University of Lugano (Università della Svizzera italiana)

Having developed very rapidly in recent decades, international tourism has become one of the world economy’s major industries. The World Travel and Tourism Council projects that between now and 2013, the tourism and hospitality industry will generate 250 million jobs, consisting of approximately 10% of total world employment. Yet, managing international tourism demands a serious commitment: it is challenging and one must take into account a variety of different economies, institutions, legal systems, languages and cultures. To strike a fair balance between the various elements at play – the tourist industry, the tourist, the local community, the environment – entrepreneurs and operators need to have an excellent grasp of several (even fairly disparate) disciplines, highly professional skills, a strategic and essential view of phenomena, with a strong sense of responsibility. The Master aims to be part of a new wide-ranging form of training that is strongly oriented towards a multidisciplinary approach in contents and methods and occupies a unique position in a new educational context that is wide-ranging and with a strong inter-disciplinary orientation:...

Obiettivi e contenuti

Ha scritto Yves Bonnefoy che l’arte italiana è l’«arrière-pays», il retroterra di qualsiasi esperienza e memoria del bello; e Osip Mandelštam osservò che per leggere Dante occorre avere uno sguardo volto al futuro. Questo è l’ambito della civiltà italiana: la memoria di una perfezione condivisa, l’esercizio di un pensiero capace di abbracciare gli “universali” della condizione umana. Questa universalità non è somma di digressioni all’infinito: è, al contrario, come scrisse Jorge Luis Borges della Divina Commedia, capacità di racchiudere tutta una vita in un verso. Comprendere il vissuto della storia, gli universali del pensiero, stringerli in sintesi, offrirli come una ‘prospettiva’: arte, filosofia, poesia, spiritualità chiamate a dar forma all’essenziale. In questa prospettiva, il Master di Letteratura e civiltà italiana che l’Università della Svizzera italiana propone per l’a.a. 2008-2009 meglio realizza (rispetto ad altri percorsi di studio attivi in Italia o in Svizzera) quanto Gianfranco Folena disegnò storicamente nel suo saggio L’italiano in Europa (1983): una lingua di civiltà delle arti, capace di unire creazione e ragioni civili del ‘patrimonio dell’umanità’. Per questo è stata scelta una formula interdisciplinare (lingua, letteratura, arti/storia/civiltà) e sono stati chiamati ad insegnare docenti che, dalla Svizzera, dall’Italia, dalla Francia, dalla Germania, incarnino essi stessi – nel loro percorso di ricerca – questa parabola, sempre viva, di una «lingua dolce e sapida, fatta di suoni di solidarietà» (O. Mandelštam, 1933). Sbocchi Professionali...

Goals and Contents The Master of Science in Applied Informatics provides students with an in-depth perspective on advanced topics of computer systems. The Master combines the study of fundamental aspects of computer systems with a hands-on approach, preparing professionals for successfully pursuing a career in research and development. The programme allows students to deepen their knowledge in many directions: students learn how to analyse, select and evaluate computer programmes with the help of a strong theoretical background, which includes notion of computational complexity and formal methods like abstract algebra and logic. In parallel they acquire abilities to understand, design, simulate and optimise intelligent and complex systems where important competences include the capability to learn and to adapt to unpredictable and dynamic situations. Students learn how to design, test and analyse software programmes providing the required level of software quality using the appropriate software engineering methodologies. Fundamental aspects of students’ knowledge include the capability to design and use advanced data management systems, to operate modern operating systems and to use advanced concepts of modern programming languages. During the final year, in parallel with their thesis, students acquire skills in business and management where they understand organisational structures and learn how to manage projects and teams. Students graduating from this programme develop the ability to work on applied problems. In their future careers they will use their knowledge in interdisciplinary areas with enhanced analytical and technical skills and with the ability to develop sophisticated solutions and to manage teams of people in challenging tasks. Teaching Teaching at the Faculty of Informatics emphasises close contact between students and faculty. Professors are pursuing research on a variety of topics and are active participants in Swiss and international research projects and networks. Visiting professors from renowned universities complement the top-quality teaching. All courses are taught in English....

