an entrepreneurial perspective, the ZHAW SML creates value for business and society.
Quality and Employees
The ZHAW SML is among the leading business schools worldwide that meet the highest quality standards. It fosters an inspiring and diverse working environment that attracts, supports, and retains talented, entrepreneurial, and committed professionals in the long term.
Social Responsibility
The ZHAW SML is a responsible business school that aims to develop sustainable solutions to economic and societal challenges through research and education.
Networks and Cooperations
The ZHAW SML is deeply rooted in society, business, and academia, actively engaging in national and international networks and strategic partnerships.
Teaching and Learning
The ZHAW SML is a leading Swiss provider of academically sound and practice-oriented study programs for ambitious students from Switzerland and abroad. It fosters holistic and critical thinking, empowering students to take responsibility.
Research and Development
Research at the ZHAW SML combines academic excellence with practical relevance and strong social impact.
Executive Education and Services
The ZHAW SML is one of Switzerland’s leading providers of innovative, science-based, and practice-oriented executive education and services, with a national footprint and a global perspective.

Our Seven Core Values
Goal Orientation and Respectful Cooperation
We work together in a respectful and cooperative way which transcends structural boundaries. We promote and value the skills of all our employees, regardless of their position in the organization.
Creative Freedom
We offer a working environment which promotes initiative and creativity. We encourage and expect our employees to be motivated and to think and act independently. We support innovation and give our employees a platform to explore and communicate new ideas.
Diversity
We safeguard and cultivate diversity for the benefit of knowledge acquisition, innovation, and social cohesion. The diversity of our employees is fundamental to our success.
Integrity & Academic Freedom
We behave with integrity in all we do. We believe in the value and preservation of academic and organizational freedom.
Quality
We set ourselves ambitious goals and consistently deliver quality work in our four performance areas. We are guided by scientific principles in all we do.
Relevance
Through innovative knowledge generation, transfer, and application, we make a relevant contribution to the welfare and development of society as a whole.
Personal Contacts
We promote and cultivate personal contacts with our stakeholders (*) to assist in collaborative ventures.
(*) Stakeholders include commercial clients, universities, other ZHAW schools and departments, sponsors, chambers of commerce, media, learned societies, official bodies, and professional associations.

Facts and Figures
Retention Rates for Our Degree Programs and Continuing Education Programs
Retention rates are used to measures the proportion of students of degree programs and participants of continuing education programs who are successful in completing their academic studies.
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
A Bachelor’s program consists of two stages: first-year studies and main study period.
- The retention rate for students in their first-year studies is 70%.
- In the case of students not passing their first-year studies and having to repeat part of the program, the retention rate is 50%.
- The retention rate for the main study period of Bachelor’s programs is 95%. Approximately 90% of students complete their main study period within the standard period required (i.e., 2 years for full-time and 2.5 years for part-time students).
Master of Science (MSc)
Our consecutive Master’s programs have a retention rate of 75%.
Continuing Education Master’s Programs (EMBA; MAS)
Our continuing education Master’s programs have a retention rate of 95%.
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Organizational Structure
All departments, institutes etc. including the line managers at a glance.
Organizational Structure
All departments, institutes etc. including the line managers at a glance.