Study programme
The study programme 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 programmes of the Faculty, up to 6 ECTS of electives can be obtained by following any Master course offered at USI.
A specialisation 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
* The course is not offered in the Academic Year 2019/20.
Please be aware that slight changes in the study programme may occur.
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Language
Admission to English-language graduate-level (Master) programmes at USI require a good command of the English idiom. Non-English native speakers applying for such programmes, 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:
IELTS 5.5 TOEFL Computer based: 183
Internet based: 65
Paper based: 513Cambridge English FCE (First Certificate English) TOEIC Listening & Reading: 785
Speaking: 150
Writing: 160Students 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:
IELTS 7.0 TOEFL Internet based: 100 Cambridge English CAE (Advanced certificate), grade C or above
BEC (Business English), grade C or aboveTOEIC Listening & Reading: 945
Speaking: 180
Writing: 180Italian
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.