L’obiettivo di formare un Nuovo Architetto che grazie a una formazione anche umanistica acquisti capacità critica individuale, e sia in grado di affrontare le diverse problematiche e scale architettoniche, è alla base dell’insegnamento offerto

dall’Accademia di architettura di Mendrisio, Università della Svizzera italiana. Lo studio all’Accademia si articola in due semestri propedeutici, seguiti da quattro

semestri che completano il Bachelor e altri quattro di Master, l’ultimo dei quali è interamente dedicato al progetto di diploma. Integrano il persorso didattico due

Goals and Contents

The Master in Banking and Finance has been designed to provide graduates with the necessary tools and skills for understanding financial markets and products from a banker’s perspective.

Lugano being the 3rd financial marketplace in Switzerland provides an ideal venue to offer students with different backgrounds the best possible start for a successful career in banking or finance. The degree provides a background in finance methodology as well as the opportunity to go into more depth in selected topics of banking and finance by choosing electives.

The Master programme stretches over two years (120 ECTS) and is structured to allow the students to personalise their study curricula according to their individual interests and educational backgrounds. It includes four semesters of lectures and seminars, and an internship....

Goals and Contents

Corporate communication is today considered a key management function. It is about managing relationships with the organisation’s stakeholders in order to maximise the corporation’s reputation capital and thus to guarantee access to strategic resources. In this it is a strategic partner of other corporate functions: for instance in managing relationships with investors, it interacts with financial managers; in dealing with public authorities and regulators, it collaborates with legal services; in addressing issues of identity and corporate culture, it partners human resources specialists; in communicating with customers, it collaborates with marketers, etc. Corporate communication specialists therefore need to acquire solid general management skills in order to carry out their roles effectively. To this purpose, the programme develops analytical and decision-making abilities for corporate communication, grounded in a sound knowledge of organisation, business economics and management. In order to help develop these analytical and decision making skills, lectures are integrated with more active teaching methods, consisting of discussion of case histories, role-playing, business games, individual and group projects, etc. Graduates from the programme will be ready to enter the corporate communication profession at a management level. The skills acquired meet the requirements for professional careers in organisations of different kinds as well as in corporate communication agencies and consulting firms. Graduates will also be able to undertake specialised roles, in areas such as internal communication, media, financial relations, public affairs or marketing communication management. The programme stretches over two years (120 ECTS credits) and is structured to allow the students to personalise their study curricula according to their individual interests. Typically, in the first semester students attend the general management classes in order to acquire the basics of management. The second and third semesters are dedicated to core courses and electives. Students are required to take core courses that regard specific corporate communication topics and methodology. Students complete their curriculum with electives that can be chosen among courses offered by the programme and by other USI’s related programmes. During the last semester students work in teams on a field project and individually write up their master’s thesis. ...

Goals and Contents Think of the interconnected data management systems of a global institution: a bank, an airline, or a national government. Think about the large clusters of computers used by scientists to map the human genome. Think about a large scale, networked multiplayer game. Think of a telecommunication network such as the GSM network or the Internet. These are all distributed systems and, like them, many others are being developed and used pervasively in our modern society. Needless to say, computers and networks play a central role within these systems. They process, store, and transmit information to support a wide variety of tasks, ranging from the safety-critical operations of a transportation system, to the business-critical functions of a bank, to the performance-critical computations of the scientific models studied by physicists or molecular biologists. The Master of Science in Dependable Distributed Systems develops professionals capable of designing and developing distributed systems. In particular, the emphasis of the design taught is on dependability, which means that systems are engineered to withstand failures of system components, and to gracefully sustain heavy computations and/or intense communication traffic. The knowledge and technical expertise acquired in this Master is an ideal basis for a career as a system engineer, with employment opportunities in virtually any company whose business depends on computing systems. Moreover, the analytical skills that characterise this Master make up a versatile professional profile, as they are more generally applicable to a range of diverse problem-solving tasks. Specifically, the Master of Science in Dependable Distributed Systems provides students with an in-depth perspective on advanced topics of distributed computer systems. The programme focuses on the design, implementation, and performance analysis of reliable, secure, and scalable software. The Master combines the study of fundamental aspects of distributed systems with a hands-on approach, preparing professionals for working in the industry and continuing toward a Ph.D. Teaching Teaching at the Faculty of Informatics emphasises close contact between students and faculty. Professors are pursuing research on a variety of topics and are active participants in Swiss and international research projects and networks. Visiting professors from renowned universities complement the top-quality teaching. All courses are taught in English....

