USI Università della Svizzera italiana
Master of Science in Informatics
Lugano, Switzerland
MSc
DURATION
4 semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
30 Jun 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
CHF 4,000 / per semester **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* 30/04/26 for non-EU/EFTA; 30/06/26 for EU/EFTA
** applicants whose official residence was in Switzerland or Liechtenstein at the time of the final high school exam - Maturità - pay a reduced semester fee of CHF 2,000 per semester
Key Summary
The Master of Science in Informatics provides world-class education and aims to train experts for the highly competitive software industry of the 21st century.
The Master prepares students for current and emerging technologies in computer science by deepening their theoretical knowledge and sharpening their practical skills. The program is designed for both Bachelor students who wish to complete their education and professionals seeking to learn about the latest trends.
The Faculty of Informatics stands out as a centre of competence in informatics and has become one of Switzerland's major poles for teaching and research. We aim to educate informatics experts using an interdisciplinary approach, with abstract thinking and generalization skills, a sound knowledge of information technology and their pervasive application domains, as well as project management and teamwork abilities.
Awarded Degree
With the successful completion of the programme, students will be awarded a Master of Science in Informatics. Additionally, they have the possibility to obtain a specialization in one of the following areas:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Computer Systems
- Geometric and Visual Computing
- Information Systems
- Programming Languages
- Software Development
- Theory and Algorithms
Double Master's degree
The Faculty proposes the unique opportunity to spend a period of time as a study abroad aimed at achieving a joint Master's Degree in collaboration with the University of Milano-Bicocca.
Please check out the university website and find out more about our scholarships.
Check on our website for more information: Home / Education / Master / Tuition and scholarships - Master programmes
Structure and contents
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.
The students have the possibility to obtain a specialisation by writing the Master's thesis and taking at least 18 ECTS of courses in one of the following areas:
- Artificial Intelligence (from A.Y. 2021/22)
- Computer Systems
- Geometric and Visual Computing
- Information Systems
- Programming Languages
- Software Development (from A.Y. 2021/22)
- Theory and Algorithms
Teaching
Top-level and internationally renowned professors teach innovative courses with a strong multi-disciplinary orientation and in collaboration with prestigious institutions at national and international level. Teaching at the Faculty of Informatics emphasizes close contact between students and staff. Professors are pursuing research on a variety of topics and are active participants in Swiss and International research projects and networks. Visiting professors from prestigious universities complement the top-quality teaching offer.
With the successful completion of the programme, students will be awarded a Master of Science in Informatics. Additionally, they have the possibility to obtain a specialization in one of the following areas:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Computer Systems
- Geometric and Visual Computing
- Information Systems
- Programming Languages
- Software Development
- Theory and Algorithms
Career Prospects
Informatics is both the infrastructure and the engine of today’s society. It plays a key role in the industry as well as the service sector in Switzerland. The national training and research institutions have acquired a considerable reputation worldwide, in particular in the IT field. Many IT companies have or are planning to have research and development centres in Switzerland. Considering this, graduates in Informatics have excellent opportunities in the job market.
The demand for well-educated specialists in Informatics is very high and is expected to grow even more. Graduates of the Master of Science in Informatics are trained to solve complex problems in interdisciplinary areas such as machine learning, intelligent search engines, computer graphics and special effects, computer vision and face recognition, robotics, data science, and they are prepared to design, build, integrate, validate, and maintain reliable and secure software systems for the highly competitive software industry of the 21st century.
Employability Data
- Employed 100%
- Average Time to Job 2.2 months
(56% within 3 months: 39% before graduation)