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Structure and contents

The Master in Health, Major in Health Communication is a highly innovative programme. Students can choose from several electives and have the option to follow one of two tracks: "Cultural & Social Dimensions" or "Sustainability".

In the final semester students must complete a thesis but have flexibility in additional academic activities, following a structure already existing in the Faculties of Economics and Communication for internships, field project, mobility/more courses, and the type of thesis.

First semester (30 ECTS) ECTS
Health communication 6
Introduction to research approaches in health 6
Fundamentals of global and public health 6
Digital health 3
Project management 3
Health economics and policy 6

 

Second semester (21 ECTS) ECTS
Qualitative methods in health research 3
Industry & institutions perspectives 3
Health, safety, and communication 6
Planetary health 3
Health communication law 3
Cultures of healing 3

 

Third semester (18 ECTS) ECTS
Social Marketing 6
Epidemiology 3
Health informatics 3
Data Analysis 3
Health Campaign Development and Evaluation 3

 

Fourth semester (30 ECTS)* ECTS
Option 1: Thesis 30
Option 2: Thesis (21) + Internship (9 ECTS)  21+9
Option 3: Thesis (21) + Field Project (9 ECTS) 21+9
Option 4: Thesis (12) + a combination of Internship (9 ECTS) and Extra course work at USI (9 ECTS) or Mobility Exchange (18 ECTS) 12+18

*Students must complete a thesis but have flexibility in additional academic activities, following a structure already existing in the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society and Faculty of Economics.

Thematic Areas

Students must choose at least 12 ECTS in any track to earn the concentration / track listed in the degree

Cultural & Social Dimensions ECTS
Diversity and Inclusion 3
Market System Dynamics 6
Natural Language Processing for Business and Finance 3
Organizational Behavior 6
Social Innovation 3
Sponsoring and Partnership Management 3
Storytelling, Self, and Society 3

 

Sustainability ECTS
Argumentation in Public Communication 3
Economics of Well-being 3
Environmental Management and Communication  6
Market System Dynamics 6
Neuromarketing 3
Sponsoring and Partnership Management 3
Storytelling, Self, and Society 3

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  • Field Project

    In the final semester, students will have a few options to choose from.
    All are required to write a thesis, but they can choose to write a thesis worth 30 ECTS or write a thesis with fewer ECTS and complement it with an internship, a field project, or additional coursework at USI or through a mobility exchange. This allows students to tailor their degree to their academic and professional goals while gaining practical or international experiences.

     

    The Field Projects: win-win for the students and the client organizations

    The field projects and internships provide a unique opportunity for students to gain experiences and put into practice their theoretical knowledge and skills in health communication. The students gain professional experience and meet with professionals and organizations in health that may become future employers.

    Past Field Project

    Our partners for the field projects are:

  • 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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