Obiettivi e contenuti

La Facoltà di Scienze economiche dell'Università della Svizzera italiana organizza un Master congiunto con l'Alta Scuola di Economia e Relazioni Internazionali (ASERI) dell'Università Cattolica di Milano, coinvolgendo studenti svizzeri, italiani e stranieri interessati ad un curriculum di studi che permetta loro di ottenere un doppio titolo: un Master italiano di primo livello e un Master svizzero (laurea magistrale). Il MEPIN offre un ampio bagaglio di strumenti scientifici e competenze specifiche, indispensabili per la comprensione dei fenomeni economico-politici legati alla globalizzazione. Le basi sulle quali si sviluppa l’intero programma sono legate allo studio dell’economia, della finanza, del diritto e delle istituzioni, delle politiche internazionali. Verranno inoltre fornite conoscenze di carattere multidisciplinare necessarie per affrontare tematiche quali lo sviluppo sostenibile, il microcredito, l’etica economico-finanziaria e, più in generale, le forme di cooperazione tra autorità pubbliche e operatori economici privati tese al raggiungimento di un obiettivo comune, quale la prestazione di un servizio o la creazione e la gestione di un progetto. Le partnership tra il pubblico e il privato sono oggi sempre più frequenti in vari settori (sanità, public utilities, infrastrutture, servizi sociali e risorse ambientali) e a tutti i livelli (locale, nazionale e sopranazionale). In molte organizzazioni internazionali il partenariato pubblico-privato costituisce una modalità privilegiata per la realizzazione di programmi di interesse pubblico relativi a tematiche fondamentali come l’energia, i trasporti o i progetti di cooperazione allo sviluppo. Lo studio degli ambiti di intersezione tra pubblico e privato, dal livello locale a quello globale, richiede competenze sia nel settore economico-finanziario, sia in quello delle politiche pubbliche, nonché la conoscenza degli aspetti giuridico-regolamentari e di comunicazione relativi ai rapporti tra le due sfere. Il Master in Economia e Politiche Internazionali risponde a queste esigenze proponendo un approccio interdisciplinare che alle specializzazioni tematiche abbina l’analisi complessa. Ai partecipanti vengono proposte due serie di corsi, una nella sede di Lugano (primo semestre) e una in quella di Milano (secondo semestre). Il programma si completa, nel terzo semestre, con l'elaborazione di una tesi e con uno stage in un'istituzione nazionale o internazionale (pubblica o privata). Il sistema adottato per il conferimento del titolo è quello dei crediti. La formazione poliedrica e interdisciplinare che offre il Master in Economia e Politiche Internazionali ha permesso ai suoi diplomati di inserirsi rapidamente e con successo in aziende multinazionali, in banche e società finanziarie, in enti territoriali, in organizzazioni non governative, nell’insegnamento e in istituti di ricerca. Le figure professionali che escono da questo Master possiedono sia competenze pluridisciplinari, sia conoscenze specifiche che permettono loro di operare in tutti quei settori in cui pubblico e privato cooperano....

Goals and Contents Embedded systems offer challenging opportunities to young designers, both by interweaving technologies such as microelectronics, computer science and telecommunications, and by focusing on the most advanced applications. Aware of the real need for a cross-disciplinary approach to education, ALaRI equips talented students with a unique body of knowledge about the multi-interdisciplinary area of embedded systems. Training includes interpersonal skills indispensable in today’s industry, such as team work, complex project management and market sensitivity. On this basis, ALaRI has met the challenge of providing training and research opportunities, stressing the most relevant added-value features in embedded systems. The degree programme stretches over two years with four semesters of study organised in mandatory and elective courses, including the development of the final Master’s project. Students can personalise their study curricula according to their individual interests. The design laboratories follow an interdisciplinary approach in which students learn the discipline of design, applying the competences acquired in the different courses in an integrated way. A research project is an integral part of this study programme, leading to the final Master’s thesis. During the first two semesters, the study programme is identical for all students; subsequently, students can choose between two tracks: – Design and Research - oriented to design and research towards a career in either the academic or the industrial environment – Business Projects - oriented to the management, economics and marketing of embedded systems Both tracks qualify graduates to seek admission to PhD studies. The ALaRI teaching programme is characterised by two distinct features: – cooperation between university and industry – interdisciplinarity through design laboratories and projects Professors from renowned European and US universities and research centres assure top-quality teaching. Experts from industry contribute with their know-how as tutors or advisors in the research projects....

