The MSc in Financial Communication is offered jointly by the Faculty of Economics, and the Faculty of Communication Sciences. This full-time study programme of the Università della Svizzera italiana, USI (also known as University of Lugano) is held in Lugano – Switzerland, comprises 120 ECTS spread over 4 semesters (usual duration 2 years) and is entirely offered in English.
The Master programme in financial communication offers students the unique opportunity to acquire an integrated set of competences, including financial, communicative and legal knowledge, strongly and increasingly required in the financial sector. The recent financial crisis has created new challenges for banks, business companies and market operators, who are expected to master, besides a solid financial background, also strong capacities in communicating with clients and investors and a mature awareness of the legal framework in which financial services and products are promoted and transactions are negotiated.
The aim of the Master in Financial Communication is to form specialists operating in the banking sector and in capital markets being able to bridge the information and knowledge gaps between financial experts and lay investors and entrepreneurs. Moreover, such specialists will be asked to manage strategically the huge quantity of information so that it can be put “at work” to foster sound investment decisions.
The Master is entirely held in English. Elective courses in Italian are also available, as well as language courses.
Obiettivi
The goal of the Master in Financial Communication is to form specialists able to bridge the knowledge gap between financial experts and investment decisions makers, by means of advanced communication principles, techniques and skills applied to finance.
Joining in a comprehensive argumentative approach the knowledge of business economics and law, with the appropriate interpersonal skills, our graduates will be prepared to put financial information “at work”, in order to foster appropriate investment decisions. They will be trained to intermediate, in a sensible and timely manner, financial institutions and various other companies with their clients, investors and other stakeholders, so being an effective interface between the financial industry and the public at large. Moreover, by following the logic of the information flow in the financial market (how financial information is generated, transmitted and analyzed), the study programme will allow our graduates to meet the exigencies and the challenge of working with and within the financial media.
The two-year study programme (120 ECTS) is centered on three main pillars – business economics and finance, communication and argumentation, and law and ethics. By the end of the programme, our students will have acquired fundamental analytical, argumentative and interpersonal skills, grounded in a solid knowledge of financial market behavior, strategies and regulations, so being enabled to efficiently craft the information for financial decisions.
Destinatari
The formal requirement for admission to the Master’s degree in Financial Communication is a Bachelor’s degree granted by a recognised university. Bachelor’s degree granted by a recognized recognised university in Economics, Communication Sciences, or related disciplines.
Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree of a recognised University of Applied Sciences may be admitted with 30-60 additional ECTS to be earned during or before the beginning of the programme, with Bachelor or Master courses according to a study program defined by the scientific director. Admissions will be treated on a case by case basis.
The Master in Financial Communication is taught entirely in English. Applicants whose first degree was not taught in English, are required to at least have earned a B2 certificate according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or an equivalent level of another proficiency certificate – e.g. TOEFL, IELTS.
Whilst it is an important requisite to be fluent in English, you do not need to know or learn Italian in order to successfully participate in the proposed study programme.
As Lugano is located in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, students might be interested in acquiring the basics in Italian, in order to be able to get around in everyday life.
The University of Lugano offers an Italian language study programme organized in various modules. All its non Italian-speaking students, researchers and professors are invited to participate free of charge.
Sbocchi occupazionali
The primary job market for candidates earning this degree are:
- the private banking and wealth management sector, where the integration of solid financial knowledge with communicative and legal skills will constitute a competitive advantage;
- the financial communication area of business enterprises, where in-depth expertise is needed to organize and manage numerous strategic communications (investor relations, roadshow marketing, financial reporting, media relations support);
- consultancy firms in investors relations and other financial communications, where a wide array of services is offered especially to listed companies, like consultancy and coaching, market transaction communications (M&A, IPO, etc.), shareholders engagement solutions (proxy solicitations, capital raising support, institutional investors canvassing, etc.).
Contenuti
The two-year study programme (120 ECTS) combines a state-of-the-art theoretical training with real-life case-studies and simulations, relying on innovative and interactive teaching methods.
The study curriculum comprises both core (63 ECTS) and elective courses (39 ECTS), centered around three main pillars – financial economics, communication, and law. By the end of the programme, our students will have acquired fundamental communicative skills, grounded in a solid knowledge of financial market behavior, strategies and regulations, which will enable them to efficiently craft the information for financial decisions
Sem. I Foundation and core courses
- Accounting
- Commercial Communication Law
- Corporate Finance or Essentials of Corporate Finance
- Corporate strategy
- Financial Instruments
- Interpersonal Communication for Finance
- Rhetorical Strategies in Financial Disclosures
Sem. II Foundation and core courses
- Argumentation in Finance
- Financial Communication Law
- Financial Intermediation
- International Fiscal System
- Investor Relations
- Private Banking
Sem. III
Core courses
- Data Analysis
Electives
- Corporate Goverance (Institutional Aspects)
- Ethics and Law in Banking (in Italian only)
- Strategic Marketing
- Introduction to Institutions and Economics of Pensions and Aging
- Pension Economics and Finance
- Internship (optional)
Sem. IV Electives
- Banking Strategies
- Consumer Behaviour
- Corporate Banking
- Corporate Identity and Image
- Entrepreneurship: Writing Business Plans
- Improving Discourse Quality in Organizations: Evaluation and Redesign
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Human Resources Management
- Issues and Crisis Management
- The Law and Practice of International Capital Markets
- Internship (optional)
- Thesis.
Note
Durata The academic year runs from September until June. Courses are held from September until December and from February until the end of May. The academic year also includes 3 exam sessions (January, June and September). Costo Tuition fees for the Master's degrees amount to CHF 4,000 per semester. Applicants whose official residence was in Switzerland (including Liechtenstein and Campione d'Italia) at the time of the final high school exam (Maturità) pay a reduced semester fee of CHF 2,000. Tuition fees are payable at the beginning of each term, by the deadline indicated on the invoice; fee payment is an essential condition for matriculating or renewing one's enrolment. Borse di studio e finanziamenti The Foundation for the Lugano Faculties of USI will award a total of 60 one-off study grants of the amount of 4'000 CHF each. The merit based grants are given to first year students admitted to a USI Master program starting in September. Other study grants are available. For more details, please, visit the following link: http://www.usi.ch/en/formazione-borse_studio.htm
