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University of Lugano (USI)

Founded in 1996, the University of Lugano (USI) is a member of the Swiss university system, together with nine other cantonal universities and the Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne. It is the only Italian-speaking university outside Italy and comprises four Faculties: Architecture, Communication Sciences, Economics and Informatics. It has over 2000 students from more than 30 different countries, 210 teaching staff, 280 assistants and researchers, and 80 employees in the administrative and technical services.

Its geographical, political and cultural background has enabled USI to grow into a multilingual academic institution with great international openness. It was one of the first universities in Switzerland to adopt the new university degree system, known as the “Bologna” system, the main objective of which is to create a common European space for higher education through the harmonisation of curricula.

USI has built up a solid network of academic relationships with the other Swiss universities and with various universities abroad. It benefits from privileged partnerships with major universities in Lombardy and with the Polytechnic of Milan. With them, USI runs double-degree two-year Master’s progammes in Communication, Economics and Informatics as well as international doctoral schools.

USI enjoys very good relations with the world of work. A period of work experience with a company or institution in Switzerland or abroad is an integral part of the curriculum. The Stage & Placement service assists students in their choice of internship and in their job hunting.

Thanks to its small scale, the direct contact between teachers and students, a true symbiosis between diverse disciplines, generous spaces and high-quality technical facilities, USI offers ideal conditions for study and research.

For detailed information, visit the site www.unisi.ch or contact the Orientation service for an individual interview (orientamento@lu.unisi.ch)

USI in figures 2026 Students from over 30 different countries 301 Postgraduate students (135 doctoral students) 210 Teaching staff 280 Assistants 4 Faculties 2 Campuses 3 International doctoral schools 7 Executive Master’s programmes 20 Research institutes

The Academy of Architecture

The Academy of Architecture aims to create the ‘new architect’, a figure able to play a critical, innovative and responsible role in the transformation of man’s living space. The study programme is based on integrating the architectural project with the historical, humanistic, technical, and scientific disciplines involved in design. It consists of five years of study and one year of professional practice, which allows students to test their skills in a professional context. The study plan follows the new European structure for university studies: after the first three years, there is a Bachelor of Arts and after the next two, a Master of Arts in Architecture (architect’s diploma). The total curriculum comprises: – two semesters of basic courses (first year) – seven semesters of specific training – two semesters of external work experience – one semester wholly devoted to the diploma project. The atelier is at the heart of the learning activities; it is there that the students, each at their own worktable, put what they have learnt from the theoretical teaching into prctice in their design work. The ateliers are run by architects renowned for their work both inside and outside Switzerland, a guarantee of the teaching quality and international outlook of the Academy. The future architect is also required to attend courses in subject areas such as philosophy, theory of art and architecture, culture of the territory, ecology, mathematics, structures, technology, and the principles of law and economics. The Academy also offers an international executive Master’s programme in town-planning. The aim is to establish a centre for regional regulation and output, in which architects together with geographers, sociologists, economists and engineers can define the strategic principles behind regional projects with the guidance of international professionals of undisputed prestige.

The Faculty of Communication Sciences

The Faculty of Communication Sciences is the only one in Switzerland to provide a broad-spectrum interdisciplinary education, which brings together the humanities, the social sciences, economics and technology. The Faculty trains specialists with a solid academic background for various professional contexts: mass media, business, institutions, training, and new technologies. The curriculum is based on the new European structure for university studies. The first three years, leading to the qualification of Bachelor of Science in Communication, provides a solid general basis in the most important aspects of communication for all undergraduates and an introduction to a specialisation in: – Mass communication and new media – Corporate communication – Communication technologies – Communication in training

– Institutional communication

After the first degree, the Faculty offers a wide range of two-year programmes, taught in Italian or in English, culminating in a Master of Science in Communication (specialist degree) in the following fields: – Media management – Institutional communication –Training – Technologies for communication – Technology-enhanced communication for cultural heritage (English) – Corporate communication* (English) – Marketing* (English) – Financial communication* (Italian and English) – International tourism* (English)

• jointly with the Faculty of Economics

The Faculty offers two kinds of postgraduate programme: – a PhD in Communication Sciences in one of the above-mentioned fields of specialisation or from the New Media in Education doctoral school – three Executive Master’s programmes: the Executive Master of Science in Communications Management, the Master of Advanced Studies in Intercultural Communication and the Master of Advanced Studies in Training Management

