Testimonials

When I started the Master in Economics at USI, I was looking for a solid and challenging academic program. What I found was much more than that.

The small class size creates a learning environment that is rare today. Courses are interactive, and professors are not only highly qualified, but also approachable and supportive. The constant exchange with them pushes you to go deeper, ask better questions, and think more rigorously.

Academically, the program gave me something very valuable: a strong way of thinking. It does not aim to train students for one specific job, but instead builds a solid foundation in economic reasoning. Now working as a Data Scientist, I clearly see how useful this has been. While technical tools can be learned on the job, the ability to think critically, understand connections and trade-offs, and structure problems clearly is what truly makes a difference.

The 120 ECTS structure also gave me the opportunity to broaden my perspective and gain practical experience during my studies. I had the opportunity to work as a research assistant at the Institute of Economics (IdEP), spend a semester on exchange in St. Gallen, and complete a Data Science internship at Novalytica, where I now work full-time. This flexibility, combined with a well-structured academic path, is one of the program’s greatest strengths.

My name is Ludovica De Giacomo, and I am a student enrolled in the double degree program between the Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II and the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI). I recently completed my Master’s in Economics at USI, with a minor in Data Science.

The partnership between the two universities has been incredibly valuable, offering me a broader perspective on economic studies. While in Naples, I focused more on theoretical subjects, whereas at USI, I had the chance to dive into technical and empirical topics, particularly in the field of data science. This experience has given me a well-rounded understanding of economics, highlighting its vastness and the continuous opportunities for learning within the field. Choosing the double degree program was one of the best decisions I could have made.

The Data Science component of my studies was particularly well-structured, providing me with a comprehensive view of emerging career opportunities in the field. The professors were highly qualified and contributed greatly to the quality of the program. And, in fact, thanks to the Master’s in Economics at USI, I had the opportunity to complete an internship as a Data Analyst at Multi RE SA, where I will soon begin working full-time on a permanent contract. 

I am extremely grateful for everything I have learned throughout this journey.

My name is Annalisa Bissoli and I have recently completed the Master’s in Economics at USI, with a minor in Public Policy.

After obtaining my bachelor's degree, I wanted to deepen my knowledge in Economics and foster my quantitative and analytical skills. Now, I can confidently say that this Master’s was the right choice for several reasons. The diverse range of courses offered, the emphasis on the application of concepts in addition to theoretical learning, and the excellent teacher-student ratio make this program one of a kind. You will explore topics from multiple perspectives while closely interacting with outstanding professors, who equip you with the essential tools to excel not only in exams but also in your future career. Moreover, the flexibility in structuring your study plan through the choice of two minors and second-year courses really allows you to tailor the program to your specific needs and interests.

During my Master’s, I had the opportunity to do my internship as a student assistant at the Institute for Economic Research (IRE), a research institute within the Faculty of Economics at USI, and I continued collaborating with the team until the end of my studies. As a next step, I will soon start an internship in the Basic Data and Analyses sector at the Swiss Federal Administration (Social Insurance Office). I am deeply grateful for the skills and knowledge that I acquired during the Master’s program, which has prepared me in an excellent way, both academically and professionally.

My name is Gonçalo Rodrigues Fernandes and I recently graduated from the Master of Science in Economics with a minor in Data Science. Today, I work at BancaStato, the cantonal bank of the Canton of Ticino with a public mandate to promote the economic development of the Canton. I initially joined on a six-month contract, focusing on learning and automating internal processes. Subsequently, I was offered an 18-month post-graduate program to become a business analyst. Securing a position at this bank is challenging, and I owe my success to the experiences and knowledge gained during my Master’s program.

In the last semester of my Bachelor in Economics, I sought a master's program to enhance my analytical skills. Today, I can confidently say that the Master in Economics at USI was the right choice to achieve this goal.

The core courses in the Master in Economics provide a robust foundation in Econometrics, Macroeconomics, and Microeconomics. This background equips students to tackle challenging analytical tasks effectively. Since I have always been interested in programming, I chose Data Science as my minor. In my opinion, it is the perfect choice for young economists who want to expand their analytical and programming skills while learning the basics of artificial intelligence.

