Unlock Your Future at USI | Discover 9 Bachelor's and 28 Master's Degrees

Small university, great opportunities.

Discover Ticino (Switzerland), the ultimate destination for university studies, home to the prestigious Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). Nestled in this picturesque region, USI stands out as a beacon of academic excellence, offering renowned Bachelor's and Master's degrees across a diverse range of fields.

The small size (6th worldwide in THE World's Best Small Universities 2023), the cosmopolitan environment, and the dynamic, informal culture, contribute to making USI a platform of opportunities open to the world. All of this is complemented by the sunshine, and the Ticinese Dolcevita: what more could one wish for? In addition to this, USI has one of the highest employment rate of Switzerland with an astonishing 92.8% one year after graduation.

At USI, you'll find an impressive selection of programs: 9 Bachelor's (including 2 in English) and 28 Master's (with 23 in English and 5 in Italian) covering:

Architecture
Humanities
Finance
Tourism
Political economy
Management and marketing
Health studies
Media and communication
Informatics
Computational science

Read the following career stories to find out how our graduates are doing and to read their success stories.

Shortly after graduating form USI in November 2015 and after a half-year intermezzo at a communications agency in Bern, I got a job in media relations at the Zurich office of Genevan private bank Pictet. Two years later I was promoted to corporate communications officer and two years ago, I became Media Communications Manager. The USI structure educates you to be independent and prepares you well for the professional world. It’s a young university with a modern study offering adapted to the trends shaping today’s world.

Isabelle Düblin-Ventolini, Media Communications Manager, Banque Pictet & Cie, Zurich. Master in Corporate Communication, 2015

My career after USI started with a couple of internships during the inter-semester breaks that allowed me to gain some valuable knowledge and information. After my graduation, I applied for various positions and finally got hired at Google. I started with a Data Analyst position and eventually switched to my current Program Manager role.

Manuele Raggi, Sr. Program Manager, Google, Zurich. Master in Management, 2012

Discover USI's programmes

Bachelor's programmes

USI Bachelors's degrees are 3-year (6 semesters) full-time study programs that comply with the principles set out by the Bologna Declaration. The first year of the curricula consists of foundation courses, providing students with solid bases that are then applied through exercises, seminars, ateliers and workshops. During the second and third years, students are given the possibility to choose a more specific field of study, which is defined through several elective courses. The USI Bachelor's diploma enables students to continue at the graduate level (Master's degree).

Our programmes

Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) offers 9 Bachelor's programmes:

Architecture
Italian Language, Literature and Culture
Communication
Economics
Informatics in English
Data Science in English
Medicine in German, organised at UNIBAS and UNIBE, a partner institutions of the USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.
Theology
Philosophy

Master's programmes

Humanities

Master in Architecture
Master in History and Theory of Art and Architecture
Master in Lingua, letteratura e civiltà italiana
Master in Philosophy
Master of Theology
Master in Scienza, filosofia e teologia delle religioni
Master in Interreligious Dialogue: Science, Philosophy and Theology of Religions
Master in Diritto canonico ed ecclesiastico comparato

Finance
Master in Finance
Master in European Studies in Investor Relations and Financial Communication
Master in Financial Technology and Computing

Tourism
Master in International Tourism

Political economy
Master in Economia e politiche internazionali
Master in Economics
Master in Public Management and Policy (PMP)

Management and marketing
Master in Management
Master in Management and Informatics
Master in Marketing and Transformative Economy
Master in Corporate Communication
Master in Digital Fashion Communication
Master in Public Management and Policy (PMP)

Health
Master in Communication, Management and Health
Master in Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication
Master of Medicine

Media and Communication
Master in Media Management
Master in Communication, Management and Health
Master in Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication
Master in Corporate Communication
Master in Digital Fashion Communication
Master in European Studies in Investor Relations and Financial Communication

Informatics
Master in Informatics
Master in Artificial Intelligence
Master in Computational Science
Master in Software and Data Engineering
Master in Management and Informatics
Master in Financial Technology and Computing

Computational science
Master in Computational Science

International rankings

In the national and international comparison, USI proves that it is worthy of the trust of those who choose to study in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland and of those who elect USI as a research partner.

INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS

USI in the Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS), which are amongst the world's most popular and well-known global rankings - latest available data:

QS World University Rankings 2024
328th worldwide
(out of 1500 universities considered)
THE World University Rankings 2024
Range 251-300
(out of 1904 universities considered)
THE Young University Rankings 2023
32nd worldwide
among ‘young’ universities (less than 50 years old)
THE World's Best Small Universities 2023
6th worldwide
among small universities.
QS Top 50 Under 50 2021
26th worldwide
among ‘young’ universities (less than 50 years old)

U-MULTIRANK 2022

With 16 "A" in the indicators taken into consideration, USI ranks 3rd in the ranking of Swiss universities (Country Report Switzerland).

RANKINGS BY SUBJECT AREA

In addition to the global university rankings, USI has made significant progress in subject area rankings:

THE Subject Rankings
with important results in particular in Computer Science, Clinical and Health, Economics.
QS World University Rankings by Subject
with important results in particular in Computer Science & Information Systems, Economics & Econometrics, and Medicine.
Forschungsmonitoring
with high scores in the rankings that measure the impact of research in Economics, especially when referring to the most prestigious academic journals of the field.

USI's campuses in Lugano and Mendrisio.

The USI campus in Lugano is a modern and dynamic environment dedicated to higher education and research. Situated in the eastern part of Lugano, it offers innovative and functional architecture, modern classrooms, equipped laboratories, libraries, and green spaces.

The campus in Mendrisio is in a setting close to yet outside the metropolitan areas facilitates student life, while the young people have easy access to the nearby cities. The various buildings on the Mendrisio campus are laid out around the park, Villa Argentina, Palazzo Canavée and Palazzo Turconi and the Library.

Where to find us

The West campus, the main campus of Università della Svizzera italiana, is located in via Buffi 13, Lugano.

The East campus, where you will find the faculties of Informatics and Medicine, is located in Via la Santa 1, Lugano.

USI has other campuses: first of all the Academy of Mendrisio for the faculty of Architecture, then another research campus in Bellinzona.

We mention the Ideatorio and the House of Sustainability, innovative venues owned and managed by USI for the population at large.

Unlock Your Future at Università della Svizzera italiana

9 Bachelor's and 28 Master's Degrees in several disciplines.

Small university, great opportunities.

Career stories

Discover USI's programmes

L'USI in figures

Download Students' Guide

USI's campuses in Lugano and Mendrisio.

Where to find us