Study Programme 2025-2027

First Semester

Framing the context
Core Courses

Second Semester

Acting in the context
Core Courses

Third Semester

The third semester allows participants to customise their education in line with personal interests and professional plans, either at USI’s Lugano campus or by undertaking international exchange programmes.
Students who choose to pursue the semester at USI are invited to select a thematic area of specialisation from the seven offered. Each area is worth 18 ECTS. The remaining 12 ECTS can be chosen from courses offered in other thematic areas or from the list of recommended courses below

Fourth Semester

The closing semester aims at strengthening participants’ abilities and chances to enter the job market. First, participants will contextualise the acquired competencies to real-life challenges. Depending on each participant’s interests and professional plans, he/she may opt for one of the following two capstones: (1) a field project, which is the best way to grow advanced consulting skills and deep market understanding; or, (2) an internship, which may appeal to students with no, or limited, professional experience. Second, participants will also choose between two “more academic” options: (1) a bundle of three professionalising courses in the areas of the assessment of personal learning and team profile (design thinking; and, public speaking and presentation techniques); or (2) a master’s thesis, which is especially suitable for those willing to pursue an early career in the consulting, market research, strategic planning or academic field. Overall, in the fourth-semester students can choose the mix of final examination options that better reflects their skills and professional needs/plans.