Additionally, the Master in Economics fosters an exciting environment through individual and group projects. These projects are challenging but offer the opportunity to apply concepts in practice and develop teamwork skills to achieve greater goals. Furthermore, the program offers internship opportunities, which are invaluable for preparing for the job market. I interned as a research assistant at the Economics Institute (IdEP) of USI, and this experience helped me grow both personally and professionally.

One of USI strengths is its small class sizes, which are even more emphasized in the Master in Economics. While small classes might feel unusual at first, their benefits quickly become apparent: the close interaction between students and the exceptional professors creates an optimal learning environment.

My name is Elena Zoino and I have recently obtained a double degree in Economics (Università della Svizzera italiana), and Economics & Finance (University of Naples – Federico II).

Currently I am an Equity Investment Specialist at Nordea Asset Management, one of the largest asset managers in the Nordics with a global presence in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

The experience at USI was really enriching for me.

So, If I could go back in time, would I make the same choice? The answer is a strong yes. The Master in Economic made me strengthen my knowledge base in Economics, and it also allowed me to develop very useful skills in data science. I really loved the interactive lectures and the close relationship with all the professors. On top of that, the possibility to be in contact with people from all over the world and working on group projects with them was truly stimulating for me.

I will always have great memories from the master and the time I spent in Lugano. There I can say I grew up from a professional and especially a personal point of view thanks to the top professors I had and the amazing colleagues, that are still friends!

My name is Andrea Tenconi, a former student of the Master of Science in Economics.

I have no doubts in saying that the choice I made when I decided to apply at USI was the best I could have taken: the Master in Economics helped me raise the bar, providing me with all the right tools so I could make a more conscious career choice among the almost countless fields in economics. I found a welcoming environment, characterized by well-prepared professors who never put students in boxes. As a clear example of that, I was allowed to switch Minor after the first semester, once I felt it wasn’t exactly my path, without any complication. Even in the unlucky times of online lessons in 2020, every professor kept us students motivated, allowing us to receive a high-level education despite the situation.

Today, I work in a think tank in Milan, for which I provide both research and consulting services. My main focuses are the electricity sector, the gas sector and the environmental aspects of the energy transition, both at the Italian and European levels. There were many candidates for the job and it was my very first interview. Later, I was told by my boss, who at the time was the recruiter, that one of the main aspects for which I successfully obtained the position was the great reputation the Master of Economics at USI has, specifically the excellence of its quantitative courses. 

I am Saverio Duraccio, a 25-year-old professional with a robust background in the financial sector. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to grow and thrive in key roles within prominent financial institutions.

Currently, I hold the position of Execution Trader at UBS in Zurich, actively collaborating with the fund's execution team and managing crucial data related to fund transactions, both for UBS and third-party entities. My dynamic presence in a trading environment has allowed me to refine my skills in optimizing execution strategies.

Previously, I played pivotal roles such as Equity & Bond Trading Analyst at Borsa Italiana, actively contributing to real-time market surveillance. Additionally, I served as an Investment Fund Monitoring Officer at Société Générale, managing a portfolio of clients tied to Alternative Investment Funds.

My career commenced with a foundational role as an Asset Manager at BNP Paribas, where I managed a 2 billion euro portfolio, making investment decisions with a specific focus on ESG markets.

I have a double degree in Economics, with a focus on Data Science from the University of Italian Switzerland (USI), and one in Economics and Finance from the University of Naples Federico II.

Studying at USI was highly formative as it allowed me to combine my purely theoretical background with a highly pragmatic underpinning that greatly broadened my experience in a university context. The opportunity to study highly topical subjects such as data science has certainly helped me in entering the job market, which is a major competitive advantage. USI is an environment that allows students to approach modern and interesting subjects, which helps and stimulates students towards a field that will help them in the world of work. The competitive environment and the support of the lecturers have helped to lay the solid foundations for a consistently proactive and results-oriented attitude.

