The master's degree course is geared towards graduates from a technically oriented bachelor's degree programme who wish to specialise within their subject area.
The FHNW School of Engineering offers the following MSE profiles:
With the master's degree, the highest academic university degree, you prepare your way for responsible positions in research, industry and administration. You are able to take on both challenging activities in a specialist field, as well as management tasks and responsibility for interdisciplinary projects.
Customised master's degree course of study
The central element of the course of study is the individual specialisation in your profile. You will receive this specialization with theoretical and practical work at an institute of the FHNW School of Engineering, whereby you will be accompanied and supervised throughout the course of study by a personal advisor and thus unique skills at a high level within the framework of selected theory modules as well as practical research and development projects acquire.
What to do:
Select the main focus of your specialization in one of the 8 profiles.
Select an advisor at an institute of the FHNW School of Engineering.
The MSE course enables you to pursue a targeted, individual specialisation in the fields of engineering and information technology.
You learn to develop abstract thinking and to act in an application- and solution-oriented way.
You possess extensive methodical know-how, can recognize the complexity of individual contexts and can solve problems independently.
In practice-oriented projects, you develop your skills and gain qualified practical experience.
You can develop products and procedures using cutting-edge technologies, have acquired expertise in project management and are familiar with business contexts.
In dealing with complex problems, you can make a significant analytical, conceptional and technical contribution to the development of innovative solutions.
Thanks to strong communication skills, you are confident operating in an international environment.
One-third of the course of study consists of theoretical modules that are carried out at central locations for students from all Swiss universities of applied sciences. The other two thirds form the focus of the “Master of Science in Engineering”. You acquire this part of the training at an institute of the FHNW School of Engineering.
The MSE course of study represents 90 ECTS credits:
30 ECTS by completing the central theory modules
30 ECTS through the individual specialisation (projects, Supplementary course elements)
30 ECTS by passing the final master thesis
Further information on the structure of the course can be found here.
All students must provide evidence of 6 credits from supplementary courses (EV) throughout the entire course of study.
Supplementary courses serve to impart theoretical knowledge which, due to its specialization, is not part of the central theory modules. The EV is organized by the institute of the FHNW School of Engineering where you work. However, you can also take suitable EV from other universities of applied science, provided that you have coordinated this with your advisor or the MSE programme head.
Organisational information
The master's degree is aimed at graduates with a good first degree(ECTS Grade A or B).
The field of study must be appropriate to the area of expertise in the selected technical specialisation. Those who possess equivalent credentials (e.g. a degree from a technical college or university of applied sciences) can also be admitted to the degree course.
An aptitude test is carried out after application. If required, an additional admission interview may be arranged.
The MSE is normally taken immediately after a bachelor's degree. More detailed clarification is necessary if the applicant has worked for several years in the interim.
All lectures are given in English. As the technical specialisation can also be taken in English, knowledge of German is not required for the master's degree.
The master's degree can be completed full-time with a duration of three semesters or part-time with a correspondingly longer duration. In the case of part-time study, it is possible to divide work and study into different semesters.
Tuition fee (CH + EU countries*
CHF 700.- (per semester)
Enrolment fee
CHF 200.- (before commencement of studies)
Thesis fee
CHF 300.- (before master's thesis)
Teaching materials, copying costs, etc.
CHF 500.- (per semester, guide price)
* The tuition fees for students not domiciled in Switzerland or an EU country are CHF 5,000 per semester full-time and CHF 2,500 per semester part-time.
The master's degree can be started in the spring or autumn semester:
Beginning in the spring semester: Registration closes at the end of September of the previous year
Beginning in the autumn semester: Registration closes at the end of April of the current year
