Salary & Career Outcomes

Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) MiM Salary & Career Outcomes

Master in Management · Lugano, Switzerland

Verified against official sources · last checked September 2026 · see sources

Compare this against every Master in Management in Switzerland on our MiM salary & careers in Switzerland guide.

Top industries

Industry27.2%
Consulting24.2%
Informatics, Technology, Web12.1%

Top recruiters

Accenture · Amazon.com · Deloitte · EY · KPMG · PWC PricewaterhouseCoopers · Google · UBS · Credit Suisse · Cornèr Bank · Avaloq · Roche · Johnson & Johnson · Richemont · LVMH · Gucci · Luxottica · Hugo Boss · Dolce&Gabbana · Ferrero · Pirelli · Tetra Pak · Schindler Group · Migros · SBB CFF FFS · OSCE · UNDP

Frequently asked questions

What happens to USI Master in Management graduates?
USI publishes its own alumni-survey figures for this programme rather than an audited ranking body's, and reports that 97.2% are employed one year after graduation at an average salary of CHF 62,900, rising to 100% employed and CHF 84,600 five years out. The route to work is unusually fast on those numbers: 81.3% had a job before or immediately after graduation and a further 15.6% within three months. The most useful figure for an international reader, though, is where graduates end up. USI reports 55.9% working in Switzerland — 35.3% of the total in Ticino itself and 20.6% in other cantons — and 32.4% in Italy, with 11.7% elsewhere. Consulting (24.2%) and general industry (27.2%) take the largest shares, followed by banking, finance, insurance and accounting (18.2%). These are self-reported survey figures with no published response rate or cohort size, from a 2024 survey of the 2023 and 2019 graduating classes, so read them as USI's own account rather than as an audited placement report.
Is USI ranked for its Master in Management?
Not on the programme-level tables this site sorts its shortlists by. We could not find USI in the Financial Times Masters in Management ranking this site uses, and USI claims none on its own pages — the Swiss schools we carry FT positions for are the University of St. Gallen at #1, ZHAW at #58 and HEC Lausanne at #75 — and we could not verify a QS Business Masters management position for it either, so we set no rank and keep the programme off our rank-sorted lists, the treatment we give any programme whose rank we cannot confirm at source. USI also makes no AACSB, EQUIS or AMBA claim anywhere on the programme's own pages, which is worth knowing if accreditation marks matter to your employer or to a scholarship you are chasing. What is verifiable is institutional: USI is an accredited Swiss university whose degrees are recognised abroad under the Lisbon Convention, and its Faculty of Economics reports 1,027 students from 49 countries.