 Master Programme in Finance aims to provide in-depth knowledge of professional practice in financial markets. To achieve these targets a good knowledge of financial theory and quantitative methods is developed in the first part of the programme. These notions are then applied to the analysis of financial practice, including new trends.

Goals and Contents

Finance is the area of economics that studies investment decisions.These decisions are fundamental to the well-being of firms and individuals. Investment outcomes are affected by randomness. Investment decisions involve trade-offs between risk and expected return.

The Master programme stretches over two years (120 ECTS) and is structured to allow the students to personalise their study curricula according to their individual interests and educational backgrounds. It includes four semesters of lectures and seminars, and an internship. Typically, in the first semester students attend the foundation courses in order to acquire the basics of finance, accounting and statistics. The second and third semesters arededicated to core courses and electives. The final thesis should show the candidate’s ability to integrate acquired knowledge in the advanced scientific analysis of a topic in finance....

The goal of the Master in Financial Communication is to form specialists able to bridge the gap between the financial experts and the investment decisions makers, by means of advanced communication principles, techniques and skills applied to finance. Joining in a comprehensive approach the knowledge of business economics and law, with the appropriate argumentative and interpersonal skills, our graduates will be prepared to put financial information “at work”, in order to foster appropriate investment decisions. They will be trained to intermediate, in a sensible and timely manner, financial institutions and various other companies, with their clients, investors and other stakeholders, so being an effective interface between the financial industry and the public at large. Moreover, by following the logic of the information flow in the financial market (how financial information is generated, transmitted and analyzed), the study programme will allow our graduates to meet the exigencies and the challenge of working with and within the financial media. The two-year study programme (120 ECTS) combines a state-of-the-art theoretical training with real-life case-studies and simulations, relying on innovative and interactive teaching methods. The study curriculum comprises both core and elective courses, centered around three main pillars – business economics and finance, communication and argumentation, and law and ethics. By the end of the programme, our students will have acquired fundamental analytical, argumentative and interpersonal skills, grounded in a solid knowledge of financial market behavior, strategies and regulations, which will enable them to efficiently craft the information for financial decisions. This programme is designed for graduates with a three-year bachelor's degree in economics or communication sciences. Students can benefit of personalized study plans, in accordance with their initial background and the number of credits (ECTS) accumulated at the moment of admission, as well as with their further individual interest in the area of financial communication. Graduates are expected to find employment in banking, consultancy, investor relations, and the corporate communication areas of most firms. They are trained to bridge possible communication gaps between financial experts and the public at large....

