New USI Master's degree in collaboration with the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

The educational offer of USI Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society in September 2020 will be expanded with the launch of a new Master's programme in European studies in investor relations and financial communication (ESIR), developed in close collaboration with the University based in Milan.  

Created thanks to the partnership with the Faculties of Banking, Financial and Insurance Sciences and Foreign Languages and Literatures of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, it aims to train graduates with in-depth knowledge of the methodological, cultural and professional aspects of institutional communication and external relations in banking and finance.

"Good communication is crucial for the financial markets and investor services, in order to explain complex issues in a transparent way and create confidence over time, taking into account the cultural specificities of the interlocutors and the legal frameworks of reference. These needs become more pressing in times of crisis and ambiguity," comments Prof. Andrea Rocci, director of the programme for Università della Svizzera italiana.

According to Prof. Elena Beccalli, dean of the Faculty of Banking, Finance and Insurance Sciences at Università Cattolica, "the joint-degree represents an innovative programme within the European framework in terms of content. In particular, it enhances the interdisciplinary trait, integrating the distinctive skills of the economic-financial, linguistic and communication fields. In addition, the collaboration with a renowned parter such as Università della Svizzera italiana represents for Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore a further significant step in the internationalisation process, intended as the development of joint-study programmes".

"This new master's degree, with a major partner and two Faculties that put their specific skills to work - added Prof. Andrea Rocci - confirms Lugano's vocation as an interface between the financial capital of Lombardy and Switzerland. It should come as no surprise that Università Cattolica has chosen a Swiss partner for a master's degree that adopts a European perspective: Switzerland, a multilingual and multicultural country, with its delicate balance between integration and independence, represents a privileged observatory for understanding "Europe" whose dynamics are certainly less predictable today than they were a decade ago".

The new course will be offered entirely in English. The first year will be held at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and the second year in Lugano. This will allow students to absorbe different perspectives and approaches, different academic cultures in a programme that makes the most of complementarities and synergies. The language component is another highly characteristic element of the programme which, in addition to English, includes advanced courses in German and French with the possibility of adding Chinese and Arabic.

The course aims to train professionals to apply economic-financial knowledge but also to communicate effectively. The job opportunities are quite a few: for example in companies active in the financial communication sector, stock exchange companies, international financial institutions in Europe and abroad.

The new diploma replaces the Master in Financial Communication currently offered by USI. "This programme effectively benefits from the experience of the Master in Financial Communication," notes Prof. Rocci, "a course of study that over the years has trained valued professionals in the field of investor relations and communication in companies, banks and other financial intermediaries, who now operate in Switzerland and in various parts of the world.

The programme will be presented on 7 May during USI Online Master Info Week.