The Faculty of Economics

From the outset, the Faculty of Economics has adopted an international, interdisciplinary approach in order to produce economics graduates able to compete in the global market. In addition to the classic subjects in the study of economics, the curriculum offers a significant quantitative component with the teaching of mathematics, statistics, information technology and econometrics. One of the Faculty’s distinctive features is its attention to finance, which has a parallel in the presence of a particularly active financial market in Lugano. The curriculum is based on the new European structure for university studies. The first three years, leading to the qualification of Bachelor of Arts in Economics, consists of two years of basic training in subjects common to all undergraduates and a third year during which students begin to specialise in: – Finance – Political Economics – Corporate Economics After completion of the first degree, the Faculty offers various two-year programmes, taught in Italian or English, culminating in a Master of Arts in Economics (specialist degree) in the following specialist fields: – Finance (English) – Economics, institutions and public policies (English and Italian) – Management (English) – Financial Communication* (English and Italian) – International Tourism* (English) – Corporate Communication* (English) – Marketing* (English)

• jointly with the Faculty of Communication sciences

The Faculty offers two kinds of postgraduate programme: – a PhD in Economics in one of the above-mentioned fields of specialisation or from one of the three doctoral Schools: Finance, Health Economics, and Business Studies and Communication – two Executive Master’s degree programmes: the Master of Advanced Studies in Healthcare economics and management, and the Master of Advanced Studies in Public Administration

The Faculty of Informatics

USI’s fourth Faculty started teaching in autumn 2004. By means of an interdisciplinary approach, it aims to train informatics experts who are capable of abstract thought and generalisation and have sound knowledge of the application fields of information technologies and competent project-management and teamwork skills. The Faculty is in a particularly auspicious scientific context, thanks not only to the synergy with the other three Faculties and to USI’s relationships with Milan’s Politecnico and with the Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne; but also to the presence of well-respected institutions in Ticino, such as the Swiss Centre for Scientific Computing, the Dalle Molle Institute for the Study of Artificial Intelligence, and Ticino’s University of Applied Sciences. The curriculum is based on the new European structure for university studies, and consists of a three-year cycle, leading to the qualification of Bachelor of Science in Informatics, followed by a two-year specialisation for a Master’s degree. Most of the teaching is in English. The Faculty’s undergraduate programme differs quite clearly from that of existing programmes in terms of teaching methodology as well as content. It is structured around five areas of learning, considered essential for a truly interdisciplinary education: – The theoretical principles of the science of informatics – Technology – Systems thinking – Application fields – Management, communication and team work Each semester, the teaching of theory and practical application are integrated into an informatics project, which thus becomes the central teaching instrument. At the end of the first three years, the Faculty offers a number of two-year degree programmes for a Master of Science in Informatics in key sectors, such as: Financial informatics, Business and Informatics, Net-centric and grid computing, Computer modelling for natural sciences and Artificial intelligence. A first two-year specialisation programme was launched in the 2004-2005 academic year in the field of embedded systems design.

Practical information

Academic calendar Studies are organised in annual cycles, subdivided into two 14-week semesters. – Winter semester: October to February – Summer semester: March to June Applications – Apply by: 1 July – Matriculate from: 1 October Entry requirements - Swiss qualifications or ones taken in Switzerland: Maturità federale, cantonale, maturità commerciale cantonale; - Italian qualifications: Maturità classica, scientifica, linguistica (valid for all faculties); Maturità tecnica-commerciale, Diploma di ragioneria or perito aziendale (valid only for economics); Maturità artistica or tecnica, Diploma di geometra (valid only for architecture); - Other countries: qualifications recognised as equivalent by the Swiss university system. Languages Italian is the official language. An understanding of English is required and knowledge of French and German is encouraged. In the faculty of Informatics and some Master’s programmes English is the main language of tuition. Fees and study grants Tuition fee per semester is SFr. 4,000 (Euro 2,730). Applicants whose official residence was in Switzerland at the time of obtaining the required qualification (Maturità) pay a reduced fee of SFr. 2,000. Swiss residents may apply for cantonal study grants; overseas students may apply for grants from a number of private Foundations. In addition, the Foundation for the Lugano Faculties of the Università della Svizzera italiana awards a one-off payment of SFr. 3,000 to students from the French- and German-speaking cantons enrolling in the first year of the undergraduate programme.

Scholarship and study grant possibilities are available and are assigned based on merit. For further information please consult the following website: http://www.unisi.ch/en/index/formazione/formazione-borse_studio.htm

[edit] External links

• USI's homepage (Italian)
• USI's hompage (English)
• Accademia di Architetturade:Universität der italienischen Schweiz

it:Università della Svizzera italiana fr:Université de la Suisse italienne