Master of Science in Informatics

The Master of Science in Informatics provides world-class specialization in terms of professional training and academic research.

The Master prepares students for current and emerging technologies in computer science by deepening their theoretical knowledge and sharpening their practical skills. The program is designed for both Bachelor students who wish to complete their education and professionals seeking to refresh their knowledge and sharpen their skills. The Master combines the study of fundamental aspects of computer science with a practical hands-on approach, preparing professionals for successfully pursuing a career in research and development across any application domain.

Students can additionally obtain a specialization in the following research areas:

• Computer Systems
• Geometric and Visual Computing
• Information Systems
• Programming Languages
• Theory and Algorithms

The Faculty of Informatics stands out as an excellence center of competence in informatics and has become one of Switzerland's major poles for teaching and research. We aim to educate informatics experts using an interdisciplinary approach, with abstract thinking and generalization skills, a sound knowledge of information technology, as well as project management and teamwork abilities.

Awarded Degree

With the successful completion of the program, students will be awarded a Master of Science in Informatics.

Double Master's degree

The Faculty proposes the unique opportunity to spend a period of time as study abroad aimed at achieving a joint Master's Degree in collaboration with the University of Milano-Bicocca.

Structure and contents

The study program consists of four semesters full-time study (120 ECTS). Students select 30 ECTS of foundational courses (over the two years) and 60 ECTS of electives based on their interests, plus a substantial Master's thesis (30 ECTS).

To broaden the student's perspective, in addition to courses from the other master programs of the Faculty, up to 6 ECTS of electives can be obtained by following any Master course offered at USI.

A specialization can be obtained by writing the Master's thesis and taking 18 ECTS of courses in one of the following research areas:

• Computer Systems
• Geometric and Visual Computing
• Information Systems
• Programming Languages
• Theory and Algorithms

Teaching

Top-level and internationally renowned professors teach innovative courses with a strong multi-disciplinary orientation and in collaboration with prestigious institutions at national and international level. Teaching at the Faculty of Informatics emphasizes close contact between students and staff. Professors are pursuing research on a variety of topics and are active participants in Swiss and international research projects and networks. Visiting professors from prestigious universities complement the top-quality teaching offer.

Career Prospects

Informatics is both the infrastructure and the engine of today's society. In Switzerland, it plays a key role in the industry (pharma, manufacturing of machinery, chemistry, etc.) as well as in the service sector (banking, insurance, trade, transport, administration, etc.). The national education and research institutions have acquired a considerable reputation worldwide, in particular in the field of Information Technology. Many IT companies, some of the world leaders, have or are planning to have research and development centers in Switzerland. Considering this, graduates in Informatics have excellent opportunities in the job market. The demand for well-educated specialists in Informatics is very high and is expected to grow even more.

Graduates of the Master of Science in Informatics are prepared to become, for example, a business-savvy software designer for the highly competitive software industry of the 21st century, a system engineer with the skills to design, implement, and maintain reliable, secure, and large distributed systems, or be trained to solve complex problems in interdisciplinary areas like graphics and special effects, intelligent search engines, computer vision and face recognition, or robotics.

Admission

The formal requirement for admission to the Master's degrees in Informatics is a Bachelor's degree granted by a recognized university in the field of Computer sciences or related disciplines.

Candidates with a Bachelor's degree of a recognized University of Applied Sciences may be admitted with 30-60 additional ECTS to be earned during or before the beginning of the program, with Bachelor courses according to a study program defined by the scientific director. Admissions will be treated on a case by case basis.

Language

Admission to English-language graduate-level (Master) programs at USI requires a good command of the English idiom. Non-English native speakers applying for such programs, or whose previous degree was obtained in another language, are required to provide an internationally acknowledged language certificate equal to the B2 level, as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR), or equivalent (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, etc.).

The B2 level on the CEFR corresponds to the following scores in internationally acknowledged exams:

Students admitted under the above-mentioned condition (with the exception for the Master in Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication) must achieve a C1 competence in English within the maximum time required to obtain the Master's degree.

The level can be certified either by attending a language course offered at USI during the Fall and Spring semester, and by taking the final exam, or by providing an internationally acknowledged language certificate*.

* The C1 level on the CEFR corresponds to the following scores in internationally acknowledged exams:

Italian

As Lugano is located in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, students might be interested in acquiring the basics in Italian.

The Università della Svizzera italiana offers a free of charge Italian language course.

Application Procedure

To submit your application, please refer to the indications for filling out the online form available here: http://application.lu.usi.ch.

Paper Application

Please note that we prefer online applications.

Applications can also be submitted with the application form and required paper documents (email or fax submissions will be rejected) to the following address:

Università della Svizzera italiana
Faculty of Informatics
Admission Office
Via G. Buffi 13
CH-6900 Lugano
Switzerland

Required documentation:

The following pieces of documentation have to be sent in paper form:

• The completed application form (you may download it in pdf format);
• Photocopy of past diplomas (Bachelor, licentiate, four-year degree, maturity);
• Official transcript of results of university examinations;
• Certified translation of any diplomas written in a language other than Italian, German, French, English, or Spanish;
• Curriculum vitae (Resume)
• Personal letter of motivation drafted by the candidate;
• Official certification of proficiency in English;
• Photocopy of an identity card or other documents;
• Photocopy of residence permit for foreign nationals already domiciled in Switzerland.

Photocopy of past degree certificates

Where a candidate has not fulfilled all the requirements for the Bachelor's degree, licentiate or other, copy of the diploma may be sent at a later stage, but in any case no later than the beginning of the matriculation period. If so, please indicate the expected date of the award and enclose an official document issued by the awarding institution confirming these terms.

Letter of motivation

Candidates are required to draft a letter (not more than one page) introducing themselves and explaining their particular interest and reasons for seeking admission to a given Master's degree.

Registration fee

The Lisbon convention regulates the recognition of university degrees between signatory countries and considerably simplifies the administration of admission procedures. For this reason, candidates whose previous degree studies were completed in countries outside this Convention (see list below) are invited to pay an application fee of SFr. 100 accounting for the higher administrative costs of processing more complex files. If the candidate is admitted, the fee will be deducted from the amount of the tuition fee for the first semester. The administrative fee is not refundable in other cases: if admission is not granted, or if the candidate decides to withdraw or fails to matriculate.

Application deadline

Applications will be accepted starting from mid-November.

The application deadline is June 30.

The application deadline for candidates who need a visa is April 30.

Late applications will be considered only in case of available places.

Fees

Tuition fees for the Master's degrees amount to CHF 4,000 per semester. Applicants whose official residence was in Switzerland or Liechtenstein at the time of the final high school exam (Maturità) pay a reduced semester fee of CHF 2,000.

Tuition fees are payable at the beginning of each term, by the deadline indicated on the invoice; fee payment is an essential condition for matriculating or renewing one's enrolment.