USI: A hub of opportunity for agile graduates

21 May 2019

Encouraging students to experiment with new ways of thinking and develop layers of curiosity, creativity and innovation in their learning, Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) in Switzerland is a youthful university with three campuses in Lugano, Mendrisio and Bellinzona.

A hub of opportunity open to the world, USI collaborates with 2800+ students and 800+ professors and researchers from over 100 countries. Connected by the university’s three guiding principles of quality, openness and responsibility, there’s a constant free flow and open exchange of ideas within this thriving academic community.

A young and agile university

Stationed at the crossroads between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, USI benefits from its unique position.

One of 12 certified public universities in Switzerland, co-ordinated by swissuniversities, USI is organised into five faculties and is active in several study and research areas, including architecture, communication sciences, computational science, data science, economics, health studies, humanities, informatics, law, medicine and biomedicine.

Where Swiss flair meets Italian style, the university cultivates original perspectives and constantly seeks untrodden paths.

Combining three dynamic destinations, the Lugano campus (main centre), the Lugano 2 campus, the Mendrisio campus and the Bellinzona campus create a fulfilling and insightful study abroad experience for all.

Inspiring students to create freely and act responsibly, the university underpins creative diversity and a range of academic goals and aspirations. Young at heart, the contemporary curriculum merged with a global student body and faculty sets USI up as a strategic study destination.

“USI is a very international university. In my class alone, there were students representing 19 different countries. The USI campus is equally modern and accommodating. The courses combine applied projects, often involving local businesses. This helps students obtain real-life experience in the business world,” Master in International Tourism graduate, Dzmitry Bazhko explains.

Teaching with an influential blend of theory and practice

Small but powerful, the academic impact of USI cannot be undermined.

In this dynamic and informal culture, quality infrastructure and business connections provide a study experience that is much appreciated by students.

USI Bachelor’s, Master’s, Executive, Doctoral, MOOCS and auditing study programmes offer quality and interdisciplinary teaching, where theory and practice are balanced and students are given constant opportunities to express themselves.

Supporting barrier-free dialogue between students and professors, windows of opportunity are open in the surrounding cosmopolitan environment, leading students towards powerful international careers.

The main tuition languages here are English and Italian (in the Bachelor programmes) and the high employment rate of 93 percent for graduates one year after graduation is in line with that of other Swiss universities.

“USI is a very special place to study. It provides its graduates with a solid theoretical background and forces them to strengthen their social and interpersonal skills. Indeed, despite being a quite small university, its high degree of multiculturality encourages students to constantly interact with fellow colleagues and professors from different cultural backgrounds. This is, in my opinion, one of the biggest assets of this university,” Alessandro Pioda, Marketing graduate and Junior Customer Marketing Manager at Unilever explains.

Supporting research, innovation and start-ups

A space where researchers can freely pursue group projects and personal initiatives, USI regularly supports new research efforts, innovative ideas and start-ups.

Complete with a Start-up Promotion Centre (CP Start-up), the Centre for Computational Medicine in Cardiology and Il Litorale – an initiative to enable greater permeability between the entrepreneurial and academic worlds and society – USI is a progressive platform from which entrepreneurial spirits thrive.

With a Master in Economic Policy from USI, Sandra Mariela Guaman Montero went on to become the Co-Founder of MPMatheis SRL.

“After finishing my studies in Switzerland and mixing with people from different backgrounds, I realised that developing countries need more people to create projects and that studying should give you the ability to create work, not necessarily to wait and find a job. That’s why my German partner, who also studied in USI, and I decided to come to live in South America and create a company with German products.”

A tight-knit community of creatives and innovators, your career aspirations are made possible at USI.

“Being able to have direct contact with the teachers, there were times when my classmates and I felt like we were having personalised classes – which was wonderful!” adds Sandra.

Where real-world value begins

With strong ties to the business world, an international, dynamic and welcoming environment, leading interdisciplinary education and the quality of the Swiss university system to support you through your study journey, USI shines a light on the real-world value of your degree.

Paired with affordable tuition fees and several USI scholarships, your lessons will be met with a teacher to student ratio of 1 to 9. Learning in smaller groups allows for flexible lesson structures and unrestricted idea exchange, permitting meaningful and exclusive student input.

Uniting five faculties and 21 institutes on three campuses, almost 2,000 international students from 107 countries, and 200 research partner universities and institutes, USI is a hub of opportunity for agile graduates.

So, if you want to learn more about Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) and start your study venture in Switzerland, click here to find out more.

Your diverse, innovative and quality interdisciplinary education experience awaits.

Follow USI on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn