Università della Svizzera italiana
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Admission

The MDS is a highly-selective program designed for students with a strong background in mathematics, computer science, and applied statistics. Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree in the field of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, or related disciplines granted by an accredited university. Applicants with a bachelor's degree in the social sciences with adequate computational and analytical training will also be considered.

Specifically, admission to USI master's programmes requires a Bachelor's degree from a university or another Swiss academic institution, or a foreign Bachelor's degree from an equivalent institution that is recognized or accredited in the country of origin.

The following requirements particularly apply:

  • The certificate must be issued by a recognized higher education institution in the country where the candidate completed their studies.
  • The university degree must confirm at least three years of study (at least 180 ECTS credits).
  • 80% of the credits must have been obtained at a recognized higher education institution.
  • At least 50% of the credits must have been earned at the university that issued the degree.

The Bachelor's degree must be completed prior to starting the Master's programme. The term may be postponed in case some assessments are recorded, or the Bachelor thesis is defended later on, on a case-to-case basis.

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

For further information concerning the curriculum and application please contact the Scientific Director of the Master Programme Prof. Olaf Schenk, [email protected] and Prof. Ernst Wit, [email protected]. 

Please check the language requirements below.

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  • Language

    Admission to English-language Master’s programmes at USI requires a good command of English. Applicants whose previous degree was obtained in a language other than English are required to provide an internationally recognized language certificate at the B2+ level as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), or an equivalent test result (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, etc.).

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

      Score
    IELTS 6.5
    TOEFL Internet-based: 85
    Cambridge English First grade B
    TOEIC Listening & Reading: 860
    Speaking: 170
    Writing: 170
       

    Important:

    • The language certificate must be included in the application package: candidates whose Bachelor's was entirely taught in English must upload an official document mentioning the tuition language (e.g., official transcript, diploma supplement, or any other official certificate issued by the university) in the application form.
    • We only accept the above English qualifications (IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge English, TOEIC).
    • The certificate must still be valid at the point of the application. We generally cannot accept language test results older than three years as of September 1st.
    • Certificates obtained by passing the IELTS Academic Online or TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests may also be submitted for admission to the programme.

    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: further information can be found here.

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