I am very satisfied and happy with the decision to do a double degree by choosing Switzerland and USI, as it was a winning investment for my future career.

My name is Graziano Di Capua, and I recently graduated with a double degree in Economics, minor Data Science (Università della Svizzera italiana), and Economics & Finance (University of Naples – Federico II). Now, I work as a Market and Credit Risk Analyst at Deloitte.

Overall, I was very happy with the studying experience at USI, and with the courses offered. Studying classical economics and finance can sometimes be a little tedious, so having the opportunity to combine the theoretically heavy workload with practical implementation by virtue of the Minor in Data Science was a real joy. Syllabi focusing solemnly on theory can be found anywhere, but the bridge between theory and practice is something that I think is rare. USI really sets itself apart from other universities through this channel.

The small classroom sizes allow for very interactive lectures that stimulate discussion and understanding of more complex topics. Regularly working on group projects also helped in establishing relationships with the other students, and creating a positive learning environment. We were among friends at the end of the day!

Beyond classroom activities, USI has a large professional network and professors offer their full support in helping students get placed in the job market upon graduation – be it in the form of a reference letter or a straight-up introduction to a potential employer.

With my studies now wrapped up, looking back, I am very happy I could take part in the Master in Economics at USI. I warmly welcome any prospective students to get in touch with the university regarding the Master in Economics."

My name is Elisa Nespoli, and I am a former student of the Master of Science in Economic Policy (MEP).

Today I am an associate consultant at Delphos International, an emerging markets company based in Washington, D.C., which arranges innovative financial solutions for development companies and projects.
There I am mainly involved in project management activities in various inter-operable units, like Transaction Advisory, Strategic Partnership, Operations, Execution, Structured Finance, Legal, and Business Development.
 
After concluding my Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Organizations, and Markets, I decided to continue my studies in a Master program which could help me further expand my quantitative and data analysis skills. The Master in Economic Policy was one of the best choices of my life.

During these years, MEP offered me a solid knowledge base in Economics, and it also allowed me to broaden my knowledge in Finance. By carrying out various projects and collaborating with excellent professors, I have developed and improved my analytical, problem-solving, and time management skills. These competencies are key requirements for any job, and today they are essential for my work position.

In conclusion, the Master of Science in Economics Policy has helped me grow both personally and professionally, and it has prepared me for a successful working career.

My name is Fabienne Servalli, I recently graduated in economics and defended my thesis on individuals' decision over Swiss Pension Funds.
Now, I work as a financial consultant at Swiss Life.

After the conclusion of my bachelor, I have worked for 7 years before deciding, after this long pause from university life, to pursue the Master in Economics at USI, which could allow me to reach my professional goals as a financial consultant and teacher. 

The Master in Economics was motivating and challenging at the same time, I believe that it provides the right balance to acquire knowledge and enjoy the study. It offers varied subjects to choose from, and some of which allow going in-depth based on the field of interest that the student has; moreover, before the starting of the first semester I really appreciated the introductory math course that USI offered that enabled me to warm up and review important aspects which were needed to follow the classes. The small classes allowed me to build a good relationship with all my mates and the professors, which was a really important aspect for the success and the efficiency of my study process. In addition, thanks to the fact that the courses are taught in English, incentivised by thinking about the different job opportunities that students can have worldwide.

Because of all the aspects mentioned above, I highly recommend undertaking the Master in Economics for both academic and professional reasons.

I am Barış Sevük, a former student of the Master of Science in Economics at USI.

I can say without doubt that the choice to attend the economics programme at USI has been the wisest one I have made in my education. The demanding and vigorous coursework at USI not only provided me with state-of-the-art economic tools and the knowledge of modern economic literature but also left a mark on how I handle new problems and challenges, which is immediately noticed in any environment I have been to. However, although the excellence in quantitative methods and economic theory is typical of USI graduates, these alone cannot describe what is waiting for prospective candidates. As a USI graduate, I have experienced unwavering support from my professors to this day, which has motivated me in the right direction and boosted my opportunities even further.

Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate and a teaching assistant at the University of Bologna, and I am sure that I could not make it to where I am now if it was not for USI.

I am Mattia Albertini, PhD student in Economics at USI and former student of the Master in Economics. Being part of the M.Sc. in Economics at USI (former Economic Policy) has involved much more than simply being a student.
Behind those 120 ECTS, there was first a lot of studying, but also many opportunities, career days, associations’ activities, projects, friendships, and much more! I believe that with this master USI has achieved a unique quality in Switzerland, and perhaps in the EU.
The classes are very engaging in terms of topics and student-professor interactions. Moreover, there is plenty of opportunities for those willing to take them: in the first year, I was already a research assistant, in the second year I specialized in finance at HSG.
Today I am a PhD student at USI,  and if I arrived until this point, it was thanks to what I learned in those two years of Master

My name is Lorenzo Barisone and I am a former student of the Master in Economic Policy (MEP).

At the moment, I am a PhD Student at the Faculty of Economics of USI and I am also working as an advisor for the Office of Statistics of the City of Lugano.

After the conclusion of my Bachelor in Economics at USI, I was looking for a Master, which could improve my analytical skills and advance my research competence. The Master in Economic Policy has been the key for the realization of such important goals.

The MEP core courses in Econometrics, Macroeconomics, and Microeconomics in combination with more specializing ones in Data Science, Development Economics and Quantitative Methods are the perfect recipe to train young economists, facing the new challenges of the job market in the era of the digitalization.

Moreover, the MEP is not only a master program where students can learn concepts, but it is also a context in which you can understand how to apply them, thanks to the research projects realized throughout the courses and especially during the internship. In fact, my internship experience as Research Economist at the Office of Statistics of the City of Lugano has been an important chance to demonstrate my knowledge, acquired during the courses.

In conclusion, the small class size, the excellent professors involved in the program and the interaction with them are certainly the main advantages of this experience, which has substantially changed my professional life, giving me all the instruments to become an ambitious economist.

My name is Anna Sturaro, I recently graduated in economics at USI after having defended my master thesis on the efficiency of financial markets.

Today I am a business consultant in KPMG Advisory S.p.A., line of business Financial Services.

There I am mainly involved in operational and organizational projects and project management activities on insurance and banking companies.

Studying Economics at USI Università della Svizzera italiana played a great role in my personal and professional growth. I developed a strong economic background, and a mindset oriented to critical analysis and problem-solving. I also gained the ability to solve complex issues, and learnt how to deal with multiple tasks simultaneously, which are all essential features for my actual job.

Thus I can certainly say that the master enriched me a lot and prepared me for the job market.

My name is Pietro Cesaro, a current Policy Assistant at the European Commission and a former student of the Master in Economic Policy (MEP).

To start attending the Master of Science in Economic Policy (MEP) was one of the best choices of my life. I entered it as an economics student with general skills, and very soon, I developed strong analytical ones, thanks to all the courses that it offers in Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Econometrics and so on. I have been able to improve my human capital thanks to the help of the top-level professors of the Master, keen on offering their direct help in case you are not understanding some concepts related to the courses. I found the structure of the Master inspiring, flexible and international. Indeed, I had the possibility to spend one semester in one of the most important Economic department in Europe, at the KU Leuven University in Belgium, thanks to the several international agreements of the MEP.

I have always appreciated that professors at the MEP do not let you alone in the difficult search for job opportunities, and directly help you in finding your way forward to have a successful career, both in the private and in the academic sector. For example, I completed an internship of four months at the United Nation Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn and I am improving my international experience at the Commission in Brussels: without the preparation I received during this Master, I would have never been able to reach this point. In Bonn, I could put into practice my research skills on the development of Carbon Pricing approaches around the World and now I am working on Sustainable Finance issues.

