Master of Science in Management

The Master in Management is offered by the Faculty of Economics of the Università della Svizzera italiana situated in Lugano - Switzerland. This full-time study programme comprises 120 ECTS spread over 4 semesters (usual duration 2 years) and is entirely offered in English.

The MSc in Management has been designed to provide graduates, from a wide variety of backgrounds, with the necessary skills and tools for understanding modern management concepts. It creates the best possible conditions for a successful career in business from start-ups to multinational companies.

Track System

The Master in Management programme introduced a new track system. Students have the possibility to specialize in their studies. They can choose one of three different specialization tracks:

• Strategy and Entrepreneurship
• Organization and Human Resources Management
• Socially Responsible Management

Each track consists of 18 ECTS, offered in six 3 ECTS courses in the second and third Semesters.

Students do not have to specialize, though. Thus, if they want, they can still follow the previous, general Master programme. The completion of each specialization track will result in a “concentration” reported on the final transcript. The specialization tracks represent highly important areas in the modern business world and thus give the students the opportunity to develop particular expertise in these fields to develop a clearer profile upon entering the job market.

Awarded degree

Master of Science in Management.

Structure and contents

The MSc in Management is 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 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.

The last semester is a unique combination of academic rigour 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. Instead of the field project, students can also decide to do an individual internship.

INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS

USI in the Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS), which are amongst the world's most popular and well-known global rankings - latest available data:

• QS World University Rankings 2023
  240th globally
  (out of 1500 universities considered)
  
• THE World University Rankings 2023
  Range 201-250
  (out of 1799 universities considered)
  
• THE World's Best Small Universities 2022
  15th worldwide
  among small universities.
  
• THE Young University Rankings 2022
  57th worldwide
  among ‘young’ universities (less than 50 years old)
  
• QS Top 50 Under 50 2021
  26th worldwide
  among ‘young’ universities (less than 50 years old)

U-MULTIRANK 2022

With 16 "A" in the indicators taken into consideration, USI ranks 3rd in the ranking of Swiss universities (Country Report Switzerland).

RANKINGS BY SUBJECT AREA

In addition to the global university rankings, USI has made significant progress in subject area rankings:

• THE Subject Rankings
  with important results in particular in Computer Science, Clinical and Health, Economics.
• Forschungsmonitoring
  with high scores in the rankings that measure the impact of research in Economics, especially when referring to the most prestigious academic journals of the field.

Career Prospects

The programme develops the skills necessary to perform successfully in business organisations from start-ups to multinational companies.

The range of career opportunities for graduates of the MSc in Management is quite wide. In fact, as a Master in Management is not highly vocational, it does not narrow down the professional paths into something really specific. Graduates can find good opportunities in small and medium-sized enterprises, large organizations, banks, or they can also start their own company. This last, an entrepreneurial career, is becoming a more common choice than in the past.

The skills you gain on this management degree allow you to contribute to your employer's organisation quickly and effectively

Lastly, our Master in Management gives really good career opportunities to its students, thanks to the strong relationships that it has developed with the local enterprises, with the national environment, and also with the international contest.

Employability Data

• Employed 90.9%
• Average Time to job* 3.3 months
  (53% within 3 months: 18% before graduation)