Sources

  • Università della Svizzera italiana — Master in Management (programme overview): offered by the Faculty of Economics in Lugano; 'full-time study programme comprises 120 ECTS spread over 4 semesters (usual duration 2 years) and is entirely offered in English'; designed 'to provide graduates from various backgrounds with the necessary skills and tools for understanding modern management concepts'; three specialisation tracks — Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Organization and Human Resources Management, Socially Responsible Management — of 18 ECTS each, 'offered in six 3 ECTS courses in the second and third Semesters', optional, recorded as a 'concentration' on the transcript; awarded degree 'Master of Science in Management' — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Master in Management, Admission: a bachelor's degree from a recognised university confirming 'at least three years of study (at least 180 ECTS credits)', with 80% of credits from a recognised higher education institution and at least 50% from the awarding university; applicants from a University of Applied Sciences 'may be admitted with 30-60 additional ECTS'; 'The number of places is limited to 70 to ensure an optimal learner-to-faculty ratio; therefore, there will be a selection'; selection on academic background including average grade and ranking of the undergraduate institution (economics or management studies 'may represent an advantage'), the motivation letter and CV, and proof of English; 'Any application submitted without valid English certification at the time of review will be considered incomplete and will not be processed'; three review rounds with deadlines at the end of February, April and June (June for Swiss and EU/EFTA candidates only); 'Late applications will not be accepted'; decisions within three weeks of each round — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Master in Management, Application Procedure: applications for Academic Year 2026/27 opened 9 December 2025; 'The ultimate deadlines for submitting an application for the Autumn intake are: 30 April 2026 for international (non-EU/EFTA) candidates. 30 June 2026 for Swiss and European (EU/EFTA) candidates who do not require a visa'; 'Late applications will be considered only in the case of available places'; required documents include diplomas, transcripts, CV, a one-page motivation letter, official English certification and ID; 'a registration fee of CHF 100.- is required' from candidates not exempted, exemption applying to those whose previous degree studies were completed in a country that has signed the Lisbon Convention (list of 57 signatory countries reproduced on the page); the fee is non-refundable and deducted from the first semester's tuition on enrolment — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Master in Management, Tuition and scholarships: 'For students enrolling from the 2027/28 academic year onwards, a semester fee of CHF 5,000 will apply to Bachelor (undergraduate) and Master (graduate) programmes'; reduced to CHF 2,000 for Swiss nationals, foreign nationals legally resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein at the time of obtaining their university-entrance qualification, students admitted on their dossier who are resident in Switzerland at the admission decision, students who acquire Swiss nationality during enrolment, students in the asylum sector, and Swiss or EU citizens resident in Campione d'Italia; students enrolled before 2027/28 'retain the semester fee in effect at the time of their initial enrolment'. The page states no figure for the pre-2027/28 regime. Scholarships are described only as offered by 'various public and private institutions', with no named scheme, amount or deadline — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Master in Management, Employability: 'The following data are based on the last USI Alumni Survey, carried out by the USI Career&Alumni Service and the USI Alumni DB.' One year after graduation — employed 97.2%, time to job -0.3 months (81.3% before or immediately after graduation, 15.6% within 3 months), salary CHF 62,900. Five years after graduation — employed 100%, salary CHF 84,600. Place of work: Switzerland 55.9% (Ticino 35.3%, other Swiss cantons 20.6%), Italy 32.4%, other countries 11.7%. Industries: Industry 27.2%, Consulting 24.2%, Banking/Finance/Insurance/Accounting 18.2%, Informatics-Technology-Web 12.1%, Educational and research institutions 6.1%, Tourism and transportation 6.1%, Trade 6.1%. 'Source: 2024 USI Master Survey (alumni 2023 and alumni 2019) and USI Alumni DB.' No response rate or cohort size is published — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Master in Management, Study plan: 'In the third semester, students have the possibility to specialize in their studies. They can choose one of four different specialization tracks: Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Organization and Human Resources Management, Socially Responsible Management, Startup and Venture Creation' — four tracks and a third-semester choice, against the three tracks and 'second and third Semesters' stated on the programme overview page. Each track is 18 ECTS in six 3-ECTS courses; specialising is optional. First and second semesters are a common core; 'In the last semester, students learn to apply the knowledge and tools acquired in the first three semesters in a consulting project for a company, an internship and by writing a master's thesis' — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Master in Management, Language Requirements: an internationally recognised certificate at CEFR B2+ is required unless the previous degree was taught entirely in English; accepted scores are IELTS 6.5, TOEFL internet-based 85, Cambridge English First at grade B, or TOEIC listening and reading 860 with speaking 170 and writing 170; 'We only accept the above English qualifications (IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge English, TOEIC)'; 'We generally cannot accept language test results older than three years as of September 1st'; IELTS Academic Online and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are accepted — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Master in Management, FAQ: 'All our Master's programmes are full time' and taught on campus, with no distance learning; the masters offering a spring-semester intake are listed and the Master in Management is not among them; 'You can apply to up to two programmes in one application form'; 'Will there be an admission test? No, there are no admission tests; a candidate's application dossier determines admission'; 'The GRE/GMAT test is compulsory for applicants to the Master in Finance with a Bachelor obtained in a non-EU/non-EFTA country. The test is not mandatory for all other candidates'; applications may be submitted before graduating, subject to passing all exams by September; non-EU/EFTA students must obtain a student visa before entering Switzerland and 'The visa procedure may take one to four months' — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Organising your studies (Master in Management): 'Living costs in Lugano or Mendrisio are, on average, between CHF 1,300 - 1,900 per month', itemised as CHF 450-800 for a shared single room or one-bedroom apartment, CHF 450 for food and household expenses, CHF 50-100 for public transport, CHF 50 for books, CHF 200 for other expenses and CHF 160-280 for health insurance where required; 'USI unfortunately does not have sufficient on-campus housing to accommodate all students'; international students must apply for a residence permit within 14 days of arrival — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI Faculty of Economics — quick facts: '1027 students from 49 countries'; the faculty dates itself to 1996 ('Earnest and rigorous, since 1996'); institutes include the Institute of Management and Organisation, the Institute of Economics, the Institute of Finance and the Institute for Economic Research — Università della Svizzera italiana
  • USI — Master in Management, Employers: 'The following are some of the 200+ employers where USI Master in Management Graduates work', followed by a named list including Accenture, Amazon.com, Avaloq, AXA Winterthur, Bally, Clarins Group, Cornèr Bank, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, Dolce&Gabbana, Ebay, EY, FCA Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ferrero, Google, Gucci, Guess, Helsinn Healthcare, Hugo Boss, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, Lidl Schweiz, Luxottica, LVMH, Michael Kors, Migros, OSCE, Philipp Plein, Pirelli, PwC, Richemont, Roche, SBB CFF FFS, Schindler Group, Tetra Pak, UBS, UNDP and VF International. This is a named employer list, not a placement statistic, and no share or year is attached to it — Università della Svizzera italiana