Obiettivi e contenuti Il programma di studi prevede un’analisi dei processi di creazione, produzione e diffusione di contenuti editoriali di diverso tipo: dai giornali ai libri, dalla radio alla televisione, fino ai contenuti elettronici destinati alla distribuzione on line. In particolare il Master offre l'opportunità di conoscere gli aspetti fondamentali del funzionamento delle imprese dei media e di approfondire gli aspetti che riguardano l'attività gestionale di queste imprese (struttura economica e politiche di settore, ricerca, creazione e sviluppo di prodotti e servizi, gestione dei diritti, uso del web, ecc.). L'obiettivo è di formare professionisti che, sulla base di una conoscenza approfondita delle caratteristiche dei media, sappiano svolgere funzioni di progettazione, coordinamento e controllo dei processi produttivi e distributivi di imprese editoriali a stampa, audiovisive ed elettroniche, tenendo conto anche dei principali fattori di contesto sia culturale che politico-economico, con particolare attenzione agli aspetti di servizio pubblico (per es. nel caso della radio e della televisione) e di interesse generale. I corsi presentano tre componenti distinte e fra loro integrate. La prima concerne la strumentazione teorica e metodologica che permette di affrontare criticamente i temi studiati (le funzioni gestionali nei media). La seconda prepara, attraverso lo studio sistematico di una serie di casi, a comprendere situazioni, processi e tendenze che riguardano i vari settori dell'attività editoriale e giornalistica. Infine, una terza componente è rappresentata dall'intervento in aula di professionisti e manager che svolgono funzioni di rilievo in imprese editoriali, i quali testimoniano problemi ed opportunità riscontrate nella loro esperienza di lavoro. Stage A integrazione degli insegnamenti teorici e delle attività pratiche di progetti ed elaborati che si svolgono in relazione ai corsi seguiti (primo e secondo semestre), il Master prevede un periodo di stage in un’azienda editoriale (terzo semestre), dove lo studente entra in diretto contatto con un sistema produttivo e distributivo reale e impara a focalizzare l’attenzione e ad analizzare, sotto la guida costante di un tutor universitario, gli aspetti costitutivi a livello di struttura e organizzazione. Tesi Il Master si conclude con un semestre (quarto) dedicato all’elaborazione della tesi finale consistente in una ricerca scientifica nell’ambito delle discipline che compongono il piano di studi. Sbocchi professionali I diplomati del Master sono formati per occupare ruoli di gestione, coordinamento, ricerca e sviluppo nelle imprese editoriali che operano nel campo della produzione giornalistica e libraria, radiofonica e televisiva e dei nuovi media elettronici. Lingua d’insegnamento: italiano...

Goals and Contents

Intelligent Systems are an area of computer science and engineering dealing with intelligent behaviour, adaptation and learning in machines and robots. Intelligent systems are concerned with the design of computational systems that function in a changing, unpredictable and usually incompletely known environment by showing high-level abilities. The goal is to take inspiration from nature, human performance and mathematically sound problem solving tools in order to build powerful systems able to achieve complex goals in complex environments using limited computational resources. Intelligent systems use concepts coming from neuroscience, natural systems, biology, cognitive science, engineering, physical systems and from artificial intelligence and optimisation techniques. Students graduating from this programme develop the ability to work on complex problems and in their future careers they will be able to apply their competences in interdisciplinary areas with enhanced analytical and technical skills. Examples include planning and scheduling, control, robotics, business forecast, intelligent searching agents, video games, artificial music, automatic answering and diagnostic, and handwriting and speech recognition. The coursework material, software tools and robots reflect the latest state of the art and further opportunities for involvement will arise during the course of the thesis with perhaps the chance to study for a PhD. The programme stretches over two years (120 ECTS credits) and is structured to allow the students to personalise their study curricula according to their individual interests. Typically, in the first semester students attend classes in order to acquire basic knowledge. The second and third semesters are dedicated to core courses and electives. Students are required to take core courses that regard specific intelligent systems topics and methodology. Students complete their curriculum with electives that can be chosen among courses offered by this and other USI related programmes. During the last semester, students write up their Master’s thesis....

Goals and Content

The MSc in Management has been designed to provide graduates, from a wide variety of backgrounds, with the necessary tools and skills for understanding modern management, creating the best possible start for a successful career. The Degree provides both a broad background in management as well as the opportunity to go into more depth in selected topics by choosing electives. The programme has theoretical and practical elements, allowing students to understand the theory while at the same time being able to apply the knowledge to practical management situations. The last semester is a unique combination of academic rigor through the writing of a thesis and a piece of applied or consulting work – the field project – which is done in groups for a real company. The goal of the course is to create an understanding of the management processes that are the basis of organisations today. It should also help to develop the skills necessary to perform successfully in business organisations from start-ups to multinational companies, which are reflected in courses like Entrepreneurship and International Business. However, as most tasks in organisations become increasingly interdisciplinary it is also important to be able to work across traditional areas, which is another skill that is actively encouraged within the programme. This is also reflected in the variety of different teaching methods used including lectures, case studies, group work, games and fieldwork. However, all teaching methods stress an interactive approach or dialogue with the students. The Faculty and the students are an international group, with education and work experience from across the world. This further increases learning and cultural exchanges, as students also learn to work effectively with people from different cultures. The degree has two streams in the first semester. Students with a background in economics or management will follow a set of courses which are designed to further build on these areas. Students without any background in economics and management will follow a set of courses which provide the understanding and fundamental insight into the management disciplines. From the second semester the two streams will combine and continue to develop new insights into management processes....