During my academic path, I have been studying at different universities: apart from Lugano I was in Madrid (UC3M), Leuven (KUL), and in London (LSE), but I have never found an environment such as I experienced during the MEP. The MEP pragmatically helps you to succeed in your life goals, and I strongly recommend this Master to all the people that feel ready to challenge themselves and reach their full potential.

My name is Ludovica Marcotti and I am a former student of the Master in Economic Policy (Università della Svizzera italiana). After concluding my Bachelor Degree in Economics - Minor in Quantitative Methods I decided to continue my studies in a Master programme which could equip me with strong quantitative skills and data analysis competences. MEP programme offered me exactly what I was looking for.

MEP courses cover the whole economics fields (macro-economics, micro-economics, political economy, but also more specialized topics as pension finance and development economics), following a rigorous and academic methodological approach. Specifically, the Master allowed me to learn how to work with data and how to analyze them by the means of specific courses (e.g. econometrics) and by the means of my internship as research student-assistant.

This internship experience has been extremely positive: I have been involved in an empirical research project, therefore I had the chance to concretely apply the theoretical tools I had learned during the lessons. Moreover, this research internship helped me to enrich my CV with an excellent working experience: data analysis skills and quantitative competencies are appreciated in almost every sector today, especially in the economic and financial ones.

To conclude, the intense semesters at MEP have been challenging (because of the high level and demanding lessons), but fully rewarding: the strong analytical background and the high-quality internship experience have been extremely useful when I decided to enter the job market (I successfully applied for a graduate programme internship in the bank sector, which I started in January 2019) and I will be always thankful to all the MEP Professors for what they taught me for their great support.

My name is Emmanuel Ureña Ruiz, and I am a former master student of the MEP program (Master in Economic Policy). I have recently joined a team of multi-disciplinary professionals at the Gorgas Institute (the leading institution in health research and disease prevention in Panama, my home country).

I started my master program at USI in the fall of 2017 with the hope of expanding my knowledge and being in a multi-cultural environment. Once there I realized that motivation and discipline were two key ingredients to secure success. On one hand, my motivation was fueled by a desire to learn how to correctly approach economic problems, identify the best tools to study potential research questions and discuss feasible interventions from the public sector. I had the opportunity to better understand these elements in a wide range of areas such as political economy, health economics and public policy among several others. On the other hand, thanks to the master and university´s resources, I was able to strengthen my learning methods and better organize my study and social time.

Besides the academic environment, being a MEP student gave me the access to participate as a volunteer for the Middle East and Mediterranean Summer Summit in 2018 and 2019, where I met great people and learned about the issues in the MENA region. In 2018, I did an internship for the economics department where I supported research activities related to data preparation. In early 2019 and thanks to the support of the MEP staff, I started a 3-month paid internship at LFA (Lugano Financial Advisors), where I shared my expertise in economics and econometrics specifically with the investment team. I defended my master thesis in September 2019 and received my diploma in the graduation ceremony in November of the same year.

I have only great memories from my time in the master and in Lugano, where I met top academic professionals and colleagues and made life-long friends. Thanks to the MEP master, I feel prepared to face the upcoming challenges in my new role as a health researcher in my home country.

My name is Veronica Grassi, I am currently a PhD Student at St. Gallen University, and a former student of the Master in Economic Policy (MEP).

I have been a student of the Master in Economic Policy (MEP) between 2015 and 2017, and this has been an extremely fulfilling experience. As a former Bachelor’s student from USI, I was already aware of the excellent professors that teach in the MEP, but my expectations were exceeded. The MEP is a challenging and demanding master programme, but the small class size and intense interactions with the professors helped me to complete the master programme successfully.

The MEP teaches a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, with an emphasis on empirical research. During my second year, I took the opportunity to participate in research projects, under the supervision of two MEP’s professors. Actively working on research projects has substantially enhanced my skills, and been extremely valuable for my career.

During the master, I have always received strong support from MEP’s professors. I have acquired quantitative and analytical skills, as well as research experience. Those factors encouraged me to pursue a PhD. Thanks to the high level of education of the MEP, I got a PhD position in economics at the University of St.Gallen.