In the winter semester 2002/2003, 196 students, including 98 men and 98 women, started on a new course of study at the ETH Zurich, the Movement Science and Sport program, which began its existence as the fifth largest at the ETH Zurich. Because of the program's popularity and uniqueness in Switzerland, the ETH was curious to know what it was students liked about the program and where they had run into difficulties. A total of 166 students, or 85% of enrolment, answered a written questionnaire in January. The majority of the students are under 23 years old.

Interest in movement and sports as the motivation for enrolling

One important motivation for selecting the program was an interest in both the practical and theoretical aspects of movement and sport, which can be seen as part of the larger significance of movement and sport in general. The students cited the wide choice of courses, the interdisciplinary aspect and the variety of potential careers as the great strengths of the new program. The large majority of students are satisfied and want to complete the program, with two-thirds of the respondents describing the program as fun. More than half felt adequately challenged and found their studies exciting.

Different career goals: Sports teacher for men and health counsellor for women

The men tended to be interested in future jobs as gymnastics or sports teachers, while the women saw their futures lying more in the direction of movement science. Many women envisioned jobs as counsellors or trainers in the field of health and well-being. These different career interests were also reflected in their choice of courses. While the women were excited about the theoretical subjects, the men preferred practical sports. People with a great interest in the natural sciences would feel right at home in this program, and since this is more often true for female students, they found the course offering more exciting and were more motivated to study.

Improvement potential recognised

Among the problems listed for the new program was the lack of sufficient specific subjects. Instead of human biology, for example, general biology was offered. However, this is characteristic of many study programs and is not limited to the ETH. The students also said the organisation and information of the first semester could be generally improved. This aspect was probably the result of the ETH being caught off-guard by the huge response.