Goals and Contents

Organisations and businesses that seek success serve their clients and customers effectively. Companies depend on customers and suppliers for the resources needed to carry out their business. Managing the relationships with customers and suppliers is critical for the development of any business and is a task that involves most management positions in any company. The management of customer and supplier relationships is one of the tasks of marketing. This requires an effective understanding of how these relationships work. Specific skills are required for this task. Graduates from this programme will have acquired competencies to meet the requirements for a professional career in companies of different size. The aim of the programme is to prepare participants to assume positions of general management or to take up specialized positions such as product and marketing managers. Another option would be to take on professional work in marketing research and communications. The programme is designed to develop participants’ analytical and decision-making skills grounded in a solid knowledge of best management practices and rigorous methodological approach. In particular it develops the capability to analyse and interpret markets as well as the ability to conceive and put into practice effective solutions that a company can adopt in dealing with various marketing issues. To this purpose traditional teaching is integrated with more active teaching methods, consisting of discussion of case histories, role-playing, business games, and working on individual and group projects. The programme stretches over two years (120 ECTS credits) and is structured to allow students to personalise their study curricula following their individual interests. In the first semester students attend general management classes in order to acquire basics of management. The second and third semesters are dedicated to core courses and electives. Students are required to take core courses that regard typical marketing topics and methodology and complete the curriculum with electives that can be chosen among courses offered by the programme and by other programmes of USI. During the last semester students work in teams on a field project and write up their master’s thesis....

Goals The Master of Science in Software Design provides students with an in-depth perspective on advanced topics of modern software systems related to their design, development and evolution. The Master of Science in Software Design uses a project-driven, hands-on approach, the primary goal of which is to teach cutting edge software engineering theory and practice. In conjunction with business and management aspects, students are trained to become competitive and business savvy software designers for the highly competitive software industry of the 21st century. Skills The acquired skills allow graduates to be immediately productive in a real-life working environment. Students learn skills such as the use of cutting edge development tools and methodologies to obtain a profound knowledge about software engineering and design principles. The skills acquired in class are practiced by working on the design and development of complex systems. This qualifies graduates to work as software designers, software architects, and project managers in industry. The Master in Software Design is also an excellent preparation to pursue a PhD in Computer Science. Teaching Teaching at the Faculty of Informatics emphasises close contact between students and faculty. Professors are pursuing research on a variety of topics and are active participants in Swiss and international research projects and networks. Visiting professors from renowned universities complement the top-quality teaching. All courses are taught in English....

Goals

In the last decades Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has radically changed the landscape of human communication. The widespread adoption of ICT-based communication and interaction tools in all types of organisations has brought to the foreground the necessity of new professional profiles. The MSc in Technology for Human Communication is one of the few masters worldwide that aims to satisfy this need, by forming specialists able to: – design innovative ICT tools to support communication, interaction and collaboration – design and manage communicative processes supported by ICT tools – evaluate and assess the effectiveness of ICT tools for communication – mediate between the ICT department of an organisation and the departments in charge of research and development, management, production, and marketing – plan the technological innovation of communication processes – contribute to personnel training in the area of ICT. A specialist of Technologies for Human Communication will find a job in a wide variety of enterprises and public organisations. In particular, small and medium enterprises strongly appreciate the flexibility and versatility guaranteed by a multi-disciplinary curriculum, that effectively combines communicative and technological competence....

Programme Goals

Career Opportunities

Professionals who can negotiate and reconcile the competing requirements of various stakeholders (artists, domain experts, curators, administrators, technical teams) with the needs and interests of visitors are in increasing demand by cultural institutions and the private sector vendors who serve them. TEC-CH graduates are eligible for leadership or project management positions for digital and new media projects. Depending on the emphasis of their study plan, they may also work as educators, communication specialists, content developers, or producers of interpretive media. With an appropriate blend of technical savvy and cultural sensibility, graduates are uniquely positioned to step into new types of roles that are just beginning to be defined as institutions acknowledge the need to produce technology-enhanced interpretation that genuinely meets the expectations of their diverse audiences. Study Programme...